Hundreds of members of the Tsilhqot’in Nation gathered on Friday as Prime Minister Justin trudeau issued an apology more than 150 years in the making.
The apology was in relation to a series of events which occured in 1864, culminating in the unjustified hanging of 6 Tsilhqot’in Chiefs.
After a Caucasian road crew was killed after entering Tsilhqot’in territory, the chiefs were invited for peacekeeping talks where they were instead arrested, tried, and hanged.
In March, Trudeau fully exonerated the chiefs of any wrongdoing, saying they were acting as an independant nation at war with another.
During Friday’s speech, the Prime Minister said that he was determined to set right the injustice and blatant betrayal of trust performed all those years ago.
Tribal Chief Joe Alphonse says that this has been an emotional and spiritual journey, which has taken a physical and mental toll, and he hopes Friday’s ceremony will bring an end to a difficult journey.
Photo Courtesy of CBC.
