BRADFORD, Pa. – Members of the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford marked National Day of Remembrance/Orange Shirt Day with events that included a walk to remember the children placed in Indigenous boarding schools.
The public was welcome to attend these free educational events to learn more about the schools and their effect on communities.
On Thursday, September 26th there was showing of the documentary “Unseen Tears”. The viewing was followed by small group discussions where audience members were encouraged to ask questions and help process feelings raised by the documentary. The movie featured interviews with survivors of the Thomas Indian School in Irving, N.Y., and Mohawk Institute in Brantford, Ontario, Canada. In the documentary, survivors speak about traumatic separation from their families, abuse and a systematic assault on their language and culture.
There were more than 500 boarding schools in 19th- and 20th-century America that Indigenous children were often forced to attend. There they were beaten, starved or otherwise abused when they spoke their Native languages.
Survivors and their descendants have adopted the orange shirt as a symbol to commemorate the residential school experience. It originates from a story about a 6-year-old girl who lived at the St. Joseph Mission Residential School in Canada, where the orange shirt her grandmother had bought her was taken from her and replaced with a school uniform.
Tyrone Bowen, a member of Pitt-Bradford’s men’s lacrosse team who is Seneca, helped organize the documentary viewing and remembrance walk. The Seneca are part of the Haudenosaunee Nation that invented lacrosse, which is more than a game to the Indigenous people who play it.
Bowen’s great-grandfather, Ralph Bowen, was both opposed to the construction of the Kinzua Dam and a survivor of the Thomas Indian School.
“My great-grandfather was a survivor who fought relentlessly so that I could speak our language and embrace our sacred game,” he said. “Each time I pick up my stick, I play in remembrance of those who suffered and those who were lost.
“This Orange Shirt Day let’s stand together to ensure their stories are never forgotten. By wearing orange, we acknowledge their hardships and contribute toward the ongoing journey toward healing and reconciliation.”
At mealtimes throughout the week, Bowen and his men’s lacrosse teammates provided information on how to remember and honor Indigenous children.
