Truth and Reconciliation walkers carry strong message of hope
Seated are residential school survivors Patrick Etherington Sr., Frances Whiskeychan, and Maurice Wesley. Patrick Etherington Jr., Darren Hughie, Remi Nakogee, and Edmund Etherington stand behind their Elders.
By Julie Kapyrka
Peterborough – The Truth and Reconciliation Walkers arrived in Peterborough on May 20th carrying with them a strong message of support, hope and a vision for a reconciled future between mainstream Canada and First Nations across the country.
Six walkers including Frances Whiskeychan from Waskaganish, Quebec, her husband Patrick Etherington born in Fort Albany, his son Patrick Jr. from Moose Factory, Maurice Wesley and Remi Nakogee from Attawapiskat, and Darren Hughie from Kashechewan embarked on this journey April 8th from Cochrane, Ontario, to arrive in Ottawa on May 30th to be present for the closing ceremonies for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. Edmund Etherington (another of Patrick Sr.’s sons) from Moose Factory has also joined them along the way.
The Walkers’ main message is: “The truth happened… We are walking to create a greater awareness and understanding of the impact of the ‘Indian Residential School’ system. We are walking to educate Canadian people about what it is that happened and about what can come through meaningful dialogue and how education can play a significant role through the inclusion of our input.”
The Walkers are also walking in honour of the residential school survivors, for their families, for their children, and for their grandchildren in the hopes of breaking the cycle of dysfunction in many of their communities through creating awareness and building relationships with the wider Canadian public. “We need a more meaningful dialogue – input from our side for education – we have to prepare our grandchildren to access our knowledges and cultures in a way that it is there for them.”
The “Indian Residential Schools” severely impacted Indigenous children, their families, their cultures, their languages, their beliefs and have had adverse effects spanning throughout several decades creating an intergenerational suffering that is still present to this day.
As well as being forcibly removed from their families, stripped of their culture, malnourished, experimented upon, and in many cases physically and sexually abused, it has been said that it was the lack of love that children experienced at these schools that was the most devastating. Children usually grow up within surroundings emanating with the unconditional love of parents, grandparents, family, and community – this creates an atmosphere of security and stability that in turn fosters a safe and sound environment in which children can experience life, make mistakes, and grow and learn without fear, and thus may achieve their full potential into adulthood. Without this love, children in residential schools lived in fear and loneliness within a cultural void that was forced upon them. Most detrimental was a generation of children that grew into adults who did not know how to acknowledge, express, or engage in unconditional loving themselves. This then resulted in dysfunctional families who raised children who then raised their own children – and the cycle continues.
Although residential schools are no longer in operation, Indigenous children, their families and communities are still presently feeling the ramifications of this policy of ethnocide implemented by the Canadian government in the 19th century. This reality is visible today in many Indigenous communities that bear witness to the continuation of the removal of their children by government agencies such as the Children’s Aid Society – and this occurs as a direct result of how parents and grandparents attempt to deal with the trauma from the residential school experience – which can express itself as substance abuse, violence, and suicide.
Most Canadians know little about residential schools and how their impact on Indigenous Peoples is still being felt today. There is a mainstream ignorance that is endemic. And it is this ignorance that breeds the racial stereotypes that continue to plague much of this country’s psyche in regards to Indigenous Peoples.
Thus, not only relationships between and within Indigenous communities have been negatively affected by the “Indian Residential Schools”, but also the relationships between Indigenous Peoples and settler communities.
This relationship is tainted by both racism and indifference or infused with tremendous shame and guilt – either way, both are inherently unhealthy relationships. Many church denominations in Canada have made concerted efforts to support the process of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission process, most notably the United Church who also financially supported the Walkers from Cochrane to Newmarket. Elder Patrick Etherington spoke about an ex-RCMP United Church member he met on this walk who was involved in removing children from their families for residential schools and how that experience eventually culminated in a total mental breakdown for that man.
Patrick Etherington Junior poignantly commented that while many settler populations harbour great guilt many Indigenous people harbour great anger and that this situation is not productive and “not getting us anywhere.” It is time to move beyond anger and guilt and as Edmund Etherington suggests, to move towards truth. “Truth is in front of us today – why we wake up each day. We breathe air. The sun rises. The waters flow. Our hair still grows. The truth is in front of us all. Do we see it, or do we focus on what happened?”
These are the voices of the youth represented on this epic walk. Patrick Sr. acknowledges the energy, power and strength that the youth bring to the walk and what that means: “We need to start thinking that they are ok, we’ll be ok – the future leadership is up and coming.” This is truth.
What this truth also means is raising the awareness of the average Canadian so that they may feel compassion to support the healing that is occurring, without racism, and to address racism as it occurs, to advocate for Indigenous rights and support and rally for meaningful inclusion of Indigenous histories, cultures, teachings, languages, and ceremonies to become part of mainstream education for all Canadians.
All Indigenous children have the right to learn about their own cultures and knowledges just as all Canadian children have the right to know about the ‘true’ history of this country. Education can address both of these rights but it must be done in true partnership built upon a mutual trust and respect that can only truly be achieved through meaningful dialogue between the leadership of Indigenous communities and that of Canada. “We need to listen to each other; that is the best education for all of us.”
The future lies in the hands of our children, our youth – if we put a concerted effort into teaching all children in Canada about “the truth” of our collective histories, including Indigenous perspectives, cultural teachings and knowledges, they will move forward together creating a new and just society based upon the true meaning of reconciliation.
For more information visit:
www.facebook.com/truthandrecociliationwalkers
www.trc.ca (Truth and Reconciliation website)
www.gofundme.ca/s8rse7yf# (to donate)