Orange Shirt Day 2022: Resurgence
The theme of this year's event is resurgence. Resurgence means to reclaim, regenerate and reconnect one’s relationship with Indigenous homelands, culture and community.
Resurgence is a process rooted in the articulation and exercise of the inherent and inalienable rights of Indigenous peoples to be Indigenous in these lands, to practice self-determination and to enjoy all rights enshrined in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
Everyday acts of resurgence
Everyday acts of resurgence may include:
For Indigenous Peoples
- embracing a daily existence conditioned by place-based cultural practices connecting to the land
- growing traditional foods
- speaking your language
- taking care of yourself mentally, emotionally, spiritually and physically
- honouring your ancestors
- decolonizing spaces
- the transmission of Indigenous culture, spiritual teachings and knowledge of the land between Elders and youth
For settlers and allies
- recognizing and affirming that the inherent rights of Indigenous peoples are now enshrined in law both provincially and federally
- deconstructing and eliminating all barriers preventing the full exercise and enjoyment of these rights
- decolonizing one’s own mind and practices, including refuting concepts such as the doctrine of discovery and longstanding notions of western cultural and religious superiority
- making space for Indigenous peoples
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better understanding of how violent colonization occurred and being cautious, aware and watchful of the ongoing presence of these ideas in our current society, institutions, laws and policies