Kasalas Sasha Perron followed drummers, children and elders on Thursday in a march to the B.C. legislature after running 215 kilometres in the past month, a kilometre for each of the Indigenous children in unmarked graves in Kamloops.
The Lekwungen, Nuu-Chah-Nulth and Kwakwa̱ka̱ʼwakw and other First Nations, some in full regalia, left Fisherman’s Wharf and walked to the legislature where they shared stories, songs and dances. They honoured Perron for his efforts to remember the children who never came home, to support survivors, and to raise money for healing services.
“We wish to bring our nations together in solidarity with the many First Nations that have recently uncovered unmarked graves and the children all over that are missing or still waiting to be found,” said Perron.
“This gathering is to bring us together to collectively heal, help lift our grief and be there to support and uplift each other.”
The grave sites of hundreds of children have been found in recent weeks through the use of ground-penetrating radar at or near three former residential school sites in Kamloops, Cranbrook and east of Regina.
Perron, 27, from the Da’naxda’xw First Nation, was a university hockey player but is not a long-distance runner. When he heard the news of the graves in Kamloops, he was compelled to do something for the children, for their families as well as his own family members — many like his mother and maternal grandfather went to residential schools.
“My family went to residential school in Port Alberni and my grandpa went to residential school in Alert Bay when he was a little boy until he was 18,” said Perron, who works at the Royal B.C. Museum.
“I really believe movement is medicine and we are able to think clearly and receive guidance from the creator more easily when we’re moving. A lot of our traditions are based out of movement and connection with the earth to better connect with our ancestors.”
The solo runs were difficult mentally, physically and emotionally. At times he screamed, cried and laughed to himself. “I would have time to think about my own scars, my own intergenerational trauma.”
But whatever the pain, he pushed through it by imagining the incomparable loss felt by the families of the stolen children and the generations that followed. “You know, a lot of people associate 215 kilometres with being hard, with being difficult, but if you think about the children, that every kilometre represents a child’s life, what is that compared to families struggling with that trauma.”
When others joined him on his run and shared their stories, he felt connection — it was that feeling he wanted to create when he organized Thursday’s gathering at the legislature.
Hundreds turned up, most wearing “Every child matters” orange T-shirts. His sisters stood on either side of him as he was presented with gifts including an eagle pendant carved by his uncle, artist Kevin Cranmer.
