When irony becomes a needle, you know there’s mending involved.
June is National Indigenous History Month in Canada and I find it tragically ironic that on the eve of this final month of school, the remains of 215 children were discovered at the Kamloops Indian Residential School.
The shock and horror of the discovery at the hands of new ground-penetrating radar technology was something many of the southern B.C. The Nation of Tk'emlups te Secwepemc had long suspected but had no hard evidence to prove.
As I, and many others, read the articles and listened to news reports on May 31, my heart was pierced with the realization that this was one school of 139, and the idea that there could be another 138 child-burial grounds out there is not only heartbreaking, it is soul-wrenchingly plausible.
The history of residential schools in this country has never been a good one. We’ve heard testimonies of physical, emotional and sexual abuse from former students who did manage to survive. Their lives, and the lives of further generations, were forever impacted by those experiences — a poison that seeped through the veins of one child, only to be injected into every child thereafter.
But needles are not just tools to inject; they are also the means to mend.
History is a thread that weaves in and out of our culture, and we must acknowledge and give it the standing it deserves if we want true reconciliation and bring the ripped fabric of our society together. It can not be swept under the rug, ignored, devalued, for it defines who we were and who we have become. It lays the foundation of a society and how it views its citizens. It is the path behind and the path forward. In short, it is our compass, to be used to navigate and direct our future, as well as show us how we got here in the first place.
The fact that has only been in the past few years that information pertaining to residential schools has been included in school curriculum is atrocious but more so is the idea that someone can go through post-secondary education and not have one conversation, lecture, lesson on that history is downright appalling.
As a former journalist, I didn’t hear about residential schools until my first newspaper job in Leduc, a city of about 30,000 located 33 kilometres south of Edmonton, and I wasn’t the only one in the dark. In the past few weeks, I have conversed with other journalists and they, too, had similar experiences. It was only when interviewing First Nations people in the course of our jobs that we were faced with this part of Canadian history.
Whitewashing never looked so stark, and frightening.
If we really want to mend from the horrors of the past, that needle — no matter how ironic or poisonous — needs to sew after it injects.
Ensuring that historical-education thread is in Twelve Mile Coulee’s fabric has been a priority of our school and our Learning Commons’ collection for the past several years.
Like many in our district, we acknowledge the lands of the ancestors the schools were built on, we commemorate Orange Shirt Day, we include residential-school teachings in the curriculum, and we actively purchase educational materials.
You can read more about our books pertaining to residential schools in my Orange Shirt Day blog here.
For this blog, however, I want to focus on the history of our indigenous brothers and sisters. Their legacy is far more encompassing than a forced assimilation or the on-going investigation into the missing and murdered indigenous women. To think otherwise is an injustice to their culture and their sacrifices, which is why at TMC we just don’t focus on the tragedy that befell the First Nations People; we include their stories, their beliefs, their culture, their impacts and their perspectives.
History for healing.
History for honour.
History for hope.
Ending discrimination and prejudice involves all three, so there’s no time like the present to forge a new path.
Indigenous History Books at TMC
In recent years, our indigenous collection has expanded exponentially, with the addition of updated non-fiction titles, including those that pertain to the First Nations in Alberta, as well as fiction titles that touch on indigenous culture, myths and legends, struggles, residential schools, and societies. In fact, the TMC Learning Commons collection has more than 150 indigenous books that students and staff can check out and each year, that number grows.Last year, we also purchased several new series that delve into the similar themes in both novel and graphic novel formats. I highly recommend these series, as they focus on heritage and culture, the past and the present:
1. Turtle Island Voices by various authors (early readers, fiction)
Publishing by Pearson Canada, this series focuses on First Nations, Métis and Inuit perspectives, as well as introduces the concepts of inter-connectedness, respect for life, and the quest for a better future. Each book offers children the opportunity to recognize the role and contributions indigenous peoples in the life, culture and heritage of Canada, in addition to encouraging children to become more empathetic, as well as family-, community- and globally-aware. The series has titles in each grade level and TMC has purchased those for Grade 6, which involve traditional aboriginal origin stories retold by aboriginal authors, as well as high-interest modern stories with indigenous protagonists and those pertaining to social studies and the arts: Stories of Thunderbird, Nothing Scares Me, Glooscap Stops the Wind, Unexpected Friends, The Boy Who Told Tales, Close to Home, The Mystery of Lake Laberge, Contact, Let's Dance and Danger. Suggested reading level: Gr. 1-8
2. 7 Generations: A Plains Cree Saga by David Robertson (graphic novels, fiction)
This national best-selling, four-part, graphic-novel series follows an aboriginal family over three centuries and seven generations — as warriors, survivors of a smallpox epidemic and casualties of residential schools. Written by award-winning Winnipeg writer David A. Robertson, who is a member of Norway House Cree Nation, and beautifully illustrated by award-winning illustrator by Scott B. Henderson.
