Residential school survivors share their stories

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A new video about the residential school experience in Saskatchewan has been created in an attempt to educate people, both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal, about the affects those experiences have had on numerous generations.

Childhood Lost - The Residential School Experience, was produced by Chalen Ewing of Greywolf Productions, and directed by Doug Cuthand of Blue Hill Productions.

Ewing said she decided to produce the video after listening to her mother talk about her own experiences in residential school. She approached Doug Cuthand with the idea, and he agreed to direct the project.

The video uses archival photographs taken at the residential schools, dramatic re-enactments, and the words of the survivors themselves to tell the stories of how each of the four individuals were, and continue to be, affected by their time in the residential schools.

The video tells the stories of Wally Simaganis, who was sent to residential school in the 1930's, Bernice Simaganis, who attended residential school in the 1940's, Keeseekoose First Nation Chief Ted Quewezance, who attended residential school in the 1960's, and Deanna Ledoux, who attended residential school in the 1980's.

Each of the four survivors tells of their experiences in the residential schools-of being taken away from their families, of the constant fear they felt at schools, and in some cases, of the sexual abuse they endured.

"You woke up in fear. You went to bed in fear, fearful that somebody's going to come to your bed and bother you," Ledoux recalls in the video. "You went to school in fear, fearful that somebody's going to beat you up. You went to all your meals in fear, anxiety. I don't ever remember being completely relaxed while at that school."

In addition to recounting stories of their experiences in residential school, the four also talk about the aftermath of those experiences -of their denial of what had happened to them, of being haunted by the memories, and of using alcohol and drugs to deal with the pain.

While dealing with all the negative events and emotions associated with residential schools, the participants also talk about the more positive direction their lives have taken since they've begun their journey toward healing. Part of that healing process has involved ending the denial, and finally talking about what happened in the schools.

"We have to go down deep inside, each of us, to a better place and tell our story to bring closure," Quewezance says in the booklet that accompanies the video, "No amount of money in the world can take these ghosts and secrets out of the closet."

"The healing process is not an easy thing, simply because habits, once they become habits- like alcohol - are pretty hard to break," Wally Simaganis says in the video. "But it can be done."

While the first video project looked at the residential school experiences of individuals, the next project Ewing is planning will look at the impact the schools had on communities, focusing on communities in B.C., Alberta and Saskatchewan. Ewing expects to start work on that project in the spring or early summer.

For more information about Childhood Lost, or if you 're a residential school survivor and would like to share your story, you can call Ewing or Cuthand at 477-4572, or contact them by fax at 477-4561.