“We are appealing to the general public to talk to their Members of Parliament, their legislators … to encourage them to get the Prime Minister of Canada to formally apologize for the atrocities that occurred at the hands of the governments of the past,” Chief Lawrence Joseph of the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations said to the 500 people gathered at the Saskatoon Western Development Museum.
“I want to tell the truth. I have been around for a long time and I have seen the holocaust that is there as a result of Eurocentric policies that definitely did not work for First Nations people,” said Joseph.
Ted Quewezance, executive director of the National Residential School Survivors Society, related his own experience. “All I had was my grandparents, and the government of Canada, Indian Affairs, came and dragged me away from my grandpa and they told my grandpa that 'if you don't let this little boy go, you'll be going to jail.'”
Sexually abused from the age of five to 11 by those in positions of trust, he told of the devastation of eventually revealing his experiences to his family, to his wife and five daughters. He also related the trauma of going through disclosure in court, and of being called a liar. “I'm still here. And many, many survivors across the country are still here.
“What has happened to us as little boys and little girls in those residential schools is one of the best-kept secrets in this country,” he said. “I personally ask each and every one to follow, to read the information. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission will be coming and we have to tell our stories.”
Rev. George Yando, minister at Mistawasis Memorial Presbyterian Church on the reserve at Mistawasis, Saskatchewan, told the Record the event gave him hope. “I'm excited that the process is beginning and hopeful that it will raise awareness amongst non-Native Canadians, within the church and without, about the legacy of the residential schools.”
Some members of the Mistawasis community are wary about the truth and reconciliation process, admitted Yando. “There is some resistance, and a sense of 'we're getting tired of telling you our story: you need to start listening.'”
Yando has spent four years at Mistawasis: a blessing characterized by humour, joy and welcome. “Walking with these folks is a privilege that not enough Presbyterians have had,” he said. Yando said he would encourage everyone to be a part of the Truth and Reconciliation process by really listening, by attending public hearings, and by following the coverage in the media and on the web page.
Rev. Amanda Currie from St. Andrew's, Saskatoon, said she appreciated the heartfelt words of both Aboriginal and Church Leaders at the Remembering the Children event in Saskatoon. She was particularly moved when all survivors of residential schools were invited to stand. “Their courage and their strength had an impact on those who were here. We all need to be listening, to be part of the circle, to actually be with the people who have suffered and are continuing to suffer by what we have done.”
A challenge close to home will be for her own congregation to continue forging connections with First Nations neighbours, including those at nearby Saskatoon Native Circle Ministry, Currie said.
Saskatoon Native Circle is a frontline ministry in the core neighbourhood of the city, said Presbyterian minister Rev. Stewart Folster. The Saskatoon event carried seeds of hope for him. His involvement in collecting the stories of residential school survivors for the task force that worked on the Presbyterian Church apology in 1994 was a “heavy time,” he added. “It was so emotional, it was so deep for me, because these are my people they are talking about. I know the history of First Nations people in Canada, I've studied it, I've studied about the effects of colonialism and poverty. And I see it every day. I work with it every day. My own children have suffered from it.”
He also reflected on the ongoing struggle to keep his own ministry viable, and to avoid burnout in the face of so much suffering. “I've been working for the Saskatoon Native Circle Ministry for 15 years, and we still don't have our own place,” Folster added. “That's a big frustration for me. I think it's a real shame that we're still working under these conditions. Send me the people who can help make this happen.”
