Archie Chantyman is taking another walk from Kluskus to the site of the former St. Joseph's Mission Indian Residential School where he was interned in his youth.
Last year's walk took 29 days to get to to just south of Williams Lake and back to Kluskus.
Chantyman said his goal is to move reconciliation forward. Part of the goal is to honour children, he said as he referenced the 215 anomalies found at the site of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School.
"We're not going anywhere - period," Chantyman said of Indigenous people.
He's hoping people learn the history of residential schools and acknowledge Canada's dark history of mistreating Indigenous people.
"The residential school was a real thing."
His walk will start in Kluskus. He expects to be camping for two nights on the way to Nazko where he'll spend the third night. After that will be just outside Nazko, and the fifth night will be spent near Sylvia's Cafe. After that he'll stay at Hangman Springs and stay in Quesnel for a couple of nights. He'll make his way south to Fort Alexandria then to McLeese Lake and onto Deep Creek. He'll end up in Williams Lake.
Last year there were ceremonies that happened with First Nations along the route. He left a rock at the site of St. Joseph's Mission.
"When I do the walk I just sit down and ask the Creator for guidance. To keep my mind keen, my words strong, my heart pure. So that way when I get to a point in my life where I can share some of this, that it would be clear for the the children to understand," he said.
"I think just recognizing and then taking it to heart. And to pass that teaching onto their kids," he said if the next generation is better educated, it can help lessen the impacts of racism that Indigenous people still face today.
Each different way of understanding the past, and present, impacts of colonialism and racism towards Indigenous people is a step in the right direction, he said. His walk is another way of honouring that, he compared it to Orange Shirt Day and Red Dress Day. Last year over 1,000 people joined him for different parts of his walk, either for a short stretch or for the entire thing.
People are invited to join Chantyman as he goes. He has been in contact with Indigenous groups and Nations throughout the planned route.
Updates on the march and further information will be available on the March with Arch Facebook page.
