Running for reconciliation
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This article was published 19/10/2022 (1079 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
A University of Manitoba Bisons hockey player recently organized a Reconciliation Run to mark the second annual National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
Tréchelle Bunn, 22, is a member of Birdtail Sioux Dakota Nation, a community located about 50 kilometres north of Virden, Man. When news broke of the 215 Indigenous remains discovered at the former Kamloops residential school site last July, Bunn’s heart sank.
That summer, she organized a healing walk on behalf of her community to honour residential school survivors and the children who never made it home. The 26-kilometre walk began with a ceremony at the former Birtle Residential School — which Bunn’s grandparents were both forced to attend — and ended at her home community of Birdtail Sioux Dakota Nation. Around 50 to 60 people attended from Bunn’s community, as well as the surrounding areas.

Supplied photo
The 2022 Reconciliation Run began in Birtle, Man. on Sept. 30, at the former residential school, and concluded on Birdtail Sioux Dakota Nation.
“The 215 recoveries in Kamloops hit home for me and my family, and just spoke to the stories I heard from my grandparents,” Bunn said. “For a lot of people in the non-Indigenous community, it came as a shock, but it wasn’t as much of a shock for us because those are the stories we heard growing up.”
After realizing how powerful that initial walk was for her community, Bunn decided to host the event again this year. The 26-kilometre distance was the equivalent of slightly more than a half-marathon.
“When I first heard about that 215, the words of my grandfather came to my head … He said that he wanted nothing more than to run away and go home,” Bunn said. “My family’s house in Birdtail Sioux Dakota Nation to the Birtle Residential School is roughly the 26 kilometres. It seems like a long way to walk or run, but when you’re a kid and know 26 kilometres is separating you from your family and community, you would run that in a heartbeat.”
The 2022 Reconciliation Run began in Birtle, Man. on Sept. 30, at the former residential school, and concluded on Birdtail Sioux Dakota Nation. Around 120 people registered for the event. There were about 70 in-person runners, while the rest participated virtually (one runner even flew to Manitoba from Vancouver, B.C., to participate, Bunn added).
“For her, running was a way for her tell her truth, and I think that’s something that often gets missed on National Day for Truth and Reconciliation … It’s a day for Indigenous people and survivors to tell their stories, but it’s also a time for non-Indigenous people to own their truth and how their family history contributed to the legacy of Indian residential schools,” Bunn said.
In the coming years, Bunn hopes to expand the run to include multiple marathons within the province at various residential school sites.

Tréchelle Bunn, 22, organized a 26-kilometre Reconciliation Run to mark the second annual National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
“The reason why I wanted to do the run on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is because the healing walk spoke to the healing for my community, but seeing the outpouring of support from the non-Indigenous community and to have those people there walking alongside us and learning was really fitting to the day,” Bunn said.
For more information, visit www.reconciliationrun.ca

Kelsey James
Kelsey James was a reporter/photographer for the Free Press Community Review in 2021 and 2022.
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