Native Americans gather on Alki Promenade to honor children who died

Native Americans gather on Alki Promenade to honor children who died

Hundreds of Native Americans and others gathered by the water on the Alki Beach Promenade July 1, to honor the more than 1100 children lost to residential schools in Canada.

Photo by Patrick Robinson

Thu, 07/01/2021

By Patrick Robinson

Over the past month 1,148 unmarked graves of children from indigenous people have been found at the sites of three former residential schools in Canada. Some of remains are believed to be of children as young as three.

Across that nation and on Thursday July 1, Native Americans and others gathered on the Alki Promenade to remember, mourn, call attention to, and honor all those lost. 

Led by Roxanne White & Ixtli’s Whitehawk and their Ceremony family, speakers took the microphone to sing, lead other voices in song, offer stories, poems and testimony about their own feelings and experiences throughout the event.

White is an organizer and social justice advocate who has dedicated her work to Indian Country. She is Nez Perce, Yakama, Nooksack, and A’aninin (Gros Ventre.) She is recognized nationally for her work on issues related to Missing and Murdered Indigenous People and for her work with MMIP families and communities seeking justice and healing. She is also known her work on human trafficking in Native communities. 

The crowd, many of whom wore orange to honor those lost, gathered at the water's edge where luminaria representing the children were lit and carnations were thrown in the water.

Paper lanterns were lit and set aloft.

 

ken Workman
West Seattle's Ken Workman, great, great, great, great grandson of Chief Sealth spoke at the event. Photo by Patrick Robinson

 

Luminaria
Luminaria lined the shoreline to honor the children lost as a paddle boarder sailed past. Photo by Patrick Robinson

 

ladies listening
Four ladies found a log to sit on as they listened to the speakers. Photo by Patrick Robinson

 

Carnationlady
A woman held carnations to throw in the water. Photo by Patrick Robinson

 

Roxanne White
Roxanne White was one of the primary organizers of the event. Photo by Patrick Robinson

 

paper lantern
Paper lanterns were lit and set aloft. Photo by Kimberly Robinson

 

____________________________________________

 

VIDEO: Every Child Matters
Images and video by Patrick and Kimberly Robinson
Robinson Papers
West Seattle Herald

Comments

Submitted by Roxanne White (not verified) on Fri, 07/02/2021 - 6:52pm

Permalink

Hello Kimberly thank you very much for showing up and covering our community gathering at Alki for our First Nations Ancestors being found every day over in Canada at the Residential Schools. The world needs to learn our true history. The world needs to learn the truth about the Holocaust & Genocide on Indigenous People. I appreciate you very much. With that being said can you please change the intro to Roxanne White & Ixtli’s Whitehawk and their Ceremony family. All the other information is correct. Thank you very much my email is mmip.families@gmail.com

Submitted by Megan (not verified) on Fri, 07/02/2021 - 8:16pm

Permalink

this is sad for the little ones.
But also someone is burning down old wooden Christian churches in Canada
this is not the way to peace

Submitted by Linda (not verified) on Mon, 07/05/2021 - 6:34pm

Permalink

We do not know if the children died of chlorea, small pox or other other causes. This is not genocide, but the Church wanted to give the children an education in these poor areas.
These schools continued until 1997, perhaps someone can shed light on what happened,. The children were buried because that is one of the corporal works of mercy.
We need to sow seeds of love and understanding, not seeds of blame and hate