There was a time when Canada’s Indigenous children were gathered up and placed in residential schools, where they were forced learn the English language, nearly losing their own mother tongue. Now, in 2025, hundreds of children from schools in Port Alberni came together on a school field in their orange shirts to sing našukʔaƛin - and they all knew the lyrics, singing loud and proud.
September 30 marks the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, also known as Orange Shirt Day. It is a Canadian day of memorial to recognize the atrocities and multi-generational effects of the country’s Indian residential school system.
Eighth Avenue Learning Centre (EALC) Principal David Maher invited Ha-Shilth-Sa to the school on September 25, where guests were treated to lunch.
Before long, dozens of children began lining up quietly on the edges of a large playing field behind EALC. According to Maher, 700 students and teachers came from EALC, E.J. Dunn and Maquinna Elementary schools to commemorate the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
“The elementary schools will be doing a reconciliation walk to the event where they will be holding artwork, cards, letters and other artifacts that they have worked on at school while learning about the concept of reconciliation,” Maher told Ha-Shilth-Sa.
The children were welcomed by Maher and also representatives of Hupacasath and Tseshaht First Nations.
Speaking on behalf of Hupacasath, Serena Mayer thanked the children for wearing orange, for walking together and learning together.
“And thank you for saying you’re going to learn with us and remember with us,” she told them.
Michelle Colyn welcomed everyone on behalf of Tseshaht and spoke of the concept many Nuu-chah-nulth people go by, that everything is connected. Because we share the world, we have to look after it and everything in it, including the people.
“We have to learn to share, to have fun and be kind to each other, because you all matter,” she said.
Tseshaht member Aaron Angeli wrote the song našukʔaƛin, which means “we are strong”. He gave it to the school children of SD70, and led the singing of the song in the field at EALC.
When he asked how many children knew the song, all of the hundreds present proudly raised their hands. Then Angeli invited them to come to the center of the field to sing with him so that all of Port Alberni could hear.
The children did not disappoint. They excitedly converged around Angeli and his drum, sing proudly in a sea of orange to mark a memorable Truth and Reconciliation Day.
