Harsh experiences of past Indigenous boarding schools serve as lessons of healing now on Orange Shirt Day
- Mark Sabbatini
- Sep 30
- 4 min read
Updated: Oct 2
Dozens gather at Zach Gordon Youth Center to share stories, songs and salmon
By Mark Sabbatini
Juneau Independent
For this year’s Orange Shirt Day, in memory of survivors of Indigenous boarding schools and children who didn’t return, organizers in Juneau were looking for something a little closer to home.
Participants waving special flags and signs reading "Every Child Counts" on main thoroughfares have been a familiar sight on Sept 30 in recent years. But instead of catching the attention of motorists, this year members of the Haa Tóoch Lichéesh Coalition organized an afternoon gathering of stories, songs, crafts and salmon for kids and teens at the Zach Gordon Youth Center.
"We just decided to pour our energy into this healing village, and share food and share healing together," said Ati Nasiah, executive director at Haa Tóoch Lichéesh, when asked why the group bypassed the roadside gathering for what’s formally known as the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
"We see the amazing young leaders that are benefiting from and bringing care into this space," she said. "And so we wanted to come and celebrate with them."
Youths of all ages, instructors of various types, and Alaska Native elders joined together for traditional drumming, songs and dances. The adults also passed on lessons to the younger participants, many wearing the orange shirts associated with the occasion, about the history of Alaska‘s boarding schools and family members lost.
"We know that there were many families who were told that their kids ran away — ‘We don't know what happened to them, they disappeared,’" said Xeetli.éesh Lyle James, a Lingít advocate and Juneau School District teacher. "But in reality they had passed away and they didn't tell the truth. There are many places where many of our relatives are buried today and we don't know where they're at — but we know which state they are. This is the reality that many of us face. It's our truth, but we're not using it to harm anyone. But we're saying that we're not forgetting where they're at, that their memory doesn't leave when they disappear."
A mini quiz, with a prize of dried fish, was offered by Hana’ackm Ggoadm ‘Tsoal Naomi Leask, a member of the coalition organizing the gathering. The first question was when the first Indigenous board school was opened in the United States (answer: the Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Pennsylvania, established by Richard Henry Pratt in 1879, with the date correctly guessed).
"That's where 26 people in my family went," Leask said. "That's where my grandma's uncle escaped. That's over 3,000 miles away. He ran and he ran and he ran. And when he made it back to British Columbia, they hid him away."
Highlighting the contrast between children being grouped in those schools and spending part of their days at the Zach Gordon Youth Center was Max Blust, the center’s supervisor. The facility started as a teen club in 1946, moved to its current location in 1967, and "just last week we passed 10,000 visits for the year."
"That means 10,000 times a child walked through the doors, thought that was important, thought to spend the day here or maybe an afternoon, enjoy a meal," he said. "We're really proud to be the home of LGBTQ+ youth in Juneau. We're proud to be the home of many Native youths in Juneau. Folks who come from various different places love to come here and we are such a group of people that what unites us is our love for this place, and community and keeping each other in our hearts."
Many other people in Juneau wore orange shirts Tuesday in observance of the occasion, notably employees of Alaska Native entities such as the Sealaska Heritage Institute and the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska.
At noon, more than 30 people gathered in Sealaska Plaza for more than an hour of songs, drumming and dancing. The Tlingit and Haida's Wayfinders program also hosted an Orange Shirt Gathering on Monday evening at the Floyd Dryden campus.
"I think today is such a challenging day, but also a rewarding day,” Blust said on Tuesday. “It's about how you heal something that can't be healed, how you fix something that's been so broken that we can't put it back together. The answer is, you all here today."
• Contact Mark Sabbatini at editor@juneauindependent.com or (907) 957-2306.
