THUNDER BAY – Nishnawbe Aski Nation officials have renamed the Oshki-Pimache-O-Win Education and Training Institute after Chanie (Charlie) Wenjack on the 50th anniversary of his death.
NAN Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler made the announcement on Friday, calling it a fitting and lasting tribute to the youngster, who died trying to escape a residential school near Kenora while attempting to walk to his home community in Marten Falls.
The newly named facility will be known as the Chanie Wenjack Pimachehowin Educational Institute.
“This is a historic opportunity to honour Chanie’s memory in an appropriate and significant manner and build on the momentum his legacy is gaining. We are thankful the governing council has renamed the institute in his honour,” Fiddler said in a release.
The story of Chanie Wenjack first came to light in the late 1960s in a Maclean’s magazine story. It was resurrected earlier this year by Gord Downie, the frontman of the Tragically Hip, whose multimedia project Secret Path retells his tragic tale.
“The renaming of our institute will hold Chanie and the memory of all those who went to Indian residential schools and the multi-generational impacts is has had on our people today,” said Fabian Batise, chair of the school’s governing council.
“This will be a lasting legacy for all residential school survivors across NAN territory. It is our hope that the people of Nishnawbe Aski who desire new beginnings through education and training will benefit from Gord Downie’s goal to raise public consciousness of the Canadian government’s residential school policy to assimilate our people in years past that has greatly impacted the social fabric and beings of our people.”
The post-secondary education and training institute was formed in 1996 and has graduated more than 250 students over the past two decades.
