Residential School Victims Speak out

By Kerry Benjoe
The Leader-Post
January 18, 2012

http://www.leaderpost.com/Residential+school+victims+speak/6011453/story.html

For the past two days residential school survivors had the opportunity to speak publicly about their experiences.

As a large crowd gathered in the atrium of the First Nations University of Canada (FNUniv), the smell of sweetgrass lingered in the air.

One by one survivors recounted their experiences to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC).

The mood was sombre, many tears were shed by survivors and those in the crowd.

However, during the breaks people gathered in groups sitting, talking and visiting.

Marie Wilson, one of the commissioners, said that type of bonding is something she has witnessed time and time again at the hearings.

In preparation for the Saskatchewan National Event that is to happen in June in Saskatoon, the TRC will be hosting 12 community hearings. The first of the hearings took place at FNUniv. The three-day event concludes today.

At the hearings, survivors speak publicly about their experience at residential school and what kind of impact that experience has had on their lives. For many it's a very emotional experience.

Wilson said it's important to provide survivors a chance to address the commission.

"What we have seen in almost every community that we've been to for hearings is that survivors play an incredibly important role in inspiring each other," said Wilson. "What does inspired mean? It means the spirit within us. It means somehow we find that spirit within ourselves to also be able to stand up and speak up."

She said the most valuable thing that has been learned from the hearings is that survivors are able to create their own community.

The commission has conducted 20 hearings in northern Canada and six in the Maritimes as well as some national events.

Wilson estimates the commission has hosted 30 detailed hearings like the one in Regina.

"It's always new." said Wilson. "It's never the same old same old. It is so heartfelt that you cannot help but feel it at the level of your own heart. But it is also heartfelt in the way it is inspirational, the way it is uplifting. People come here not because they have given up but because they are still trying, because they are choosing to do all that they can to try and be well and to live good and positive lives."

She said it's also important for society because the rest of Canada needs to be educated about what went on in residential schools.

"I always take great hope in these gatherings and in the testimonies that we hear because no matter how difficult, no matter how dire, no matter how heartbreaking some of the details are there's almost always a point where people are able to see the positive in that experience or what they learned from those hardships," said Wilson.

She finds inspiration in survivors who are able to put the past behind them and look toward the future.

"I find that very encouraging and very hopeful and very uplifting," said Wilson. "Not only for those who are speaking, but for all of us as we share the next chapter in our Canadian history together."

Contact: kbenjoe@leaderpost.com