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Tk’emlups Nation extends invitation to mark National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

Nation encouraging participants to teach the honour song in schools, workplaces and at home
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Two hundred and fifteen lights are placed on the lawn outside the Residential School in Kamloops, B.C., Saturday, June, 13, 2021. The remains of 215 children were discovered buried near the former Kamloops Indian Residential School earlier this month. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward

A First Nation that announced more than 200 unmarked graves had been found at the site of a former residential school in Kamloops, B.C., is inviting people to mark Canada’s first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

The Tk’emlups te Secwepemc Nation has shared a video to help people learn the Secwepemc Honour Song to drum and sing at 2:15 p.m. Pacific time on Sept. 30.

Chief Rosanne Casimir says news of the unmarked graves sparked a global outpouring of support and the invitation offers a way for people to connect.

The nation is encouraging participants to teach the honour song in schools, workplaces and at home.

Since May, several other First Nations have reported finding unmarked graves or suspected remains located around former residential institutions in their territories.

Casimir says the nation has been working to decide what happens next at the Kamloops site and it is set to share updates at an event scheduled to take place next month.

— The Canadian Press

RELATED: Tk’emlups preparing for archaeological work at B.C. residential school site where remains found