Hamilton sunrise ceremony honouring residential school victims attracts a crowd – CBC

Sep 30, 2024

Sacred fire and pipe ceremony held under massive Indigenous art piece ‘All Our Relations’

When Angela DeMontigny was envisioning ‘All Our Relations’, a massive art piece located on the Hamilton harbour at the end of James Street North, she was imagining it as a focal point for gathering and a home for Indigenous ceremony.

And this morning, it was just that, as people gathered for a sunrise ceremony, marking the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, held just below the five 40-foot panels.

“That was always the hope, and that it is actually happening is making me ridiculously happy,” she said. “The intention was to have… a home; to have this space here to do [ceremony].”

DeMontigny’s art piece, launched last year, consists of thousands of large, colourful glass beads representing traditional Indigenous teachings, the Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address and Hamilton’s biodiversity. Despite cloudy skies, the images slowly brightened as the sun rose at about 7:15 a.m. Monday morning, shining down on 100 Indigenous and non-Indigenous people taking part in the ceremony.

Read More: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/reconciliation-day-sunrise-1.7338081