TRUTH
AND RECONCILIATION — Attendees join in a symbolic
walk of unity to the sharing circle following the opening ceremonies
of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission national event in Winnipeg
June 16-19. (Buchok photo)
Atleo
calls on all Canadians to listen
By James Buchok
WINNIPEG — An early
morning sacred fire ceremony was the start of an historic day in Winnipeg
June 16 as Aboriginal survivors of Canada’s Indian residential
schools came together with non-Aboriginals and church leaders to begin
to work at reconciliation between Native peoples and a society that
mistreated many of them.
“We have a chance to
make history and be a part of history,” said Justice Murray Sinclair,
chair of Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), which
created the four-day event that is to repeated in seven other Canadian
centres.
The events are for residential
school survivors to tell their stories of what happened at the schools,
which were created by the Canadian government and operated by the Anglican,
Catholic, Presbyterian and United churches.
More than 130 schools existed
across the country, beginning in the 1870s, with the last one closing
in 1996. More than 150,000 First Nations, Métis, and Inuit children
were placed in the schools. Many were forbidden to speak their language
and practice their culture. Many tell stories of emotional, physical
and sexual abuse. It is estimated that more than 80,000 former students
are living today.
Many of their stories will
be told in public in a sharing circle with TRC commissioners. In Winnipeg
the sharing circle was held on all four days, with survivors recounting
stories of abuse, humiliation and loneliness. Survivors can also provide
statements in writing or have them recorded by the TRC and are encouraged
to bring any additional documents, photographs or other materials.
The event also included art
exhibits, poetry readings, film screenings, a Métis jamboree
and a closing day powwow. The first evening featured a concert with
Buffy Sainte-Marie and Blue Rodeo.
“Somewhere between
right and wrong is the truth,” said Sinclair at the opening ceremonies.
“There is a vast number of people in this country with little
or no knowledge of the schools and what took place there. Some believe
the apology (issued by the federal government in 2008) should have ended
discussion about the residential schools, but what we are missing is
an explanation of why there is such a division between Aboriginals and
Canadian society.”
Sinclair said the truth is
not difficult to find. “We will find it in the eyes of the survivors
and in the voices that have never spoken those stories before. I promise
this: that if you have something to tell us, we will listen. You will
not be questioned, you will not be asked for proof.”
The Indian Residential Schools
Settlement Agreement of 2006 was Canada’s largest class action
lawsuit and it included the creation of the Truth and Reconciliation
Commission, which has been mandated to collect stories from survivors
and tell Canadians what happened in the residential schools by creating
a permanent record of the Indian residential school legacy. At the end
of its mandate, the TRC will create a national research centre where
all the stories collected by the TRC will be available to the public.
Shawn A-in-chut Atleo, national
chief of the Assembly of First Nations, said making changes “will
take us to new places.”
Atleo said that “changes
will happen when we truly listen to each other and talk about what has
divided us. I saw this process started 10 years ago and I remember the
anger and hostility, but there was hope, there was a light that began
to glow. We could move forward from the past we have inherited
“I call on all Canadians
to listen to the call of this process. It is the only way to break down
racism. All we have to do is come with our truth. Let’s not leave
this hard work for future generations. Let’s get this done in
our time.”
Atleo recalled being in the House of Commons when the apology came and
sitting next to him his grandmother said, “Grandson, they are
beginning to see us.”
TRC commissioner William
Littlechild said the TRC and its events will send a powerful message
to Canada and to the world. “We are here because we are committed
to healing the past. We are here because we know we will get there as
long as we walk together on a path of respect.”
Commissioner Marie Wilson
said healing is the purpose behind truth and reconciliation.
“Truth will set our spirits free,” she said. “We need healing from these things that have made us arrogant and ignorant of our own history. The process will take years. Reconciliation will not come easily or overnight. May we be mindful that we do this together for the children taken and the parents left behind.”
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