[2022-09-30] Truth and Reconciliation 2022
This blog post is about residential schools in Canada. Some readers may find the subject upsetting.
Today is National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Celebrated each September 30,
The day honours the children who never returned home and Survivors of residential schools, as well as their families and communities. Public commemoration of the tragic and painful history and ongoing impacts of residential schools is a vital component of the reconciliation process.
It is also Orange Shirt Day.
Orange Shirt Day is an Indigenous-led grassroots commemorative day intended to raise awareness of the individual, family and community inter-generational impacts of residential schools, and to promote the concept of "Every Child Matters". The orange shirt is a symbol of the stripping away of culture, freedom and self-esteem experienced by Indigenous children over generations.
Last evening, I watched a video that provided a reading of the excellent book When We Were Alone, written by David A. Robertson and illustrated by Julie Flett. You can find many readings of the book online, including a video of Robertson reading his story and a video that provides a closer look at the book, read by Ms Samantha. When We Were Alone is told from the perspective of Nósisim, a young girl helping her grandmother in her flower garden. The girl asks her grandmother why she wears so many colours. Nókom responds:
When I was your age, at home in my community, my friends and I wore many different colours. But at the school I went to, far away from home, they gave us different clothes to wear. All the children were dressed the same, and our clothes weren't colourful at all. We all mixed together like storm clouds.
"Why did you have to dress like that?" I asked.
"They didn't like that we wore such beautiful colours," Nókom said. "They wanted us to look like everybody else."
Nókom goes on to say that, now, she wears the most beautiful colours. The story continues with various questions from Nósisim: "Why do you wear your hair so long?" "Why do you speak in Cree?" "Why do you and Nókomis [Nókom's brother] always spend time together?"
As Robertson said himself,
The book is based on universal experiences of children at these schools—including attempts to change their hair, clothing, language and familial connections—and I felt these were things kids could really empathize with.
Today, I watched two documentaries, both of which I found from the CBC's National Day for Truth and Reconciliation Collection:
- Bimibatoo-win: Where I Ran - "In 1967, Charlie Bittern was forced to run 80 km through a blizzard by a residential school principal. 55 years later, he’s embarking on the same journey — this time, surrounded by his family."
- We Were Children - "In this emotional film, the profound impact of the Canadian government's residential school system is shown through the eyes of two children [Lyna Hart and Glen Anaquod] who were forced to endure unimaginable hardships."
Toward the end of We Were Children, Lyna Hart says, "When I hear people that firmly believe that nothing happened in these schools, well, l can tell my story, and I can tell them, 'this is what happened.'"
These were heartbreaking documentaries to watch. But learning more about residential schools is a small step I can take toward expanding my own understanding of what Prime Minister Harper called "a sad chapter in our history" when he delivered an apology in 2008 to former students of residential schools on behalf of the Government of Canada. Today's reflection, just like last year's, is a way I can honour the children who did not return home, the survivors who did, and their families.
