The Survivors Speak

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Language and culture • 57 learned how to hate, I hated my own mother, I blamed her for allowing us to be taken away even though at that time I didn’t realize she didn’t have a choice. It wasn’t until 1990 that she told us that “I didn’t have a choice. It was either that, or me going to jail. I had to let you kids go to school,” ’cause that’s when I disclosed to them both my mom and dad what I went through in residential school in 1990, August of 1990. 174 Gordon James Pemmican recalled how at the Sioux Lookout school, the students used to watch western movies. “The ones they made us watch, Indians never won. I don’t recall any show where Indians ever won. When we went out to play cowboys and Indians, none of us wanted to be the Indian.” 175 On occasion, some of the staff at the Blue Quills school had the students put on what one former student called “little powwows.” “Okay, everyone, want to see you guys dance like Indians,” like, you know, like you pagans, or you people, you know, to go in the circle, and then she says, “Here’s your drum, and here is your stick,” and of course he sang though. I remember he’s still a good singer, but they would laugh when he would bang that dust, that tin, steel dustpan, eh. Gordon James Pemmican. But they had laughed at some of this, you know, make us do some of the things that was culturally done, eh, but to turn it around and make it look like it was more of a joke than anything else. It was pretty quiet when we would do those little dances. There was no pride. It’s just like we were all ashamed, and we were to dance like little puppets. 176 It was during a confirmation class at the Sept-Îles, Québec, school that Jeanette Basile Laloche rebelled against the suppression of Aboriginal language and culture. They gave us a lesson on the Pentecost, and then the principal Father came with the inspector. You had to be good in you person, and you had to have good posture. Then, they explained to us the Pentecost. Then he said: “The Apostles had tongues of fire on the top of the head, then they started speaking all languages.” Then there I said: “No, no, they didn’t speak my language.” Then there, he insisted, he said: “Yes, Jeanette, they spoke your language.” I said: “No, it is impossible that they could have spoken my language.” Because, I began to be a rebel then: the God that my grandmother taught me about, my grandparents taught me, he was nothing like theirs. Then there, I said: “No, they didn’t speak my language.” I shouldn’t have, we didn’t have a word to say, and I remember what he said: “Put your hand on the desk.” You couldn’t contradict them, I placed my hand on the desk, and with the ruler, I had to repeat, repeat that the apostles spoke my language. Me, it took time before I said it, but you know that’s it, I was marked: I was hit with the ruler, with … there was a
58 • Truth & Reconciliation Commission blade on the end of the ruler. I wrote a poem about it, my writing, and it was: “I was a little flower that was uprooted and transplanted into another world.” My values were disrespected, my beliefs humiliated, I suffered infanticide. After all those horrors, my body, my mind had to adhere. 177
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The Survivors Speak A Report of the
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This report is in the public domain
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Abuse .............................
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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 70 and 71: Language and culture • 55 Robert
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
Page 94 and 95: Chores “We were like slaves.” B
Page 96 and 97: Chores • 81 Emily Kematch said on
Page 98: 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 • 225 340. TRC, AVS, Alp
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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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