Oh Canada

Good morning, gentle readers.

I run a travel blog. I travel because I love it, it’s one of my passions. I want to see as much of the Earth as possible, to witness the wonder of my world.

I travel to learn, and have learned a great many things.

That is the trouble with learning. The more you know, the more you want to know, and some things, once known, are impossible to forget.

If you don’t know about Canada’s history with it’s First Nations, Metis, and Inuit inhabitants, you are about to get your first introduction. It will not be an easy one.

If you’re prepared to learn, or already know; welcome, read on.

You’ll no doubt have heard the news of over one thousand unmarked graves. Some of these graves appear to be those of adults, and in a presentation made by Chief Cadmus Delorme of Cowessess First Nations, there are oral stories which indicate that these adults may have been members of the Catholic Church and were buried in the area near the Marieval Residential School. They are in the minority however; most of the current graves found near residential schools appear to belong to children.

If you do not live in Canada, and even if you do, you might not understand the significance of these graves.

Residential schools were set up by the Canadian government, often alongside Christian religious organizations such as the Roman Catholic, Methodist, Baptist, United, and Presbyterian Church. Some schools eventually came under the administration of the First Nations themselves, though this was rare. The purpose of these schools was to assimilate the local First Nation, Metis, and Inuit population. They were part of an ongoing effort to assimilate and exterminate the indigenous inhabitants of the Americas, an effort which began when Europeans began to colonise the Americas in the 1500s. Here I am excluding the Norse L’Anse Aux Meadows colony of the early 1100s, as I don’t know enough about that particular history to pass on information concerning it.

Some First Nations, Metis, and Inuit parents sent their children to these residential schools willingly, believing they would be receiving an education and a chance to escape the poverty still rampant among their communities today. Some parents hid their children, for fear of what would happen to them. Some families had their children taken by force, something which is still happening to First Nations, Metis, and Inuit parents to this day through forced sterilization and birth alerts. The children in these schools were banned from speaking their native language, instead being forced to speak in English, French, or Latin. Siblings were often separated, either by class or by entire schools, and were often not allowed to see or speak with each other. Many First Nations, Metis, and Inuit people wear their hair long, for a miriad of beliefs to do with identity and spirituality. The Anishinaabe belive that hair should only be cut in times of grief, and that the seperated hair must be disposed of with respect. The first day of school the childrens’ hair was shorn. Throughout their time in these residential schools these children were made to feel ashamed of their heritage, their language, and the colour of their skin. Upon entering the schools some children were given white names, some, numbers. They suffered from neglect and abuse of a physical, sexual, religious, and emotional nature. Some went through years of this traumatic schooling, some ran away.

The graves belong to those who did not survive.

Of those who did, few chose to speak at the time; the shame of their identity was so deeply engrained by the schools that they took it to their grave.

Some chose to share what they experienced, and you can listen to a collection of their accounts here, at the Legacy of Hope Foundation website.

Before you listen, it is important that you keep a few things in mind.

While the first of these schools opened in 1831, the last was closed in 1996. This isn’t an event of the distant past.

The timeline might suggest these deaths were natural or accidents. Neglect is not an accidental or natural death, and suicides are neither accidental nor natural deaths, and deaths while attempting escape are neither accidental nor natural, and above all deliberate murders are, by definition, not accidental or natural deaths.

Should you find yourself asking where the parents were, remember that the First Nations, Metis, and Inuit communities actively tried to keep their children away from these schools, that parents and their communities spoke out against these schools, and made regular protests against their conditions and the abuses. Those who kept their children from these schools could be hunted down, or legally fined or jailed.

In the coming months I expect more stories will be told as more unmarked graves are found.

With those things in mind, have a listen to their stories.

Should you yourself be First Nations, Metis, or Inuk and find that you need assistance please call the Health Canada 24-Hour National Survivors Crisis Line at 1-866-925-4419.

If you are in need of assistance irregardless of your identity please follow this link to CheckPoint, a directory of global phone numbers and websites which can offer you assistance, or access your community’s health center for recommended numbers or websites

Come Tuesday I’ll be back to my regular travel posts; until then, stay safe, gentle reader.