CANADA
Question
Canadian Press
VANCOUVER — A 17-metre totem pole installed at the University of British Columbia is a permanent reminder of the strength and resilience of the countless children victimized by the residential school system, one survivor said.
Elder Barney Williams used his remarks to a crowd gathered Saturday for the raising of the totem pole to talk about his experience of being raped and abused at a residential school on Meares Island, B.C.
“This is real folks, this is not something we make up because we want sympathy,” he said.
The mistreatment of generations of indigenous people, he said, is a “Canadian problem, not just a First Nations problem.”
The Reconciliation Pole, carved by Haida Nation hereditary chief James Hart, honours the victims and survivors of Canada’s residential school system.
– See more at: http://www.whistlerquestion.com/totem-pole-at-ubc-honours-first-nations-victimized-by-residential-schools-1.13732658#sthash.4Iko3C2a.dpuf
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.