Sacred fire in Sipekne'katik provided safe place for people to gather and grieve this week

Students from Sipekne'katik First Nation attended a sacred fire on Wednesday to honour the 215 children whose remains were found buried at a former residential school in Kamloops, B.C., as well as survivors from their own community.

The fire was lit by an elder and burned for about 12 hours in the community, which is located not far from what used to be the Shubenacadie Residential School. 

It's one of many sacred fires that have been burning across the country this week as Indigenous communities mourn the deaths of the children in B.C., and call for justice for residential school survivors and their families. 

Brian Knockwood, an addictions prevention councillor with Sipekne'katik, helped set up the fire and said it was a safe space for people of all ages to gather during a very painful time.

"It's very important because grief and loss, there's no time limit, and the fire gives an embrace to our spirits," he told CBC Radio's Mainstreet on Wednesday.

"It's not only in honour of the children who they found, but it's in honour for the children here and all the other residential schools. It's in honour of our ancestors who have passed on. It's in honour for those who've lived and survived."

Community members attended the fire throughout the day, including students from L'nu Sipuk Kina'muokuom School. They were smudged with sage and given tobacco to offer to the fire as an elder guided them, Knockwood said.

"They pray in their own way, and there's no right or wrong way to pray to the creator … if it's genuine and it comes from the heart, that's what it's all about," he said.

Knockwood said the recent news from the Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation in Kamloops "opened up a lot of wounds that people have been spending a lifetime ... trying to heal from."  

Members of Sipekne'katik First Nation have long known some of the children who attended the nearby residential school never returned, he said.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission has detailed what's known about children who went missing or were buried in unmarked graves, and last week's news has led to renewed calls to search the sites of the former schools and find justice for those who survived. 

A makeshift memorial of 215 pairs of children's shoes was also set up in Sipekne'katik earlier this week as has been done in communities across the province and country.

It's important to have spaces where people can process their grief and find support, Knockwood said. When some of the younger students attended the fire on Wednesday, they sang songs together, including the Mi'kmaw Honour Song. 

"It was really nice to see them feel uplifted," he said.

Knockwood said First Nation communities have always leaned on one another, especially during difficult times.

"All First Nations communities from coast to coast are resilient, like we've been through the ringer and back and we're still here. No matter what," he said.

Support is available for anyone affected by their experience at residential schools, and those who are triggered by the latest reports.

A national Indian Residential School Crisis Line has been set up to provide support for former students and those affected. People can access emotional and crisis referral services by calling the 24-hour national crisis line: 1-866-925-4419.