Islanders young and old gather to discuss Mi’kmaw culture, history and reconciliation

Photo courtesy: Taylor O’Brien/CBC. Retrieved from cbc.ca

When Theresa Spingle was in school, she never learned about Indigenous people and residential schools. Decades later, she’s doing her own work to educate herself.

“It wasn’t part of our curriculum,” she said. “It was the old standard curriculum because it’s been a long time since I’ve been in Grade 8 — and even when I finished teaching, it wasn’t really a big part of the curriculum.”

On Friday, Spingle was one of dozens of people who attended Abegweit First Nation’s Truth and Reconciliation event at its administration office in Scotchfort, P.E.I.

The crowd clad in orange shirts was made up of Abegweit First Nation community members, elders and Grade 8 students from Mount Stewart Consolidated School. Spingle attended with her community group, Coffee and Chats, composed of women as old as 90, who participated in the event to better understand Mi’kmaw culture and history.

Abegweit First Nation Chief Junior Gould said the Truth and Reconciliation event was held four days after the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on Sept. 30 because the education campaign needs much more than just one day a year.

He said it’s important for older generations to educate themselves because they are the ones who are currently making decisions that affect Canada and the future.