Statement of Grief and Solidarity with Indigenous Peoples of Canada
Thousand Harbours Zen (THZ) joins in mourning for the 215 children who were discovered in an unmarked mass grave on the site of the Kamloops Residential School. Our hearts are with the survivors, their families, and communities across Turtle Island as they grieve this unimaginable loss.
It is critical to acknowledge the legacy of residential schools across Canada and the immeasurable harms caused by this and other policies designed to enact the genocide of our Indigenous peoples. The residential school in Kamloops is only 1 of over 129 residential schools that stretched across Canada, from coast to coast.
At THZ we recognize that we live and practice in Mi’kma’ki—the unceded territory and ancestral homeland of the Mi’kmaq Nation. Our relationship is based on a series of Peace and Friendship treaties between the Mi’kmaq Nation and the Crown, dating back to 1725. We recognize that we are all treaty people and we stand in solidarity with our Indigenous communities.
Indigenous and Buddhist belief systems are linked by a deep sense of relational accountability to all beings. We are committed to actively engaging in the reconciliation process in Canada, supporting Indigenous calls for action on a wide array of issues from clean drinking water to housing, to the right to a Mik’maq Fishery.
In keeping with the recommendations from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission report, we also join calls from the Indigenous community and others for the government of Canada to identify the children found at the Kamloops site, including cause of death, and provide this information to families. We also support the call to fund full investigations of all former residential school sites. This is a critical part of the truth and reconciliation process in Canada.
We encourage all our visitors and community members to please take time to learn more through these important resources:
· Centre for Truth and Reconciliation
· Learn about the Calls to Action
TRC Reports
· Canada’s Residential Schools: The History, Part 1 Origins to 1939
· Canada’s Residential Schools: The History, Part 2: 1939 to 2000
· Canada’s Residential Schools: The Inuit and Northern Experience
· Canada’s Residential Schools: The Métis Experience
· Canada’s Residential Schools: The Legacy
· Canada’s Residential Schools: Missing Children and Unmarked Burials