A few reflections on the TRC’s first national gathering
July 15, 2010
Stephen Harper's larger-than-life apology at the Winnipeg Art Gallery
It’s been one month since the Canadian Truth and Reconciliation Commission held its first national gathering, and I feel as though I am still processing the event. Over the course of four days, I heard stories of both devastation and strength, of both anger and hope.
Several moments stand out in my memory:
Patrick Etherington Sr., his son Patrick Etherington Jr., Frances Whiskeychan, Christopher Paulmartin and Jorge Hookimaw’llillerre all walked for 31 days to reach the event. Beginning in Cochrane, Ontario, they walked to promote awareness for the reconciliation process. When they arrived at the national gathering in Winnipeg, Patrick Jr. spoke of the lines of communication opened between his father and himself during the walk.
In many ways, they did what I believe the commission hopes people will do: take the process of reconciliation beyond the confines of the commission, and make it personally meaningful. Because, for the most part, the IRS TRC can only be part of this process.
We also heard from those who worked at the schools. In the sharing circle held on the first day, I heard the experiences of a pilot who had taken children from up north to bring them to schools. He told of separating one young girl in particular who was crying because he had just taken her from her Inuit family. He had thought he was doing what was right. A teacher told of her experiences and the difficult conditions at the Indian Residential School where she taught. She read the names of her students in their honor.
One issue that I continue to wonder about since (and during) the event is the place of religion during this process. The churches played an instrumental role in running the Indian Residential School system, and they will play an important role in reconciliation. I noticed some visible discomfort from some people when church representatives addressed the crowds. At the same time, I also heard former students express their connections to Christian faiths. Before the event, I read a short article in the Globe and Mail where Peter Yellowquill, a survivor of the schools said: “The churches committed spiritual genocide. But I am still a Christian man. It’s complicated.”
At the event, the role that religious leaders played was indeed complicated. At times, they offered apologies, at others, I heard denials. At the opening ceremony, the crowd heard native blessings and ceremonies. At the end of his closing remarks during that first ceremony on that first day, I was surprised to hear the Chair of the Commission, Justice Sinclair, offer the Lords Prayer.
After the event, I visited the the Winnipeg Art Gallery. In the foyer of the gallery, they had erected two large art pieces that contained portions of the official apologies given by Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Prime Minister Kevin Rudd for the histories involving the taking of Aboriginal children. In some ways, the larger-than-life signs conveyed a sense of power. At the same time, they drew attention to the fact that apologies were simply words. Important words, yes, but they remain meaningless without action.
Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's official apology in 2008
Above: an image of the closing event at the Canadian TRC’s first national gathering.
Below: a list of some of the coverage of the Canadian Truth Commission’s first national gathering in Winnipeg. (Thanks to Viola, Leonard and Harmony for some these links!)
Truth and Reconciliation Walkers Headed for Winnipeg (Wawatay News Online)
Strahl Breaks Down at Hearings Into Residential Schools (Global Winnipeg)
Ottawa Makes Own Gesture of Healing at Truth and Reconciliation Event (Edmonton Journal)
Minister Strahl Delivers A Speech on the Truth and Reconciliation National Event (IsumaTV)
Residential Schools Will Be Nixed from Indian Act (The Vancouver Province)
Residential School Stories Move From Shadows (CBC.ca)
Ottawa Intends to Amend Indian Act (Financial Post)
Commission Will Hear Residential School Truths that Will ‘Heal Us All’ (Metro)
Residential Schools: Stories to Tell and Re-tell (The Globe and Mail)
Truth and Reconciliation (video clips covering the first national gathering – The National)
Harbinger of Truth Sees Hope for Future (Edmonton Journal)
Declaration Adoption is ‘a step on the journey of reconciliation’ (Indian Country Today)
Pupils to Study Residential Schools (Winnipeg Free Press)
Some Former Residential School Students Struggle with Church Presence at Reconciliation Event (The Globe and Mail)
Day Two: IRS TRC National Gathering
June 18, 2010
Gus Higheagle (Dakota) riding into Oodena Circle at the Forks in Winnipeg.
