BishopAccountability.org
	Natives Recall School Horrors By Marc Kilchling Toronto Sun February 11, 2008 http://torontosun.com/News/TorontoAndGTA/2008/02/11/4839424-sun.html First Nations chanting and drumming tried to outdo church bells at the Metropolitan United Church on Queen St. E. yesterday. About 20 protesters gathered to raise awareness of the lost children from Canada's residential school system, many of whom died and were buried without the knowledge of their parents. "The first time I went into the residential school system was when I was about 6 years old," said Gary Wassaykeesic, 46, a member of the Mishkeegogamang First Nations. "At that time, I had no comprehension of what was going on, that I was leaving my family. I was told I was going on a long trip." ASSIMILATION Residential schools for First Nations children were run throughout most of the 19th and 20th century. Many First Nations children were removed from their parents and transported hundreds of kilometres away to the schools so they could be assimilated into western culture. "The abuse we received was psychological, sexual and physical," Wassaykeesic said. "I was not informed when my mother died. "I wrote a letter to my brother one day and he called me and said my mother had died six months ago. That was the first I found out." With his mother dead, Wassaykeesic was kept in the residential school system and eventually wound up in jail, finding he could not cope. He's overcome his drug and alcohol troubles and now works to help other survivors. "For me, being able to talk to the leaders of the church is a real healing process," he said. The federal government set up a Working Group on Missing Children in April 2007 in an effort to track information on the lost children. The group is composed of First Nations' organizations, survivor groups, churches and the federal government. "The United Church is actively addressing the concerns and is taking the issue very seriously," said James Scott, spokesman for the church. The church issued an apology to survivors back in 1998.
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.