Around 50 members from Stuxwtews/Bonaparte First Nation and neighbouring bands and nations canoed the Thompson River as part of "Bringing Our Spirits Home" (Facebook/Kelsey Thorne).

By Aaron Schulze

Bringing Our Spirits Home

‘It gives a breath of fresh air in the community’: Stuxwtews/Bonaparte First Nation bring spirits home

Jun 22, 2021 | 4:36 PM

KAMLOOPS — Following the discovery of 215 children at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School, there was a silence amongst the elders in Stuxwtews/Bonaparte First Nation.

Angie Thorne, a social development manager in the Bonaparte Health Department, said there was a meeting with the elders to seek guidance on how the community could move forward. She said they gave administration permission to follow through with what they believed could be empowering for Stuxwtews/Bonaparte First Nation and surrounding bands and nations — a journey called “Bringing Our Spirits Home.”

“Not only for the lost souls, but for our souls who are still surviving and living amongst us,” Thorne said. “Bringing to light and letting them know they’re supported spiritually, culturally and mentally.”

Members from Stuxwtews/Bonaparte First Nation and neighbouring First Nations contributed to a spiritual bundle that travelled with them prior to beginning the journey.

Day One was a canoe journey, departing from Lafarge Bridge and arriving at Pioneer Park in Kamloops, with a moment of silence at the former residential school in between. Thorne said elders from Chase joined the rowers and sang and prayed.

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From there, the participating First Nations members convoyed to the Cache Creek Community Hall, then arrived at the Stuxwtews sacred fire via horseback to continue the ceremony on Monday (June 21). Thorne said the spiritual bundle now looks over the Stuxwtews/Bonaparte First Nation community.

Having a full day to reflect on the journey, Thorne said it brought a breath of fresh air to the community.

“We had 50 members attend from off reserve and on reserve… they got to reconnect,” Thorne said. “We had many youths that attended the canoe and horseback riding. We’ve been here for a very long time. We’re really connected to our land, the water, and our animals. Just having this come to light has been an awakening.”

Stuxwtews/Bonaparte First Nation hopes to keep the healing and reconnecting progress going forward. Thorne said they’re planning summer camping trips and registration is up from previous years.

“Just having the youths and elders and parents, those generations honouring their families and where they come from was so very empowering. Not only to themselves, but to the community,” she said. “We had a comment from a community member who was living off reserve that she felt like she belonged. That’s our goal over the next year: create that sense of belonging. Learning, teaching and having an opportunity for families to reconnect is important.”