Mahpiya Luta | Red Cloud School
On September 30, Maȟpíya Lúta students and staff once again wore bright orange shirts to honor Indigenous children who were taken from their families and placed in Boarding and Residential schools. The tradition—observed here for many years—carries a special resonance on our campus, since our organization was originally established as Holy Rosary Mission, a former boarding school.
This year, our Lakota Language Resource Center designed and printed a shirt for every student, ensuring that our whole community could participate. The day began with a moving remembrance at the elementary school, where students offered prayer songs and welcomed Cecelia Fire Thunder, Director of our Truth and Healing Initiative, who shared her personal experience as a Holy Rosary Mission boarding school student.
The orange shirt is symbolic of the story of Phyllis Webstad, a Northern Secwepemc (Shuswap) woman from the Stswecem’c Xgat’tem First Nation in British Columbia, whose brand-new orange shirt was taken from her on her first day at a residential boarding school in 1973. By marking Orange Shirt Day, Phyllis’s story helps us remember generations of Native students who were forced to attend American Indian boarding schools and symbolizes the loss of culture, language, and identity experienced by thousands of children.
The date was chosen because it is the time of year in which children were taken from their homes to attend residential schools and because it is an opportunity to set the stage for anti-racism and anti-bullying policies for the coming school year. First Nations and Native American tribes, local governments, schools and communities come together in the spirit of reconciliation, healing and hope for future generations of both children and survivors.
Why We Wear Orange at Mahpiya Luta in observance of Orange Shirt Day:
- To support boarding school survivors and their families
- To remember and honor the children who never came home
- To commit to reconciliation, ensuring that Every Child Matters.
At Mahpiya Luta, we stand together as a community to learn, reflect, and honor the past, while committing to a future of respect and solidarity.
