Survivors Flag
Rev. Carolyn Seabrook presented a Survivors’ Flag to the Parish of South Carleton last October.
She described how the flag was designed based on consultation with residential school survivors across Canada and she gave an overview of the various elements in the image.
Primate Shane Parker has asked each Anglican Church to have a flag to honour the survivors of the residential school system and to acknowledge the impact of residential schools on Indigenous families, communities and our nation as a whole. The flag serves as a symbol of welcome and inclusion and acknowledges that our parish is a place of safety, healing, understanding and reconciliation.
Cedar Branch, Tree of Peace and Cosmic Symbolism). The image and words for Cedar Branch are separate but if they can be placed side by side or above/below one another I think people will figure it out. I also included the full image so it could be a part of this week’s email as it is clearer for people to see than the photograph of us holding the flag.
In addition, there is a photo of a newly painted crosswalk in Kemptville which includes seven white feathers symbolic of the Seven Sacred Teachings (the Seven Grandfather Teachings) in Indigenous culture: Wisdom, Love, Respect, Humility, Courage, Honesty and Truth. It was installed by Carolyn Solomon of Kemptville and recently unveiled and blessed by Indigenous Elder Albert Dumont. Albert has served as a spiritual advisor/teacher at Christ Church Cathedral in Ottawa, as Indigenous Advisor to Bishop Shane Parker when he was Bishop of Ottawa and was also formerly Ottawa’s English Poet Laureate. You can find out more about his artistic work by following this link to his website: albertdumont.com
As we walk the journey of truth and reconciliation, symbolic gestures like these are an invitation to learn more about the history of Indigenous peoples, contemporary realities and how we can work towards a better future.
For further information and learning:
Here is the link to the information about the Survivors’ Flag and the various symbols: https://nctr.ca/exhibits/survivors-flag/
Here is the link to the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation which is located at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg: https://nctr.ca/
Interactive and Informative Workshops
Engage in our Indigenous learning series as we work towards reconciliation.