Titles include 7 Generations: A Plains Cree Saga (Vol. 1-4), Stone: Vol. 1, Scars: Vol. 2, Ends/Beginnings: Vol. 3. The Pact: Vol. 4. Suggested reading level: Grade 9-123. A Girl Called Echo by Katherena Vermette (graphic novels, fiction)
Written by Red River Métis (Michif) writer Katherena Vermette from Treaty 1 territory in Winnipeg, A Girl Called Echo is the story of a 13-year-old Métis girl who is struggling with her feelings of loneliness while attending a new school and living with a new family, until she finds herself transported into history while in, ironically, history class. The series takes Echo Desjardins to a Métis camp, old fur-trading routes, a bison hunt on the Saskatchewan prairie, and the perilous and bygone era of the Pemmican Wars. Titles include: Pemmican Wars: A Girl Called Echo: Vol. 1, Red River Resistance: A Girl Called Echo: Vo. 2, and Northwest Resistance: A Girl Called Echo: Vol. 3. Suggested reading level: Grade 7-12
4. Tales From Big Spirit by David A. Robertson (graphic novels, non-fiction)
This non-fiction graphic-novel series highlights important indigenous people in Canadian history. Each beautifully illustrated book is written by David A. Robertson and illustrated by various artists, including Scot B. Henderson and fellow Manitobans Wai Tien and Andrew Lodwick. Titles include: The Land of Os: John Ramsay, The Peacemaker: Thanadelthur, The Rebel: Gabriel Dumont, The Scout: Tommy Prince, and The Ballad of Nancy April: Shawnadithit. Suggested reading level: Grade 4-6
Here are some of the nearly 100 Non-fiction titles in our collection (to find others, just search "indigenous" in eLibrary, using "subject"):
- What the Eagle Sees: Indigenous stories of Rebellion and Renewal by Eldon Yellowhorn
- Residential Schools: The Devastating Impact on Canada’s Indigenous Peoples and the Truth of Reconciliation Commission's Findings and Calls for Action by Melanie Florence
- Peace Walker: The Legend of Hiawatha and Tekanawita by C.J. Taylor
- My Name is Arnaktauyok: The Life and Art of Germaine Arnaktauyok by Germaine Arnaktauyok
- Our Ice is Vanishing: A History of Inuit, Newcomers and Climate Change by Shelley Wright
- Great Women From Our First Nations by Kelly Fournel
- Conversations With a Dead Man: The Legacy of Duncan Campbell Scott by Mark Abley
- Native Chiefs and Famous Métis: Leadership and Bravery in the Canadian West by Holly Quan
- Meet Tom Longboat by Elizabeth MacLeod
- 21 Things You May Not Know About the Indian Act: Helping Canadians Make Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples a Reality by Bob Joseph
History of Residential Schools in Canada
More than 150,000 children were ripped from their families for more than 160 years to attend residential schools operated in Canada. With the exception of Newfoundland, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island, every province and territory was home to the federally funded, church-run boarding schools, the last of which didn’t close until 1996 in Saskatchewan. First Nations, Métis and Inuit children were forced to abandon their families, communities and cultures for lodging that would be their demise, whether by mental, physical or sexual abuse as the governing churches strove to agressively assimilate them into colonial society by stripping them of their culture, language, and traditions.— Source Indigenous Peoples Atlas of Canada, Truth and Reconciliation by Canadian Geographic
National Indigenous History Month
In 2009, the House of Commons unanimously passed a motion to make the month of June National Indigenous History Month to honour the history, heritage and diversity of Indigenous peoples in Canada. It is also an opportunity to recognize the strength of present-day Indigenous. To learn more click hereClick on the topic links below to learn more:
