How will Qalipu First Nation commemorate the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation?

Paul Pike, Cultural Outreach Officer for the Band, shared details on Monday Morning Live:

“Stephenville is going to be having a gathering at 1:30 pm at the Jerome M Pavilion, that’s for the ceremonial start.  We’re asking the whole community to come out and join us at 1:30 PM.  That’s Friday, September 29th.  If you’re wondering where that is, it’s right behind McDonalds in Stephenville.

 

Also, at 7 pm there’s going to be a virtual presentation by Lottie Johnson from Eskasoni First Nation at the College of the North Atlantic at the lecture hall.  Now that’s going to be starting at 7 but we really want people to show up probably 6:30 ish.  Because this is very important, to hear from our Elder, to share their story about their experience at residential school.  We don’t want to be wandering in, you know, in the middle of it, you know what I mean.

 

Also, that same presentation will be available in other locations.  In Grand Falls-Windsor, they’ll be gathering at 6:30 at the Corduroy Nature Centre building for this very same presentation.  And in Gander, they will be meeting at the Crossroads Family Resource Centre at 6:30.

 

In Corner Brook, there’s going to be multiple things happening as well.   At 3 Church Street, we’ve got events starting at 9:00 a.m.  There’s going to be a banner signing, community walk, and ceremonial start followed by a song by the Corner Brook Aboriginal Women’s Association.   And then that same presentation that I talked about with Lottie Jonson is going to be held at the Arts and Culture Centre in Corner Brook and that will be starting at 7:00 Pm and again we ask people to show up a little earlier.

 

And it’s also going to be available in DeGrau at the Edna May Benoit Women’s Centre at 6:30 PM.

 

There are lots of places to be able to take in the events and show our support for the residential school survivors.  And of course, if you have an orange shirt to wear in support of them, that would be awesome.

 

It’s an opportunity for us to come out as our Mi’kmaw community and to share, be there, and be present, with the residential school survivors.”

Paul also reminded youth about the logo contest whose prize is $250, cultural supplies, books, swag, a $500 donation to the winner’s School Breakfast Program and the winner’s logo will be featured on next year’s t-shirts produced by the Band for the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation.

The next regular meeting of Chief and Council will take place on Saturday, September 23 at the Days Inn in Stephenville. The meeting is scheduled from 10:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and will be streamed live through the ginu membership portal.

To register to attend this meeting in person, please contact Suzanne at 709-643-5111

Youth in grades K-12 are invited to submit their original poem commemorating the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation.

One poem will be selected to be read aloud at the gathering in Corner Brook on September 29th, and published in our weekly newsletter, Maw-pemita’jik Qalipu’k (the caribou are travelling together).

Submit your poem to lswift@qalipu.ca by 4:00 PM on September 22, 2023.

To recognize the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Qalipu First Nation will once again host a logo contest.  This contest is open to both Indigenous and non-Indigenous children in Grades Kindergarten to Grade 12 within Canada. Contest submissions must be received by September 28th, 2023, 4:00pm NST.

The logo contest winner will receive a cheque for $250.00 as well as prizes including swag, books, and cultural supplies. In addition, the winner’s school will be presented with a donation of $500.00 towards their school breakfast program. The winning logo will also be featured on orange shirts produced by the band in time for next year’s National Day of Truth and Reconciliation.

Contest entries and the accompanying media release form signed by a parent/guardian must be received by September 28, 2023 at 4:00pm NST. All entries and media release forms must be scanned and emailed to communications@qalipu.ca, or mailed to:

Attn: Alison Muise
Qalipu First Nation
PO Box 460
St. George’s, NL
A0N 1Z0

Click on the link below for full contest details.

Media Release Form
Full Contest Details

Tuesdays at 10:00 AM on Bay FM

The Band is excited to share that starting this coming Tuesday, September 19 at 10:00 a.m. we will be live on air with Bay FM for the new radio talk show, Qalipu Today.  The weekly recurring broadcast will feature guests from various members of the staff team along with our Chief, Band Manager, and community members.  It will focus on a variety of topics relevant to the membership and broader Indigenous community including information about benefits, programs, and services, new projects, top news and all the latest about upcoming events and gatherings.

Listeners can tune in to Bay FM at 100.1 FM in the Corner Brook area or from anywhere by selecting “listen live” on the station’s website, www.bayfm.ca.

Past programs will also be available at www.bayfm.ca/player/podcasts.

Last year, Qalipu First Nation launched its first annual logo contest for the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation.  Students across Canada from grades K-12 were invited to create artwork that represented the theme, goals and purpose of Truth and Reconciliation.

Kali Gill, a grade 9 student from Corner Brook Intermediate, was the winner of the 2022 logo contest whose prize included $250, books and cultural supplies, and a $500 donation to her school breakfast program.  Kali would also have her winning logo featured on orange shirts produced by the Band the following year.

Kali explained her logo design and the impact of the residential school system on families and through generations.

“My artwork can be interpreted in different ways. It could show a mother remembering when her child was taken from her, or it could be a memory of herself as a survivor of the residential school. It represents the sadness and loss of so many innocent lives, like this little girl walking into the school with false hope. I drew the lady as an elder because even though time passes and we age, our teardrops hold memories that will never be forgotten.”

A limited number of orange shirts featuring Kali’s winning design now available for sale by calling Jason at 709-634-0411.

The shirts cost $15 each and all profit will be donated to an organization or charity that supports Truth and Reconciliation.

Keep an eye out for the 2023 logo contest which will be launched this week!

Qalipu First Nation invites band members in the Port au Port East area to meet them at the Twilight 50+ Club on September 20^th at 6:30 PM.  Staff members from all departments will be on hand to share information about programs and services, talk about upcoming opportunities, and gather feedback for the Band’s future direction.

Band Chief Brendan Mitchell noted that this is the beginning of a series of community gatherings that will move across the territory, visiting areas where the Band has not yet hosted a meeting.

“There are nine wards making up our territory, and more than 100 communities.  Often, we pick central locations to hold meetings or community engagement but this fall, we’ve decided to set out to visit more people in more places, off the beaten path.”

The First Nation is hoping to meet many of its Band members on the community tour.

Additional details regarding dates and locations will be shared on the Band’s website www.qalipu.ca.