THE BATTLEFORDS - November is a month of Remembrance in Canada.
The fourth Saturday of November is designated to commemorate the genocide that took place in Ukraine during the winter of 1932-1933. Historians estimate between 6-11 million people died of starvation in one winter. This genocide was planned by Russia's political leaders, specifically Joseph Stalin.
The week preceding the fourth Saturday of November is designated for Holodomor Remembrance activities in schools. All schools in Living Sky and Light of Christ School Divisions have Holodomor resources. Thanks to a generous donation from a local philanthropist, all schools have copies of Bottle of Grain - A Holodomor Story a book written by local author Rhea Good. This is a children's story intended for Grades 2-7. There are many other sources of information about Holodomor online. Youtube has many selections ranging from a few minutes to full-length documentaries.
This year, students at Norman Carter School in Wilkie learned about Holodomor for the first time. Each student made a bottle of grain to take home, a tangible artifact of remembrance.
Instead of a community event this year, everyone is invited to take note of the Holodomor statue located on the west-facing hill between the Don Ross and Allen Sapp Gallery. The Bottle of Grain artifact is available for sale at Kardynal & Associates office at 1731-100th Street in North Battleford.
The word Holodomor has been adopted from the Ukrainian language. “Holod” means hunger and “mor” is a root word meaning death. So, “Holodomor” means “death by starvation.” This historical fact has been recognized as a genocide and is officially recognized by the federal government of Canada and the provincial government of Saskatchewan.
The Holodomor Education and Awareness Committee is mandated by the Saskatchewan branch of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress.
HOLODOMOR
A poem from Hafford School
Hunger and sorrow, remember Holodomor
On the day this all started people were sad and upset
Loss of family will make you upset, but all we can do is remember
On the day the Uncle came he hid the grain to save his family
Done and happy that it ended, the survivors were proud
On my life I swear to remember all that happened
Moms and Dads were all happy when it all ended
On the day it started life became hard
Remember this time every year and all the people they killed
