There will be opportunities in Salmon Arm to mark the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in song and ceremony. 

On the day itself, Monday, Sept. 30, the Salmon Arm Art Gallery is once again hosting a ceremony to remember and honour the Indigenous children lost to, and the survivors of residential schools. Neskonlith Knowledge-Sharer Louis Thomas will lead the ceremony, which begins at 4 p.m. in front of the gallery. 

In the week before the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, also known as Orange Shirt Day, schools in Salmon Arm and throughout the Shuswap will be hosting related activities that recognize the tragic history of residential schools and its lasting impacts, while focusing on reconciliation and how both settler and Indigenous communities can move forward together. 

On Sunday, Sept. 29, Shuswap groups Acoustic Avenue and Rise-Up Indigenous Wellness present a concert with Kym Gouchie and her five-piece band at Song Sparrow Hall. 

Gouchie is an award-winning Indigenous singer/songwriter and respected elder-in-training of the Lheidli T'enneh Nation, near Prince George, and has ancestral roots with Cree and Secw茅pemc Nations.  Her music and songs often deal with First Nations, women's and environmental issues and promotes reconciliation and community building.

"As we begin to prepare for the many experiences, joys and beauty that highlight the Awesomeness of Autumn, we are excited and honoured to present the first live music performance of this season in the Shuswap on the eve of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation," reads a media release by Rise-Up and Acoustic Avenue. "The day honours the children who never returned home and Survivors of residential schools, as well as their families and communities. Public commemoration of the tragic and painful history and ongoing impacts of residential schools is a vital component of the reconciliation process.

"We welcome you to be part of this amazing evening and support an Indigenous-led grassroots commemorative day intended to raise awareness of the individual, family and community intergenerational impacts of residential schools, and to promote the concept of 含羞草研究社淓very Child Matters."

The concert is a fundraiser for Rise-Up Indigenous Wellness, a local non-profit formed to address gaps in services for Indigenous children, youth and families. For more information, visit riseupindigenouswellness.ca. 

Tickets, $35 each, are available at songsparrowhall.ca.