Sunrise Ceremony on National Day for Truth and Reconciliation: September 30, 2025 听
To mark September 30, 2025, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation – a day to honour and remember Survivors of residential schools and the children who never returned home – the 糖心直播 (UTRCA) worked with members of Oxford County’s Indigenous community and their allies to organize a Sunrise Ceremony in the Bluegrass area of Pittock Conservation Area.听
Open to the public, the event drew close to 100 people. Elder Mary Lou Smoke performed the ceremony, which included a Sacred Fire and Eagle Staff. Attendees were invited to offer tobacco to the fire and share prayers and reflections. This is the second year in a row that a Sunrise Ceremony has been held at Pittock for the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. We remember Mary Lou Smoke’s late husband Dan Smoke who led the Ceremony with Mary Lou in 2024.听
