National Truth & Reconciliation Day
Hearts & Hands Pins | Learning Resources
Reflect and Support your Community
On September 30th, Pacific Opera Victoria takes the opportunity to recognize National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. As we contemplate the impacts of residential schools and colonization on Indigenous Peoples in Canada, Pacific Opera encourages our community to dedicate a meditative space for this process. Whether you choose to reflect in solitude or participate in a community event, please consider finding support on this important day.
HEARTS & HANDS Pin
It is an honour to share with you the HEARTS & HANDS artwork designed by Kwakwaka’wakw and Coast Salish artist Carey Newman/Ha̱yałka̱ng̱a̱me.
You can order a limited HEARTS & HANDS PIN, representing the caring and work that needs doing towards truth and reconciliation. Pins are available for a suggested contribution of $15-$30, with all proceeds supporting
- the Indigenous Fine Arts Scholarship at the University of Victoria
- The Witness Blanket Project
- The Orange Shirt Society
Pins will be available for pickup or sent by mail. Please order yours now via the form below, and learn more about Orange Shirt Society here.
With respectful and earnest hope, we hold this space in our hearts and minds to continue the path in reconciliation through truth and understanding.
To order a pin, please fill out this form:
Please note, no tax receipts are given for the purchase of a pin and are not a part of your donor membership at the opera.
Learning Resources
The Greater Victoria Public Library’s 215 Resources are an excellent place to begin or continue your learning journey. These resources were gathered in an effort to “support learning, unlearning, and relearning about the relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Peoples throughout Canada’s history.” GVPL provided these in response to the 215 unmarked graves of children found at the site of the Kamloops Indian Residential School by the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation in late May 2021. The 215 resources are available on their website.
In addition, the Victoria Native Friendship Centre’s VNFC Bruce Parisian Library has a rich catalogue available to the public online through their website. Pacific Opera has contributed four copies of Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas The Flight of the Hummingbird, Red, and Carpe Fin to the library.