Moraviantown woman spearheads effort that creates 125,000 orange shirt pins

To help honor those who attended residential schools, especially those who never made it home, Lana Parenteau, of Delaware First Nation in Moraviantown, started making orange shirt pins.

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Two years ago, when 215 children’s graves were discovered at the former Kamloops residential school, she decided, with her granddaughter Sky, to make even more of them.

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It has become a community effort since then, with approximately 11,000 citizens joining them. An estimated 125,000 Takwihleew orange shirt pins have been distributed around Chatham-Kent and elsewhere.

“This is history we should all learn about and remember, Indigenous and non-Indigenous,” said Parenteau, who was an Indigenous peer navigator until funding for the position expired last year.

Takwihleew means “come together” in Lenape, the language of Delaware Nation at Moraviantown.

Parenteau said the legacy of the schools continues to this day.

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“I still see the effects of the 60s Scoop and residential schools in our Indigenous communities today,” she said. “Making these pins started as a small way to create a visual reminder of what we are working toward: truth and reconciliation. I could never have imagined how big it would become.

“I knew I had to continue this work even though my official role in the community has ended. As we make pins together, or share pins in the community, it sparks conversations about learning the truth, and it’s only through the truth that we can have reconciliation.”

The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, also known as Orange Shirt Day, is Saturday.

“We saw the impact of the Takwihleew during our work with Lana last year,” said Brent Wilken, ComeTogetherCK executive director.

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“So many everyday citizens from all walks of life made pins with us or shared them with others. It is a grassroots experience that just goes to show that all of us can take the first steps in truth and reconciliation. We also encourage local businesses and community organizations to get involved and show their support for Indigenous people in Chatham-Kent either by donations to the pin-making kits or by holding pin-making sessions with their employees or bosses.”

Wilken said the pins can be worn every day of the year to help recognize the history.

Pin-making kits are available at every Chatham-Kent library branch. Once pins are made, they can be brought back to the library for distribution, or kept by the maker to give out to their own friends and family.

Kits also are available at the local Indigenous Center at 67 Adelaide St. S. in Chatham. The center is open every day from 10 am to 7 pm until and including Saturday to make pins on site.

Orange shirts are available for purchase at the center, with proceeds going to Indigenous community development efforts.

“This is the way working together should be,” said Pam Fulton, Indigenous leader from Bkejwanong Walpole Island First Nation and ComeTogetherCK board member.

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