A public memorial service for the late Anishinaabe leader who led Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission will be held Sunday in downtown Winnipeg.

Tributes from around the world have poured in for Murray Sinclair, whose spiritual name was Mazina Giizhik (He Who Speaks of Images in the Sky), in the 24 hours since his death. Sinclair, 73, died Monday.

“The importance of Mazina Giizhik’s impact and reach cannot be overstated,” says a press release regarding two upcoming memorial events, issued on behalf of her family.

“He touched many lives and touched thousands of people. All are welcome and encouraged to attend a public memorial service to be held on Sunday…to celebrate his life and his journey home, in a good way.

Smoke rises from a sacred fire for Murray Sinclair, who died Monday.

The Canada Life Center will host the famous judge’s memorial service, starting at 2 p.m. Sunday. Doors for the event, hosted by the federal and provincial governments, with support from True North Sports and Entertainment, will open at 1 p.m.

A public viewing – open to extended family, friends and the community at large, but closed to the media – is planned for Wednesday at the Centro Caboto Center from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

A sacred fire has been lit on the north lawn of the Manitoba Legislative Building and surrounding flags remain at half-mast. Mourners are invited to visit the site and make an offering of tobacco.

“The family appreciates the continued respect of their privacy during this time of mourning,” the statement said.

A book of condolences will also be placed Wednesday near the grand staircase of the legislative building in honor of the first Indigenous judge to be appointed to the Manitoba Provincial Court and the Court of King’s Bench. The public can sign the book until Sunday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Condolence books will also be available for signing at the memorial and for viewing.

In lieu of flowers, Sinclair’s family is asking those wishing to make a donation to do so through the Murray Sinclair Memorial Fund at wfp.to/sinclairmemorial.

The website states: “Donations to the fund will be held until Mr. Sinclair’s family determines whether the fund will be directed to the Winnipeg Foundation to provide ongoing community support, or whether it will be provided directly to charitable organizations. our community. »

Cards and messages can be mailed to the Cochrane Sinclair offices, 201-211 Bannatyne Ave., Winnipeg, MB, R3B 3P2.

A local historian is also calling on Canadians to display orange T-shirts in their windows to mark the solemn occasion.

Sean Carleton, a researcher at the University of Manitoba, said he felt compelled to take immediate, personal action to show his grief.

“We owe him, and the residential school survivors he supported, a great debt for helping put us on the path to truth and reconciliation. »–Sean Carleton

Carleton went through his closet and found an orange T-shirt, a symbol of the Every Child Matters movement, to display near his front door.

Citing the fact that many Canadians will not be able to offer their condolences in person, he urged others to do the same via social media.

“We owe him, and the residential school survivors he supported, much for helping put us on the path to truth and reconciliation,” wrote Carleton, who has joint appointments in the departments in History and Native Studies from the University of Manitoba. an article on X.

Grassroots efforts were made to hang orange clothing across the country after 215 potential unmarked graves were discovered on the grounds of a former residential school in Kamloops, British Columbia, in May 2021.

Many continue this tradition each year around September 30 (Orange Shirt Day), now officially known as National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

The Canada Life Center will host Murray Sinclair’s memorial service, beginning at 2 p.m. Sunday.

“As Murray passes to the other side, if he is able to see a number of Canadians sporting their orange shirts, it might bring a smile to his face and give people a way to participate in the grieving process,” Carleton said . said the Free press.

Sinclair had expressed concern that Canada was rushing reconciliation and leaving the truth behind in recent years, he noted.

Carleton said displaying an orange shirt is a small gesture to both commemorate the TRC chief commissioner and spark conversation about the difficult truths he dedicated much of his life to honoring.

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Maggie Macintosh
Educational journalist

Maggie Macintosh reports on education for Free press. Originally from Hamilton, Ontario, Maggie was an intern at Free meadows twice while graduating from Ryerson’s School of Journalism (now Toronto Metropolitan University) before joining the newsroom as a reporter in 2019. Learn more about Maggie.

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