After the discovery of 215 unmarked graves of children at Kamloops Indian Residential School, British Columbia in 2021, the Survivor’s Secretariat was established to search for unmarked graves in the 600 acres of land around Mohawk Institute in Brantford, Ontario.
This institute operated from 1831 until 1970 and was the site of immense suffering for some 15,000 Indigenous children who were forced to attend the facility. The explicit intent was to separate these children from their families and cultures.
The federal government established the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in 2021, which is held annually on September 30. This is to acknowledge that the current state of Indigenous education, health, living, and welfare in Canada is a direct result of previous Canadian governments’ policies.
The present government is trying to atone for past mistakes, to right such horrifying wrongs, and move forward with Canadian and international law, the Charter of Human Rights and implementing the treaties. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission released its final report in 2015 and recommended 94 calls to Action for the Canadian government to act. These are recommendations meant to help the healing process in two ways: acknowledging the horrifying history of the residential school’s system and creating new systems to prevent these abuses from ever happening again in the future.
But the Indigenous communities searching for missing children are still seeking answers in 2024, to the question, what happened to children who never came home?
Like all other human beings, the residential school children were also descendants of the same creator created them. They had the same ambitions, desires, and dreams to enjoy this beautiful world, but they were denied a happy life and saw only tensions and tortures. Unfortunately, all this happened in one of the so called most civilized parts of the world, North America.
What happened at residential schools was genocide. To understand its depth and intensity, it’s important to peep into the minds of Indigenous intellectuals and writers.
Three Indigenous writers, Dr. Suzanne Shoush, Chyana Marie Sage, and Keisha Erwin when asked how Canada can move forward by changing the way people feel about the tragedy of residential schools, they explained the reality.
Dr. Suzanne Shoush, said, as a country we have struggled to find solutions that would open the road to reconciliation. The findings of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission is the result of the great strength of Indigenous people. It is the voices of those who survived through centuries of transgenerational atrocities with the determination to hold this country to account, honour the truth and change the future. She believes Canada relied on widespread philosophies deeply rooted in anti-Indigenous racism to colonize the land, claim ownership of resources, and develop a legalized system for racial oppression within a democracy, known as the Indian Act, which still stands with some amendments. This law created the Indian residential school system.
Chusna Marie Sage said that around 1835 when the residential school system was implemented the RCMP was established at the same time to control Indigenous populations. This all was done under Prime Minister John A. MacDonald, who used all tools to segregate and “kill the Indian in the child,“ in his own words. She adds these reflections are still seen in the prison system today.
Keisha Erwin said, despite the vital role the Truth and Reconciliation Commission has played in unraveling the injustices done in the past, we are far from reaching reconciliation. The chapter is not closed, and colonialism is still alive and well in Canada. As of right now, the government might say these are “completed “on their website but talk is cheap, and we have a long way to go.
In the light of the above views, we can say government is working in the right direction, but still we need to bring Indigenous and non-Indigenous Canadians together in a concerted effort to help repair the harm caused by residential schools and move forward with reconciliation. This will restore the trust of Indigenous Canadians and let them completely know what happened to their children.
Not only parents, but also Indigenous poets and thinkers keep remembering missing them, as Sidney Lynn writes in her famous poem” Missing children.”
“No laughter in the streets, just wind.
Where all children have been?
Once so cozy in their beds. Now all have been left for dead.
Where are the children that played in the street?
Why did all of them have to leave?
Where are the kids, will they be found?
Ghost town, silent, not one sound.”
(Missing children By Sidney Lynn, published in All poetry.com).
Support rabble today!
We’re so glad you stopped by! Thanks for consuming rabble content this year.
rabble.ca is 100% reader and donor funded, so as an avid reader of our content, we hope you will consider gifting rabble with a donation during our summer fundraiser today.
Whether it be a one-time donation or a small monthly contribution, your support is critical to keep rabble writers producing the work you’ve come to rely on as a part of a healthy media diet.
Become a rabble rouser — donate to rabble.ca today.
Nick Seebruch, editor