Faced with tornado warnings and heavy rain, the second day of the IRS TRC national gathering pushed forward. Unfortunately, because of the weather, a few events had to be cancelled or postponed, resulting in some confusion.
Despite these issues, the ceremony welcoming the Unity Riders into the Oodena Circle went forward. The Unity Ride began in Virden, Manitoba last Friday and ended on Thursday in Winnipeg. It was made in honour of residential school survivors and to show unity between the First Nations in the prairies.
Like many aspects of the events at the IRS TRC’s first national gathering, the ceremony welcoming the riders included its fair share of contradictions. As some of the riders were presented with blankets in commemoration of their ride, a residential school survivor in the audience shouted his displeasure at being unable to give his testimony that day. The volume of people wanting to share in combination with poor weather has made it difficult for some to give their testimonies, particularly those that had hoped to share their experiences publicly as opposed to through one of the private means (through private statement giving or in writing.) Even those offering blessings at the IRS TRC’s events, including Elder Albert Taylor who gave the blessing for the Unity Riders, mentioned their concerns regarding the promises and implications of the commission.
These tensions will undoubtedly continue through the next few days of the event, and throughout the reconciliation process in general. They are reminders that processes of reconciliation are laden with contradictions and discomfort. And I would like to think that these tensions reveal not only the difficulties of this process, but the opportunities as well.
IRS TRC Commissioner Wilton Littlechild on horseback with the Unity Riders
Some local coverage of the Unity Ride: the Brandon Sun and the Winnipeg Sun.
Images from the IRS TRC’s first national gathering
June 17, 2010
The first day of the IRS TRC’s first national gathering was long. It started at sunrise for the lighting of the sacred fire ceremony and ended just before midnight with amazing musical performances from Buffy St. Marie and Blue Rodeo, among others.
The first day’s events were a reminder of how much there is to work through, about the challenges facing the process of reconciliation, as well as the hope that comes with embarking on this path. I am continually humbled by the strength of the survivors and others who have told their stories (and by those who have not), and their families. I hope to write more about the event, but for now, here are a few of images from the first day of the national gathering in Winnipeg.
After the lighting of the sacred fire. It will continue to burn throughout the event.
Four directions drum calling including the four nations: red, yellow, black, white. The above drummers are originally from Mozambique and Sudan.
Chief Robert Joseph giving an inspirational speech during the welcome ceremony.
A few of the estimated 20,000 people who attending the free evening concert. Amazing.
An image of Blue Rodeo, Buffy Sainte-Marie and surprise guest, Elijah Harper, holding his feather. A great moment.
The evening before
June 15, 2010
A few images of Winnipeg, taken tonight, the evening before the IRS TRC’s first national gathering:
- At the forks, where many of the TRC events will take place.
Canadian flags against an early evening sky in Winnipeg.
On the way to the folks, the site of the new human rights museum.
Peaceful at the forks, before the national event tomorrow.
IRS TRC National Gathering – Information
May 23, 2010
Information regarding the IRS TRC’s first national gathering is now available online here.
Here are some highlights as listed on the IRS TRC’s website:
Day One
*Lighting of Sacred Fire Ceremony, Pipe Ceremony and Four Direction Drum Calling
*Opening Remarks from Commissioners and Survivor Committee Representative
*Churches hosting Reception for Survivors
*Sharing Circle with Commissioners, dignitaries and survivors
*screening of ‘Older Than America’ with director Georgina Lightning in attendance
*Musical Performances
See Agenda
Day Two
*Prairie Perspectives on Indian Residential Schools, an academic conference
*Unity Ride enters site of Forks
*‘Untitled’ World Premiere of new play by Ian Ross
*Inuit showcase of Drum dancing and Throat singing
*Readings of works by Authors, including Scotia Bank Giller Prize winner Joseph Boyden
See Agenda
Day Three
*Metis Jamboree
*screening of ‘Muffins for Granny’ with director Nadia Mclaren in attendance
*Musical Performances
See Agenda
Day Four
*Red Rider Skateboarding Team demo with DJ
*Powwow
See Agenda
Also, the IRS TRC website has had a bit of a makeover. See the two versions of the site below. Notably the logo is different, and the newer site makes use of more archival imagery.
