‘I Am Not a Number’ a harsher truth in Nishnaabemwin

By Kelly Anne Smith

NORTH BAY— There was standing room only at Nipissing University to hear Dr. Jenny Kay Dupuis’ talk, Acknowledging the Truth, Reconciling the Past, and Honouring Community Voices.

About 200 students, faculty, staff, and community members listened as Dr. Dupuis discussed the writing of a successful children’s book, I Am Not A Number. Dupuis of Nipissing First Nation gave the talk as part of the university’s Indigenous Week; co-presented by the university’s history department with Katrina Srigley and Enji Giigdoyang, the Office of Indigenous Initiatives.

I Am Not A Number is the English version of Dupuis’ grandmother’s story. Irene Couchie was taken from her parents, Chief Ernest and Mary Ann Couchie, in Nipissing First Nation to live at Spanish Indian Residential School.

Now with the help of Nipissing First Nation language keepers, Dr. Jenny Kay Dupuis is set to release I Am Not a Number in Nishnaabemwin, her Granny’s original language.

Nipissing First Nation Deputy Chief Muriel Sawyer, Language Keeper Geraldine McLeod and Native Language Teacher Tory Fisher worked together to translate I Am Not a Number into Nishnaabemwin.

Giving guidance before the talk, Elder-in-Residence John Sawyer suggested putting down a pinch of tobacco to help with listening to the hard conversations about the residential school experience of the little girl Irene. Evelyn McLeod and June Commanda of Nipissing First Nation’s language committee and Nipissing First Nation Chief Scott McLeod and Councillor Mike Sawyer were honoured guests.

The author of I Am Not a Number decided to tell her Granny’s story after being asked by a community member what she was going to do to leave footprints. Dupuis says of all of the textbooks that she read and studied, the Indigenous are not talked about in a respectful way.

“You feel valued if you see your history reflected.”

An estimated 150, 000 Indigenous children were taken from their parents to attend religious schools in an attempt to assimilate Indigenous Peoples into colonial society.

Irene was just eight-years-old when she was taken from her mother’s arms. She had her hair forcibly cut and her wrists burnt for speaking her language.

Dupuis explained she sought the collaboration of co-author Kathy Kacer, a children’s writer of the Holocaust. Together they considered each word and concept in teaching the truth of Irene’s story.

“My Granny was taken north to live at Spanish Indian Residential School. We wanted to talk about how when she arrived at the school, they took away her name, and they gave her a number.”

“There are important decisions that go into writing a book,” said Dupuis. “You have to think about who you are in terms of values and where you draw the line.”

In the book, a nun tells eight-year old Irene that she will be called a number from now on.

“‘I am not a number. I am Irene Couchie daughter of Earnest and Mary Ann Couchie. I will never forget who I am.’ There are parts of the book that almost weren’t published,” Dupuis explained.

Two weeks before the book was due to go to the printers, she didn’t have her Granny’s number.

“We had asked around and no one seemed to know her number. The publisher called me up in Winnipeg when I was at the National Research Centre working on a project. He said, “we have to go to print in two weeks with this. Just put a number in. It’s been sitting empty for a long time now. Let’s get it done with any number.”

Dupuis said her heart was racing because she couldn’t put a fake number in the book.

“There are many reasons why you don’t want to just put any number in. We identified she went to school in 1928, the month and the community she was from. It would be part truth telling,” recalled Dupuis. “I was sitting there and the head archivist overheard me say ‘forget it, just pull the book’ to the publisher. She motioned to me to put the phone on hold.”

The archivist explained big green plastic boxes of residential school files were currently arriving at the National Research Centre. A special request could be made to do a search but it could take years.

Dupuis was surprised with a phone call 20 minutes later from the archivist.

“She found the file. She actually had it; number 00759.”

The file gave the date, who she arrived with, the agents, and her health condition.

Deputy Chief of Nipissing First Nation Muriel Sawyer spoke about her reluctance at first to take on the project of translating I Am Not a Number into Nishnaabemwin.

When Muriel heard that the job would be appointed to two translators from a different area of the province, she knew she had to help keep Irene’s story in the Nbisiing dialect.

Muriel knew Irene as a little girl. To honour Irene, she joined Geraldine McLeod and Tory Fisher in what she called a difficult project.

“There is no word for residential school in Nishnaabemwin.”

With the translation completed, a gathering of Elders and language keepers listened to Irene Couchie’s story in Nishnaabemwin.

“This story came to life in our language. It is so much more powerful.”

During the reading, Muriel became emotional.

“It’s harsh but it is so much harsher in the language. When the nun lowers the hot coals onto her arms, you think, how can any human being do that to a child?”

Muriel stressed the importance of retaining a strong language and teaching it to the children. Muriel credited Nipissing First Nation for working hard on the professional development of the language teachers.

Native Language teacher with the Nipissing Parry Sound Catholic School Board Tory Fisher was surprised as to how much he was learning from both Geraldine and Muriel. Fisher talked about appreciating the importance of traditional language in his whole life.

“I often read the language to my daughters. I speak the language to my daughters.”

Fisher said that Geraldine and Muriel taught him a great deal during the translation process.

“I’ve learned a lot about my language and how complex it is. Share what you have learned with others. I listen to our Elders to ensue that when I am speaking to our students, that they’re getting the proper language.”

Last to speak was Nbisiing dialect keeper Geraldine McLeod. Muriel credits Geraldine McLeod with much of the hard work in the translation process. She called Geraldine a treasure, carrying knowledge of Nbisiing history and language.

Geraldine carefully laid out the many pages of her handwritten translations from English to Nishnaabemwin, and then looked up at the many earnest faces.

“Don’t be shy to speak our language. We’ve been shy too long.”