Secret Path Week is a national movement commemorating the legacies of Gord Downie and Chanie Wenjack. October 17th and 22nd respectively mark the dates that Gord Downie and Chanie Wenjack joined the spirit world.
In 1966, Chanie Wenjack ran away from Cecilia Jeffrey Residential School in Kenora, Ontario. He walked for 36 hours along the train tracks before dying of exposure on October 22. He was just 12 years old.
His death sparked the first inquest into the treatment of Indigenous children in the residential school system. Chanie’s story, tragically, is like so many stories of Indigenous children in this country.
This is one of the only photos ever taken of Chanie.
Chanie is gone, but his story endures in Gord Downie’s album Secret Path.
We invite all people in Canada to use Secret Path Week to answer Gord Downie’s call to action, to Do Something to move reconciliation forward.
“Chanie
Chanie Wenjack. Say his name.
Chanie’s body was described in the papers following his death as grey and thin. Even in the most recognizable photo of him smiling and leaning against a wall, we see him in black and white only. We remember him without colour, lacking vibrancy, his life taken.
But Chanie did live. He lived and ran and laughed in a full spectrum of energetic colours and experiences, like any little boy would. He ran so hard to escape the dark place that stole the life and colour of all our children.
We remember him. We remember them.
While their bodies lay in the dark corners that haunt us today, their spirits soar high in all of their playful innocence.
We remember them.
We remember him.
Fly high Chanie.”
Artwork by Blake Angeconeb (@blakeangeconeb)
Poem by Danielle H. Morrison (@niiyobinaasiik)
A reconciliACTION is a meaningful action that moves reconciliation forward. ReconciliACTIONs aim to bring Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples together in the spirit of reconciliation to create awareness, share, and learn. Take ReconciliACTION in your community this Secret Path Week.
Your donation contributes to reconciliation in Canada by supporting programs, campaigns, and events that serve to bring Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples and communities together.
Online donations of $5.00 or more are eligible for a charitable tax receipt.
To donate by mail, please make cheques payable to ‘Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund’ and mail them to PO Box 749, Ohsweken, ON NOA 1M0
Donations of $10.00 or more received by mail are eligible for a charitable tax receipt.
If you are having issues with our online form or do not receive a confirmation email, please contact jenna@downiewenjack.ca.
Inspired by Chanie’s story and Gord’s call to build a better Canada, the Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund aims to build cultural understanding and create a path toward reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples. Our goal is to improve the lives of Indigenous people by building awareness, education, and connections between all peoples in Canada.
Phone: 1-844-944-4545
E-mail: staff@downiewenjack.ca
Address:
PO BOX 749
OHSWEKEN, ON
N0A1M0
