By Greg McNeil
Cape Breton Post
October 15, 2011
http://www.capebretonpost.com/News/Local/2011-10-14/article-2777756/Residential-school-survivors-share-stories-of-abuse,-recovery/1
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| Andrew (Mooney) Francis plays a Mi’kmaq reel as part of the closing ceremonies for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada hearings in Eskasoni. |
ESKASONI — A lonely, nighttime wait on a staircase for her father’s return that would not happen is one of the many unpleasant memories Margaret Poullette has of her residential school experience.
It was a set routine she remembered as a four-year-old shortly after arriving at the former Shubenacadie residential school many years ago.
Abuse and cultural loss were some of the other memories she shared publicly on Friday as part of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada hearings in Eskasoni.
It has been estimated that about 150,000 students suffered abuse, cultural losses and even death at residential institutions, which operated from the 1870s through the 1970s.
“I saw a lot of abuse in classrooms,” said Poullette who attended the church run boarding school for four years. “They picked on people who had darker skin.”
Punishment for a girl who spilled milk and a boy who couldn’t read because of a stutter are some of her other unfortunate memories.
“Going to the bathroom at night you’d see kids on the bowls with blankets over them because they were afraid to wet the bed.”
Some fun times came during swim outings, she recalled. But she would always wonder if her home in Whycocomagh was on the other side of the water.
“I lost my language. When I got out of there I was ashamed of being an Indian. When you watched TV you always rooted for the cowboys.”
Georgina Doucette worked on her story for three years before she could tell anyone about it.
“I got literally sick,” she said. “I was stiff and couldn’t move because there was a story inside I couldn’t bring out but once I told that story it was like someone put me in another world. It was like someone told me you’ll be OK now.”
Before she could tell the story, though, she experienced problems with alcoholism.
“I took up my own journey of healing 24 years ago when I sobered up. We started a powwow. Families all got involved. Most of them were survivors who started a revival of our culture which was really needed. I’m proud we’ve gone a long way. We’ve had a lot to learn yet.”
Many other speakers at the commission spoke of rediscovering their self-respect through music and shared culture.
“Years later I was still ashamed until Rita Joe started writing her poems why she was proud to be an Indian,” said Poullete who would become a social worker and learn to play the drums.
When Father Robert MacNeil sat in front of the commission he talked about growing up in Reserve Mines and his experience with First Nation people as a youth.
He had fond memories of how his mother would invite visiting First Nation artisans into their home for tea and how she would be in awe of their creativity.
However, their suffering at residential schools was something he did not learn about until he was an adult.
Eskasoni Chief Leroy Denny wrote papers on the residential school experience while he was in university.
He told the commission he would like to see that part of history in the curriculum of schools.
“I hope we can pursue that so everybody knows the history of what Canada did to our young people.”
Willie Littlechild, one of three commissioners for the hearings, said help is often embedded in each emotional story he has heard.
“I find that perhaps maybe I was looking for solutions because the court order, the mandate that we have, calls on us to not only to gather the stories but to find a way forward through reconciliation,” said Littlechild, who spent 14 years in a residential school.
“In some cases we heard that the individual has been hiding that story within themselves for 45-50 years. Their families didn’t even know.”
Littlechild admitted to seeing his own story told many times in the 500 communities he’s visited as part of the hearings.
“They share with me a bit of their own healing journey and it helps me. It’s a big part of my own life that I hear. Today, that was me when I was listening to those stories.”
The challenge now, he said, is to find ways based on what they are hearing to develop better relations within the country.
“Hopefully we can translate it all in a way that the whole country appreciates the impact of the residential school legacy and that it is not just an Aboriginal problem ... it’s a Canadian story and we need to all get together.”
Contact: gmcneil@cbpost.com
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