The Survivors Speak

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The journey • 29 She and her brother were separated once they reached the school. When we got to Providence, my brother was scared. We got off the plane. There was nuns waiting for us on the shore, brothers, Father, priests. He, he was scared, so he grabbed hold of my hand, he was holding my hand. We don’t have no luggage, or no, no clothes, just what we had on, just what we had on. And we walk up the hill, to the top of the hill, and my brother was so scared. He was just holding onto my hand so tight. And then top of the hill, the priest came, and he told me he’s got to go this way, and, and then the Sister came over to me, told me you got to go this way. They’re trying to break our hands apart, but he wouldn’t let go of my hand, holding. And the priest was holding his hand, and the sister was holding my hand. They broke our hands apart like that. 68 Joe Krimmerdjuar was taken to the Chesterfield Inlet school in the Northwest Territories in 1957. And my mother was on the beach when I was boarding the plane. With few clothes I had, maybe one pair of pants, maybe a sock that my mother had put into her flour sack. And I know that she started walking home not even bothering to look at me. And today I think maybe she had tears in her eyes. Maybe she was crying. 69 In the Northwest Territories, students often were taken to school by boat. Albert Elias was sent to the Anglican school in Aklavik in 1952. So in 1952 we were sent away. In those days there’s, you know, there’s no airplanes like we have now. So the Anglican Mission schooner, a small boat, came down to Tuk and we were boarded, we were, you know, we got on the boat, and all excited and waving and, and we left Tuk. And then we travelled a ways along the, along the way to Aklavik was camps, hunting camps, fishing camps, and we stopped at those places and picked up students as we went along. At one stop, all the children got off the boat. When it was time to get back on the boat, the boy walking ahead of Albert decided to run away. Just before he stepped on the walk plank he dashed one side and he ran away. He ran away. And the Anglican missionary there, he ran after him and caught him and, and I saw for the first time how somebody could be so rough to a small child and carry that boy like a rag doll up to the boat. And I asked myself there, the fear, fear came to my being, you know, and I sensed fear, like, I never felt it before, and I said, “What have I got myself into?” you know. Before I even reached Aklavik I start seeing violence, you know, which I really never saw before. And that was, to me, it always, you know, it was always in my memory. So the first trauma, I guess. 70 Sam Kautainuk was twelve years old when he was taken to the Pond Inlet school in what is now Nunavut. The boat they used to bring us here is still there down by Ulayuk School. That’s the boat that picked me up from our outpost camp. It was the rcmp, the Area Administra-
30 • Truth & Reconciliation Commission tor and two women. The special constable lifted me by my shoulders and put me in the boat so that I could go to school. They ignored my cries for my mother. I remember as the boat took us away I kept my eyes on my parents’ tent until I couldn’t see it anymore. That moment was the most painful thing I ever experienced in my life. 71
Page 1 and 2: The Survivors Speak A Report of the
Page 3 and 4: This report is in the public domain
Page 5 and 6: Abuse .............................
Page 7 and 8: vi • Truth & Reconciliation Commi
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Page 16: Introduction Before the Survivor-in
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Page 34 and 35: A place of refuge “They’d be in
Page 36: A place of refuge • 21 In some ca
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Page 62 and 63: Language and culture “How am I go
Page 64 and 65: Language and culture • 49 told he
Page 66 and 67: Language and culture • 51 mind an
Page 68 and 69: Language and culture • 53 Later t
Page 70 and 71: Language and culture • 55 Robert
Page 72 and 73: Language and culture • 57 learned
Page 74 and 75: Bedwetting “Shame on you.” The
Page 76 and 77: Bedwetting • 61 got back to the s
Page 78 and 79: Daily life “We were programmed.
Page 80 and 81: Daily life • 65 was done with a w
Page 82: Daily life • 67 Martha Minoose re
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Chores “We were like slaves.” B
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Chores • 81 Emily Kematch said on
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Chores • 83 lift the window like
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Fear, loneliness, and emotional neg
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Regimentation “Only the devil wri
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Discipline “I saw violence for th
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Discipline • 141 Joanne Morrison
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Discipline • 143 my ear so hard.
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Discipline • 145 When, when somet
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Discipline • 147 So, all the boys
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Discipline • 149 stood there and
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Discipline • 151 I never saw him,
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Medical attention “We never saw a
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Medical attention • 179 I don’t
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Medical attention • 181 doctor.
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Cadets “I’ve learned and heard
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Improvements “There was a lot mor
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The end “The doors are closing fo
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The end • 203 And I could remembe
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Endnotes Preface 1. Canada, Annual
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Endnotes • 211 37. TRC, AVS, Doro
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Endnotes • 213 81. TRC, AVS, Roy
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Endnotes • 215 123. TRC, AVS, Mar
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Endnotes • 217 166. TRC, AVS, Jol
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Endnotes • 219 210. TRC, AVS, Lou
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Endnotes • 221 253. TRC, AVS, Eth
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Endnotes • 223 296. TRC, AVS, Ger
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Endnotes • 227 384. TRC, AVS, Wil
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Endnotes • 229 427. TRC, AVS, Cla
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Endnotes • 231 469. TRC, AVS, Wal
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Endnotes • 233 510. TRC, AVS, Shi
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Endnotes • 235 549. TRC, AVS, Leo
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Endnotes • 239 636. TRC, AVS, Noe
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Endnotes • 241 668. TRC, AVS, Vit
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Endnotes • 243 711. Sired, “Fro
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The Survivors Speak

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