Relationships and reconciliation: working together for justice and healing

Trigger warning: readers may be triggered by the recount of Indian Residential Schools. To access a 24-hour National Crisis Line, call: 1-866-925-4419. Community Assistance Program (CAP) can be accessed for citizens of the Anishinabek Nation: 1-800-663-1142.

By Kelsey Anger

ANISHINABEK NATION TERRITORY— The Anishinabek Nation virtually met with the Survivors’ Secretariat on Jan. 19 to discuss reconciliation, Indian Residential Schools and their legacies, as well as the important work being done at the First Nation and National levels.

The Survivors’ Secretariat was established to organize and support efforts to uncover, document and share the truth about what happened at the Mohawk Institute located on Six Nations Territory in Brantford, Ontario. The Anishinabek Nation is excited by this relationship and the insight that Executive Oversight Lead, Kimberly R. Murray and Chief Operating Officer, Laura Arndt, had to offer.

“Survivors at Six Nations of the Grand River recognize the importance of working with other Survivors across Turtle island so that we can all learn from and support one another as we do this sacred work,” said Murray.

It is well known that many Indian Residential Schools in Ontario took children from First Nations near and far, sometimes transporting children hundreds, if not thousands of kilometres away from their homes. This means that there exists an overlap of impacted communities across many traditional territories and jurisdictions. Relationships and conversations such as these are crucial to Indigenous healing and the journey to truth and reconciliation.

“The work that Kim, Laura, the Survivors, and the rest of their team have done and continue to do is inspirational, they are fighting tirelessly for their people,” expressed Anishinabek Nation Lake Huron Regional Deputy Grand Council Chief Travis Boissoneau.

Within the Anishinabek Nation, there were five operational Indian Residential Schools. It is important to note that the Spanish Girls School and Spanish Boys School are often classified together as one, making four Indian Residential schools in Anishinabek Nation territory. In addition, there were also Industrial Schools and numerous Indian Day Schools. The Anishinabek Nation has recently put together a small team whose focus over the next few years will be supporting the healing journey of the 39 Anishinabek First Nations. This work is centered around four key pillars: Commemoration, recording the truth, and support for Survivors; Research and information acquisition and sharing; Education, outreach, and empowerment; and Support, advocacy, and collaboration of Caretaker and Survivors communities, upon request.

“It is the duty of the Anishinabek Nation to educate, advocate and support Indigenous Residential School Survivors, Day School Survivors and their families,” says Lake Huron Regional Deputy Grand Council Chief Boissoneau. “The Anishinabek and Mohawk peoples will walk together on this path to healing; supporting and learning from each other. We are allies in the fight for justice, truth, and reconciliation.”

For more information on the Survivors’ Secretariat, please visit https://www.survivorssecretariat.ca/. If you have any information regarding missing children from the Mohawk Institute or have witnessed criminal acts that may have contributed to the deaths of children at the Mohawk Institute, please call the toll-free tip line at 1-888-523-8587 to share your information to the Police Task Force.