Debate over legacy continues

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Although they have been closed for some time, the legacy of the church-run residential schools continues to be debated in First Nations communities.

A symposium staged at the Ojibwe Cultural Foundation (OCF) in M'Chigeeng on Feb. 16 illustrated the complexity of the issues surrounding the infamous institutions.

Alan Corbiere, co-ordinator of the school photography exhibit and symposia, said the purpose of the forum was to discuss "how our communities were affected." The theme of a series of lectures is "remembrance, reflection and rejuvenation."

Native children from Manitoulin Island attended the Garnier school for boys and the St. Joseph's school for girls from 1946 to 1956. The schools were supervised by the Jesuits of Upper Canada.

At the Feb. 16 gathering, three speakers were invited to address how the schooling prepared or did not prepare people for leadership and what the role is of community leaders in the healing of First Nations?

"It is important to examine the purpose and intent of the residential schools," said Joe Hare, former chief of M'Chigeeng and current band councillor. "They purposely set out to take away the spirituality, customs and culture from the people; they took our beliefs and replaced them with their beliefs," he said. In his view, "spiritual genocide" was perpetrated in the government sanctioned schools.

Hare admitted he had some good experiences when he was at Garnier school. He particularly enjoyed playing hockey. But overall, "there were some terrible experiences and some students endured sexual abuse. Many of us left in a bad condition, mentally, spiritually, physically."

The number claiming abuse at the hands of the school supervisors is substantial, said Hare. His research shows that 4,500 court cases across the country have been launched to seek compensation for the abuse.

Through the years, Hare has served in many leadership capacities, including grand council chief of the Anishinaabe Nation, yet he professes to see no correlation between his attendance at residential school and his development of leadership skills.

"I think if I had gone to a different school, I would have done more in the community," he concluded.

In addition to his political involvement, he has also nurtured several small businesses in M'Chigeeng. He is especially proud of his children who have excelled in higher education.

Although he feels that his Ojibway values were "interfered with at residential school," Hare maintained "it didn't work." Attempts to spread the Western church doctrines failed, in his opinion.

"The schools tried to take away what I believe from my heart and mind, but I've done alright following my own convictions," he said. "I rely on the teachings that go back a long, long time in history. The teachings give me peace of mind. I am very happy with myself. I will stick to the Ojibway spirituality."

Peter Johnston, a deacon and former chief of Serpent River First Nation, followed Hare in sharing his thoughts on the healing process. "With residential schools, you always hear both the good and the bad," he said. "But, as for me, I was not abused; and I never saw a situation where other kids were sexually abused."

He does remember that his mother threatened to send him to Garnier whenever his behavior did not please her. Eventually he did end up in the institution in 1950, but emphasized that "it is the greatest thing that ever happened to me. I met my wife there."

"There's no question that tremendous harm was done in residential schools across Canada. Many are suffering the intergenerational effect as a result," he said. "To stop the effects, healing must take place, but healing takes a long time. The groundwork needs to be laid for healing. I have to deal with what happened and be responsible for myself."

In essence, he believes it is counterproductive to perpetuate the pain by blaming the government. The solution, as he sees it, is "to rely on our own gifts" and to foster prsonal independence.

From his perspective, it is important "to be true to who we are and at the same time recognize where other people have come from."

Harvey Trudeau, a former chief from Sagamok First Nation, shared his experiences in the Saturday symposium as well.

"I came out of the residential school when I was six or seven," he recalls. "There was no one there to transfer the knowledge of the ancestors to me."

He also attended Ontario public schools where he feels a distorted view of history was taught. In those days Custer and Columbus were considered heroes, he noted. Because of the "indoctrination" of the educational system, he later realized "there's something missing; the Anishinaabe within me had been missing all this time."

He believes the church-operated schools "tried to assimilate us and get rid of all we hold dear. But we are in the process of re-learning the things we need," he said. "There's still a gap in there and we need to bridge that gap and teach our kids about their forefathers."

Of particular concern to Trudeau is the perceived threat to traditional ceremonies. He notes that many individuals in First Nations communities are afraid to practice religious rituals openly. Some of the fear can be traced back to the "hostage syndrome" created by the residential schools, he suggested. Whenever children would run away from the institutions, they would be tracked down and returned. Today these oppressive memories lead to the shielding of ceremonies and symbols from public view.