I had the privilege of witnessing Good Medicine Songs’ incredibly touching performance at the Chowiyes-Xwithet/ Rise Up-Wake Up event. I could feel the respect and sorrow towards Indigenous communities emanating through their vocals, and the harmonization between the singers, paired with their chanting, gave me chills throughout the ceremony. It was the second time I’d seen them perform.
On Sept. 28, a sea of people wearing orange shirts were in attendance for this Chilliwack concert paying respect to Indigenous communities for the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Singing and drumming as they entered the Gathering Place, Good Medicine Songs spoke of 215 Indigenous children found at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School, and how they were inspired to write the song, “Chowiyes-Xwithet/Rise Up-Wake Up.” A call to action, the song implores the listener to “wake up” to the tragedies faced by Indigenous communities. The group performed it with the help of local students from the secondary school, Imagine High — a beautiful way to educate the younger generations about the importance of reconciliation.
Active president and vice-chancellor of UFV, James Mandigo, spoke of how the “atrocities” of the residential school system did not deter the strength of the Indigenous community. I could sense the strength of the Indigenous people who volunteered to share their family members’ experiences with the residential school system. One of these volunteers spoke of how, when he was in the process of reconnecting with his deceased ancestor’s spirits in Kamloops, he felt an evil presence trying to stop him, so he laughed at them.
In a moment that will go down in UFV’s history, assistant professor of Indigenous studies and member of Good Medicine Songs, Dr. Lolehawk Laura Buker, gifted her family’s basket to UFV as an “affirmation of trust” towards the school. I had the pleasure to ask Buker, who is a river woman, Stó:l?, and a member of the Lake Babine Nation, more about why she gave UFV such a valuable gift. “My mom and grandma and uncles, they didn’t really have the opportunity that I got to have,” said Buker. “And those baskets that surrounded our home, they represented our hold on our own family and our traditions and the respect given to the relatives, the cedar, the salmon. Education meant everything to my mom and my grandma and my uncle.” She emphasized, “it’s a humble thing to give. And yes, that basket meant a lot, but it is also for everyone.”
“Reconciliation in 2023 for me is about a process. It’s ongoing, and some of it is quite a surprise that more people than not that come through my circle are willing to inform themselves, educate themselves. And I see it in my students, they are coming with more knowledge of residential schools and the harms of the laws that were so suppressive. And that makes for more, deeper conversation[s] and a way forward.”
I was also honoured to speak with Holly Arntzen. Arntzen is a singer/songwriter/producer with eco-rock group The Wilds and the Artist Response Team, as well as a member of Good Medicine Songs. “I feel so grateful to be involved in this process of creating songs in the Halq’eméylem language and in English,” said Arntzen, before speaking to what reconciliation means to her. “Being in [a] relationship with… everybody in Good Medicine Songs and the broader Stó:lo community. To have that gift, to be able to have relationships that are based on time and experience together and a common love.”
Students can find Buker’s family’s basket above the entrance door of the Gathering Place.
Jade is an English Honours: Creative Writing student. She plans on pursuing an MFA in Creative Writing after graduating from her undergraduate degree. When she’s not in class or studying, she can be found doing karaoke at a local restaurant in hopes of getting noticed and signed to a record deal.