09/30/2026
Today, on Truth and Reconciliation Day, we reflect on the grief of the many Indigenous families who:
• Lost the ability to give birth on the Land with Indigenous midwives
• Were forcibly sterilized and had future babies lost
• Had their babies apprehended at birth and sometimes never saw them again
• Lost their children to carceral schools
As an organization, the Tiny Footprints Society is committed to acknowledging the truth of the harms of colonization, and reconciling by meeting the needs brought forward by Indigenous-led organizations within our purview.
At our first-ever Starry Night Gala in 2022, Indigenous birth worker Nadia Houle shared the Cree belief that loved ones, including babies, return to the stars when they die. They believe that mothers are not at fault, and grief is held communally, sometimes including the lighting of a sacred fire and the singing of traditional songs.
We light a candle today for all the Indigenous babies who have returned to the stars, including those lost to colonial harms. May we learn and grow and do better.
