۴ý

Skip to main content

Montreal students honour memory of Indigenous children by hand-sewing moccasins

Share

Students at Montreal's Beurling Academy are on a creative mission to honour the memory of Indigenous children, one moccasin at a time.

The students are learning about how, since the late 19th century, 150,000 First Nations, Inuit and Métis children were removed from their families and forced to attend residential schools.

To learn from and honour Indigenous children, students learned how hand-sew small moccasins during a community initiative called Project 215.

The workshop was hosted by Rebekah Elkerton. She is Anishinaabe from Chippewas of the Thames First Nation, near London, Ont.

Her grandparents attended residential schools, and her father was a victim of the 60s’ Scoop. Rebecca Elkerton says her grandparents rarely spoke about the pain of their past.

“The way that they raised their kids, it was very clear that they had experienced their own trauma and their own abuse,” she said.

Leading the workshops is an opportunity for Elkerton to "heal together through creativity and to establish a common ground.”

“I think it's important to share our traditions with non-Indigenous people. And most importantly, it's about starting a conversation,” she said.

Tashaiya Mcrae-Evans, a Grade 8 student, said she felt disgusted when she learned about what happened to Indigenous children at residential schools.

“They're all humans and we treated them badly, just because they're from a different culture,” she said.

Jessica Hernandez, who operates a bead business in Kahnawake, a First Nations reservation southwest of Montreal, was the inspiration for this activity.

Once the moccasins are done, they will be on display at the school.

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

The federal government allowed 30-year mortgage amortizations for first-time homebuyers purchasing new builds in August, and the new rules are set to expand in December to everyone looking to buy a newly-constructed home.

U.S. authorities earlier this year knew the whereabouts of a former Canadian Olympian who is now on the run for allegedly running a transnational drug trafficking ring and orchestrating murders in Ontario, according to Ontario court documents.

Local Spotlight

A new resident at a Manitoba animal rescue has waddled her way into people's hearts.

Hundreds of people ran to the music of German composer and pianist Beethoven Wednesday night in a unique race in Halifax.

He is a familiar face to residents of a neighbourhood just west of Roncesvalles Avenue.

A meteor lit up our region's sky last night – with a large fireball shooting across the horizon over Lake Erie at around 7:00 p.m.

Residents of Ottawa's Rideauview neighbourhood say an aggressive wild turkey has become a problem.

A man who lost his life while trying to rescue people from floodwaters, and a 13-year-old boy who saved his family from a dog attack, are among the Nova Scotians who received a medal for bravery Tuesday.

A newly minted Winnipegger is hoping a world record attempt will help bring awareness for the need for more pump track facilities in the city.

A Springfield, Ont. man is being hailed a 'hero' after running into his burning home to save his two infant children.

Hortense Anglin was the oldest graduate to make her way across the platform at York University's Fall Convocation ceremony this week. At the age of 87, she graduated with an Honours degree in Religious Studies.

Stay Connected