DUNNVILLE—Every child matters – that message resonated clearly through the songs, stories, and art that filled the Dunnville Farmers’ Market during the town’s second annual National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day gathering.
Organized by Jodi Vander Heide-Buswa and Sue Wilkins, the September 30, 2025 event invited residents to reflect, learn, and support Indigenous vendors and speakers. From 2 to 7 p.m., the grounds transformed into an Indigenous Market featuring beadwork, medicines, ribbon skirts, stone carvings, and more with children’s activities, a community art project, and, following the speakers, a drum circle and refreshments.
“We’re so happy to bring the community together,” said Vander Heide-Buswa to attendees. She encouraged visitors to sign up for updates at the Orange Shirt table and to support Indigenous entrepreneurship. “Supporting Indigenous businesses gives back in such a meaningful way.”
Artist and educator Frances Porter introduced a collaborative community artwork that symbolized growth through unity: “I started thinking about the squash, corn, and beans that grow together and how they thrive when they grow together,” said Porter. “I’m asking everyone to take a little paper squash, bean, or corn and write a message or draw something. It’s a message for the community.”
The piece will be finished and returned to Vander Heide-Buswa for future display as a lasting symbol of community reflection.
Throughout the afternoon, Indigenous vendors shared their stories and creative journeys. Among them was Teyo Hill, a Haudenosaunee sculptor from Six Nations who works in multiple mediums, including stone carving, leather, and painting.
“I’ve been practising fine art for over 20 years,” she said. “It’s my gift, and I’m proud to be able to show it today because it might not have been that way 30 or 40 years ago.”
Her pieces reflect contemporary Indigenous issues from a woman’s perspective and emerge “from the stone itself.”
Kathy Moore, owner of Mazy Way Indigenous Designs, spoke about how her beadwork and fur products are intertwined with her Métis heritage: “My ancestors were Drummond Island Voyageurs,” she said. “Getting my citizenship card in my hands was like running a maze. I did it for my grandkids and their grandkids and all future generations.”
Moore explained that her son and grandson continue the family tradition as trappers, with the furs processed and sold through her business: “When the Truth and Reconciliation report came out, my husband and I read it from beginning to end. We decided education would be our thing…. Talking to people about furs and our history is part of that.”
Ellie Bloomfield, a Red River Métis artist who creates ribbon skirts, described her craft as a way to reconnect with her ancestors.
“It’s very healing for me,” she said. “When I was little, my father told me, ‘Don’t ever tell anybody you’re part Indian.’ He lived much of his life unable to share who he really was.”
She shared that ribbon skirts have become a form of identity and empowerment: “Every Indigenous woman should be able to wear one to say, ‘We are here,’” she said.
Vander Heide-Buswa explained that her journey began when she made orange shirts for her children to wear to school, and she had to explain the meaning to the principal.
“That brought a lot of awareness,” she said. She continues to make shirts and donate the proceeds to Survivor-led initiatives.
“It’s more than bringing awareness – it’s a way to give back,” she said. “We’ve raised over $10,000 across Canada. This year, we’re supporting a grassroots housing project for Survivors.”
Her goal, she added, is to ensure her children grow up proud of who they are.
Speaker Courtney Skye of Six Nations shared information on land rights and history through her work as Co-Director of Protect the Tract.
“Our focus is on educating ourselves and others about the Haldimand Tract and the agreements made by the British Crown that set aside six miles on either side of the Grand River for our prosperity to enjoy forever,” she said. Skye recounted the historical assaults on Haudenosaunee people following the American Revolution and described how colonial expansion displaced communities.
“We’ve never recovered the cornfields or peach trees that once sustained us,” she said. “Residential schools were part of that same pattern of dispossession.”
Skye urged attendees to act now in support of justice and environmental stewardship: “Even if you’re just learning, start where you are,” she said. “The movements that challenge colonialism and white supremacy are all tied together. When we each chip away at our own piece, we help everyone else doing the same.”
Speaker Terri Monture shared her work with No More Silence, which holds an annual Strawberry Ceremony on February 14 to honour Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, Trans, and Two-Spirit people.
“Indigenous women go missing or are murdered at five times the rate of white women,” she said. “That’s a thought we can’t ignore.”
Monture explained how residential schools created cycles of trauma, separation, and vulnerability, stating, “Entire generations were cut off from their families and culture. That trauma has been passed down through grandparents, parents, and children.”
No More Silence is planning to open a healing space on Six Nations that offers water therapy, crafts, and traditional medicine.
“Healing isn’t just a one-generation activity,” said Monture. “It’s about body, mind, and spirit, and we must make sure what happened never happens again. That’s why every child matters.”
