The Truth and Reconciliation Commission, led by Judge Murray Sinclair, released its full report on the native residential school system on December 15th. It consists of six volumes and nearly 4,000 pages compiled from interviews with Aboriginals from coast to coast. The Commission’s members consider this system, which existed from the 1870s until its official end in the 1960s , to have been a central element in the federal government’s policy of Aboriginal assimilation. The commission’s members describe the system, as cultural genocide. Reconciliation, the commission states, should mean a, “Mutually respectful relationship” involving an awareness of the past, acknowledgement of the harm committed within the system, atonement and action.
The federal government did not include Métis in its Indian Residential Schools Settlement of 2006 and the commission did not investigate the Métis residential school system. These omissions may be due to the fact that their schools were operated by the church. It is unfortunate in my opinion that a similar process to that of the TRRC has not been undertaken for these survivors.
A great deal of the commission’s activity focused on holding interviews with survivors of the residential school system and their relatives, looking into records of the schools to find the names of children who died or disappeared, and examining other relevant materials, including records of the federal government and RCMP. CBC News ( Mar. 25/14) reported that 150 thousand Indian, Métis and Inuit children attended the schools.
In order to have consistent records from interviews, researchers drew up manuals. The meetings would take place in reserved space in a band office or community centre. People who testified could talk as long as they wanted. One of those who conducted the interviews was Rose Hart, a residential school survivor. She said, “When we were in the statement-gathering room, it was sacred. We’d offer them a tobacco tie and we’d offer them a grandfather rock, just to let them know that we cared about their story” (Globe and Mail, Dec. 1 9, 2015). After they had finished talking, each interviewee received a copy of their testimony on CD or video. Archivists uploaded and coded the testimony according to the school attended, the years spent there, their names, and the level of anonymity they had requested.
William A Macdonald’s thoughtful article in the Globe and Mail (Dec. 19th) summarizes the purpose of the 94 recommendations: how to heal families and communities, revitalize aboriginal cultures and change government policy at all levels of government. As well, he writes, “Every significant institution and segment of Canadian society needs to take an honest look at itself from this perspective.” Much of the report focuses on what Aboriginals want and need. He believes that first nations consider education absolutely necessary to improve their lives. They want to maintain a strong native culture but also equip their children with the skills to succeed in the modern economy and society. The spirit of cooperation with natives which the new Liberal government has shown has convinced some Aboriginals that real progress will happen. In the federal election of last October,10 aboriginals won seats in parliament.
The final report, published by the McGill-Queen’s University Press, is available online free of charge. Lorimer press sells copies of Vol. 1, the summary text, in hardcover, soft cover, and Ebook . The University of Manitoba will hold all the materials in its National Truth and Reconciliation Centre, which opened to the public on November 3rd, 2015. First nations citizens and others can access its holdings which will also be available for research.
Charlotte Hardnen
The federal government did not include Métis in its Indian Residential Schools Settlement of 2006 and the commission did not investigate the Métis residential school system. These omissions may be due to the fact that their schools were operated by the church. It is unfortunate in my opinion that a similar process to that of the TRRC has not been undertaken for these survivors.
A great deal of the commission’s activity focused on holding interviews with survivors of the residential school system and their relatives, looking into records of the schools to find the names of children who died or disappeared, and examining other relevant materials, including records of the federal government and RCMP. CBC News ( Mar. 25/14) reported that 150 thousand Indian, Métis and Inuit children attended the schools.
In order to have consistent records from interviews, researchers drew up manuals. The meetings would take place in reserved space in a band office or community centre. People who testified could talk as long as they wanted. One of those who conducted the interviews was Rose Hart, a residential school survivor. She said, “When we were in the statement-gathering room, it was sacred. We’d offer them a tobacco tie and we’d offer them a grandfather rock, just to let them know that we cared about their story” (Globe and Mail, Dec. 1 9, 2015). After they had finished talking, each interviewee received a copy of their testimony on CD or video. Archivists uploaded and coded the testimony according to the school attended, the years spent there, their names, and the level of anonymity they had requested.
William A Macdonald’s thoughtful article in the Globe and Mail (Dec. 19th) summarizes the purpose of the 94 recommendations: how to heal families and communities, revitalize aboriginal cultures and change government policy at all levels of government. As well, he writes, “Every significant institution and segment of Canadian society needs to take an honest look at itself from this perspective.” Much of the report focuses on what Aboriginals want and need. He believes that first nations consider education absolutely necessary to improve their lives. They want to maintain a strong native culture but also equip their children with the skills to succeed in the modern economy and society. The spirit of cooperation with natives which the new Liberal government has shown has convinced some Aboriginals that real progress will happen. In the federal election of last October,10 aboriginals won seats in parliament.
The final report, published by the McGill-Queen’s University Press, is available online free of charge. Lorimer press sells copies of Vol. 1, the summary text, in hardcover, soft cover, and Ebook . The University of Manitoba will hold all the materials in its National Truth and Reconciliation Centre, which opened to the public on November 3rd, 2015. First nations citizens and others can access its holdings which will also be available for research.
Charlotte Hardnen