22 the <strong>Nation</strong> April 5, <strong>20</strong>13 www.nationnews.ca
Facing the past The Truth and Reconciliation Commission hearing in Chisasibi airs a painful chapter of Cree history by Jesse Staniforth In the lead-up to its four-day Quebec <strong>Nation</strong>al Event in Montreal at the end of April, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) held the last of its four Quebec regional events in Chisasibi on March 19-<strong>20</strong>. Following hearings in Sept-Îles, Vald’Or and La Tuque, the Chisasibi TRC hearings offered an opportunity for local survivors of the Indian residential school (IRS) system to share their experiences either publicly or to have them recorded in private. The community of Chisasibi, at the time it was located at Fort George, had two Indian residential schools, both of which opened in the mid-1930s – Ste- Thérèse-de-l’Enfant-Jesus, run by the Roman Catholic Church, and St. Phillip’s, run by the Anglican Church (the only Anglican residential school in Quebec). Chisasibi’s Eddie Rupert is the Residential Schools Coordinator for the Grand Council of the Crees and a member of the Special Committee that is organizing the national event in Montreal. He says he suggested holding a commission hearing in Chisasibi because of the two schools that were located there. Rupert explained that students at St. Phillip’s came mainly from the coastal Cree communities, while students at Ste-Thérèse-de-l’Enfant-Jesus came largely from other communities, including Moose Factory, Attawapiskat, Fort Albany and Pointe-Bleu. According to TRC documents, both schools were seriously overcrowded by the 1950s, suffering from shortages of food and fresh water. Ste-Thérèse-de-l’Enfant-Jesus was transferred to the provincial school board in 1971; St. Phillip’s was taken over by the federal government in 1969 and turned into a residence for students from other communities attending local schools. By 1973, its staff was entirely composed of Aboriginal people. Both schools were closed by the end of the 1970s. Larry House, the local coordinator for the Chisasibi hearing, said it was long overdue. “The leadership needs to make it a priority to address the social issues. [Aboriginal people] still top the list of all the wrong stats. Right now we’re the majority incarcerated in prisons and we’ve got the highest number of kids in state care. Obviously something is amiss. I connect it to the history of colonialism and residential schools is a big part of that.” Overall, said Rupert, the hearings went well, “We did have people who made the decision to go to the commissioner and tell their stories,” he said. “We also had private rooms available and some people decided to take that approach. The main room was for the public – people were invited to attend and listen to the stories.” Rupert’s only complaint was that fewer people came than he expected. “I was hoping to have students coming in from the Cree communities who’d attended those two schools. There were not as many as I had hoped or expected. I know in some of the other hearings – in La Tuque, for example, the commissioner said they had about 80 people [making statements]. I’m not sure we had that many. The hearings did go very well, with those who volunteered to tell their stories. The overall message was that it was time to reconcile and forgive. “In the beginning it was really slow,” House noted. “I had to register to make a statement. I wanted to, because there was about 900 pounds of religion on one side of the room, there – two bishops and the minister from Great Whale. That’s kind of an intimidating setting when you’re sitting in the room. I spoke about organized religion and the problems I see there. I said, I had never been to residential school, but that’s not to say I haven’t been affected.” House downplayed the importance of his own comments, but Rupert praised him for speaking about the www.nationnews.ca April 5, <strong>20</strong>13 the <strong>Nation</strong> 23 photo courtesy of Val-d’Or Native Friendship Centre
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