Community events to recognize National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

Penticton residents have two opportunities to recognize the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on September 30, 2022. 

The first is a Walk for the Children hosted by the Okanagan Nation Alliance. The 5 km walk departs from the Peach in Penticton at 10 am. Participants will make their way along the channel to the Syilx Indian Residential School Monument outside the Penticton Hatchery on En’owkin Trail on the Penticton Indian Reserve. The Penticton Indian Band will also be hosting a special event for Okanagan Nation members following the walk.

The second is a Celebration of Indigenous Culture and Resiliency in Gyro Park hosted by the Four Seasons Cultural Society. Supported by the City of Penticton, the event will feature Red Spotted Horse Drum Group, dance performances and an invitation for the public to join in a Round Dance to honour survivors and those lost to Canada’s residential schools.

The event runs from 1 pm to 6 pm and includes the following activities: 
•    Acknowledgement of the Day
•    First Nations Dance Performances
•    Drumming and Singing
•    Public Round Dance
•    Arts and crafts
•    Vendors
Attendees are asked to wear orange shirts, bring lawn chairs and plan a picnic lunch. 

The Four Seasons Cultural Society is a non-profit society with a mandate to preserve and honour First Nations traditions in the Penticton area. The Society is currently preparing to host the 2023 Pow Wow Between the Lakes in Penticton. This will be the fifth year for the event and the first year it has been held since the discovery of the remains at the Kamloops Indian Residential School. To honour those lost and those who survived Canada’s residential schools, the theme for the upcoming pow wow is Healing the Nation through Reconciliation.  

“Our society is so pleased to be able to share our culture on this important day. We hope the community will come and join us for this celebration of Indigenous culture and resiliency and a day of healing,” said the Society’s Executive Director Kristine Jack.

If you would like to be a vendor, sponsor or contribute to this event or the 2023 Pow Wow Between the Lakes, please contact the event organizer Kristine Jack at kristinejack@hotmail.com or call (250) 488-7199. More information about the event is available at www.penticton.ca.