The Quiet Part
The Quiet Part…
Sandra Lamouche
I distinctly remember the first time I heard about residential schools. I was attending the University of Lethbridge and an older Indigenous student told me in almost a whisper, “They took native kids to these schools…” I remember thinking “What is he talking about?!” It was something I had never heard of, even though my immediate and extended family had attended residential schools and day schools. It was kept quiet. I am even old enough to have attended one myself. Reflect- ing back, there is no doubt that we have made progress since those pre–Truth and Reconciliation days. The history of Canada, First Nations, Métis, and Inuit people, the RCMP, and the churches is no longer a whisper but a roar, and it’s growing.
In 2021, Canada officially announced the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation, a federally recognized day marked annually on September 30. This is the same day as Orange Shirt Day, a grassroots movement started by survivor Phyllis Webstad. Professional organizations, schools, and businesses across Alberta recognized this day last year by granting a day off for reflection and remem- brance of children who survived and those who didn’t. Unfortunately, the provincial government failed to recognize this day as a statutory holiday in Alberta, which is a shame because Alberta had the most residential schools of all the provinces in Canada. This day was created out of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) Calls to Action. The report used over five million documents and seven thousand survivor stories to inform the ninety-four Calls to Action.
As the authors of A Knock on the Door note, “The residential school system was based on an assumption that European civilization and Christian religions were superior to Aboriginal culture, which was seen as being savage and brutal.” We still have a euro-centric model of education here on Turtle Island (North America), and we often don’t realize the reasons behind this, the quiet part. The quiet part is the assumed superiority of European culture over those of Indigenous people. In my work in education over several decades, the few allies and champions I worked with inspired me to keep sharing Indigenous knowledge, culture, and history. Seeing the effect on others, young and old alike, even just one person, is always motivating.
It is hard to speak up against mainstream and normalized behaviours and ideas. Sometimes there are silent repercussions for wanting to change the way things are or for speaking up.
This is the quiet part, but silence speaks as well. Silence is not hiring Indigenous in workplaces and organizations, like schools. Silence is not talking about racism that our systems are built on. Silence is not including First Nations history in the curriculum. Silence is not listening to the concerns of teachers. Silence is deafening. Silence is complicity. Silencing ourselves not only hurts us, but those who we are responsible to and for. The children. The youth. The survivors who have been silenced all these years. Talking in whispers or speaking up and not being believed.
The silent power of a pair of child-sized shoes to honour the children who attended residential schools. The silent flight of the soaring eagle as a symbol of a free spirit, flying highest in the sky, closest to Creator and a messenger to the Creator. These are the images on the Official 2022 Orange Shirt Day Design created by this year’s winner, Geraldine Catalbas, a Grade 11 student from Ponoka, Alberta. The quiet part is what we should be paying attention to. The challenges of addressing this history and no longer choosing to keep this history hidden have proven to be a powerful and moving reflection, promoting empathy and learning for young and old, all across Canada.
Without talking about the difficulties, we can’t heal, learn, or move forward. There are so many ways to speak up now to our families or community. We can wear an orange shirt to support the children who survived residential schools and those who didn’t. We can learn the history, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Final Report, and the Calls to Action that affect all parts of society. The Calls to Action are the specific things that need to be done to advance reconciliation in Canada. They are not the work of Indigenous people at all but are directed toward all levels of government, churches, museums, lawyers, police, health-care work- ers, educators, businesses, and more.
I was 20 before I heard about residential schools; my family never shared their experiences. We can all participate in breaking the silence open now. We can speak up and listen to the stories that were once kept silent.
Sandra Lamouche is nehiyaw iskwew (Cree woman) a member of the Bigstone Cree Nation. She was born and raised in northern Alberta. Sandra has an MA in Indigenous Studies. She is a champion hoop dancer and an award- winning educator, writer, artist, and two-time TEDx Speaker. Designer Jolene Arcand is Metis from Region 3 located in Calgary, Alberta, and a graduate from Emily Carr University in Communication Design.
Sources: The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s (TRC) Final Report 2015 (nctr.ca/records/reports/#trc-reports). Phil Fontaine, Aimée Craft, and the TRC. A Knock on the Door: The Essential History of Residential Schools from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (2016).
“The residential school system was based on an assumption that European civilization and Christian religions were superior to Aboriginal culture, which was seen as being savage and brutal.”
Call to Action #80:
We call upon the federal government, in collaboration with Aboriginal peoples, to establish, as a statutory holiday, a National Day for Truth and Reconciliation to honour Survivors, their families, and communities, and ensure that public commemoration of the history and legacy of residential schools remains a vital component of the reconciliation process.