University of Lethbridge holds smudging ceremony to kick off Truth and Reconciliation week

A smudging ceremony took place at the University of Lethbridge marking the official kick off of the campus’ Truth and Reconciliation week. Cathy Hunt, who is an Elder from the Kainai Nation, performed the smudging ceremony and prayed for all the students and faculty. Hunt says some of her family members were residential school survivors and she shared a lot of those stories with the students today.   

“My mother was a residential school. She went my maternal grandfather went to residential school, but my paternal grandparents didn’t. So I was privileged to know both. But what I’m using today is my paternal grandparents because this is my culture, my way of life. I just want to encourage all the students to be open minded. And as they say, sometimes truth hurts. You don’t want to hear it, but there’s a reason why. Maybe it’s time to acknowledge it and learn. Because sometimes it’s not what you think it is. You’re just healing. It’s just healing.”

The university will be holding many events this week as part of Truth and Reconciliation week. A full list can be found on their website.