Old version:
New version:
On Wednesday, April 27, 2010, the Indian Residential School Truth and Reconciliation Commission (IRS TRC) spoke at the International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ) in New York. Justice Murray Sinclair, Chief Wilton Littlechild and Marie Wilson spoke about the work of the Commission, its progress so far, and some of the challenges that lie ahead.
I had the opportunity to ask a question regarding something I had wondered about for some time. In the first footnote of the IRS TRC mandate, there is a reference to “the Aboriginal principle of witnessing.” I wasn’t sure what this meant, and was glad to have the opportunity to ask the Commission during the Q and A after their talk. They explained that, having inherited the mandate from the previous Commission, they too had been unsure about the meaning behind this footnote. Justice Sinclair explained that although the meaning of the footnote is debatable, Aboriginal principles of witnessing often entail a component of responsibility for maintaining the integrity and longevity of an event. In traditional ceremonies, like namings for example, the witness is called upon to remember the event, maintaining its history into the future. This principle of witnessing is particularly important for cultures that use oral traditions. In the context of the IRS TRC, the Commissioners explained that the circle of awareness will grow larger through witnessing.
The Commission went on to discuss the first national gathering in Winnipeg (June 16-19, 2010) and announced that the following gathering will take place in June 2011 in Inuvik.
Above image: Justice Sinclair (in mid-speech), between Chief Wilton Littlechild (left) and Marie Wilson (right) at the International Center for Transitional Justice.
If people have thoughts on the Aboriginal principle of witnessing, I’d love to learn more about the concepts and experiences it involves.
UPDATE: This post has been re-published up on the International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ) website. See it here, or check out the ICTJ’s resources on processes of transitional justice around the world.
On April 6th, I posted a link to an article about the church’s involved in the IRS TRC process. The article, largely based on comments made by the IRS TRC’s Research Director John Milloy, suggested that several of the churches, particularly the Catholic church, were reluctant to hand over relevant documents. The IRS TRC has since offered an apology for these statements. Read an excerpt below:
Mr. Justice Murray Sinclair, the chair of the commission, has sent a letter of apology to representatives of the Anglican, Catholic, Presbyterian and United churches to distance the commission from John Milloy’s comments, which first appeared in a Trent university newspaper.
“It was, in fact, Professor Milloy himself who brought the matter to my attention, with his assurance that he profoundly regrets the tone, language, and assumptions cast within his statements,” states the letter. “The Trent article, I am assured, is an example of one’s impatience winning over one’s passion to ‘get the job done.’”
For the full article in the Globe and Mail, click here.
(Thanks to Max, Leonard, and Nicole for sending me IRS TRC related news coverage!)
April 8th, 2010 – IRS TRC Open House
April 2, 2010
The IRS TRC is holding an open house and ribbon cutting ceremony at their new offices in Winnipeg. The event is open to the public. See the invitation below:
INVITATION
Open House and Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony
Thursday, April 8, 2010
11:30AM – 3PM
1500-360 Main St., Winnipeg, MB.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada
will host an open house and ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday
April 8, 2010, to officially open the TRC’s offices at
1500-360 Main St., Winnipeg, MB.
We would be delighted if representatives from your office would join Chair Justice Murray Sinclair and Commissioners Marie Wilson and Chief Wilton Littlechild as well as municipal and provincial dignitaries as we ‘cut the-ribbon’ to our Winnipeg Headquarters. The proceedings will begin at 11:30AM. The open house will be an opportunity for you to visit our Winnipeg facility, chat with the Commissioners, TRC staff, and learn what we have planned for the coming weeks and months.
A light lunch will be served starting at 12:00 (Noon).
Article Link: The New Budget and Indian Residential Schools
March 31, 2010
Rabble.ca has published a piece about how the recently announced federal budget will affect survivors of the Indian Residential School system. Many organizations that focus on helping these survivors have had their budgets cut, or in some cases, completely wiped out. The funding for the Aboriginal Healing Foundation (AHF), for example, has not been renewed. In the Rabble.ca article, journalist Maya Rolbin-Ghanie discusses the impacts the new budget will have on this already struggling community. Click here for more.
