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Support Info: If you are a Survivor and need emotional support, a national crisis line is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week: Residential School Survivor Support Line: 1-866-925-4419. Additional Health Support Information: Emotional, cultural, and professional support services are also available to Survivors and their families through the Indian Residential Schools Resolution Health Support Program. Services can be accessed on an individual, family, or group basis.” These & regional support phone numbers are found at https://nctr.ca/contact/survivors/ .
By Kalle Benallie The findings show the federal Indian boarding school system consisted of
at least 408 federal schools across 37 states and roughly 53 different
schools had been identified with marked or unmarked burial sites ... continue reading
Assistant Secretary Newland makes eight recommendations to the Secretary of the Interior to fulfill the Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative, including producing a list ofmarkedandunmarked burial sites atFederalIndianboarding schoolsandan approximation of the total amount of Federal funding used to support the Federal Indian boarding school system, including any monies that may have come fromTribal and individual Indian trust accounts held in trust by the United States. Assistant Secretary Newland ultimately concludes that further investigation is required to determine the legacy impacts of the Federal Indian boarding school system on American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians today.
The Remembering the Children memorial — envisioned as a place of prayer, gathering & remembrance meant to honor the children who died at the former Rapid City Indian Boarding School — has received the grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. https://t.co/xfJxAX5WMV
— Ruth H. Robertson (Red Road Woman) (@Ruth_HHopkins) May 9, 2022
Community
members stand in prayer at a hillside in South Dakota that is believed
to the the site of unmarked graves of children who died at the
long-shuttered Rapid City Indian Boarding School. Plans to build a
first-in-the-nation memorial to children who died at the school are
moving forward with a recent $2 million donation. (Photo courtesy of
Rapid City Indian Boarding School Memorial Project)
RAPID
CITY, South Dakota — A memorial planned to honor children who died at
an Indian boarding school has received a $2 million grant that pushes
the project beyond its initial fundraising targets.
The
Remembering the Children memorial — envisioned as a place of prayer,
gathering, and remembrance on a hillside near the site of the former
Rapid City Indian Boarding School — received the grant from the Andrew
W. Mellon Foundation.
It is the largest single donation to date
for the project, which has received numerous contributions from the
Rapid City community and a $100,000 donation from the Monument Lab, a
nonprofit working to cultivate critical conversations around past,
present and future public art.
A private funder is also
underwriting South Dakota Artist Laureate Dale Lampher’s work on
sculptures that will be included in the project.
There
is no blueprint for how to return stolen land, but with thousands of
acres returned to Indigenous care over the past two years alone, we know
it can be done.
Kendra, a Native adoptee, is a thriving woman who
grew up in a loving, upper middle-class white family, and feels no
significant loss with the absence of Indigenous culture or family in her
life. And yet, as a Blackfeet/Salish woman, director Brooke Swaney
could not imagine that Kendra could be content or complete without
understanding her heritage. Together, they embark on a seven-year
journey featured in the film.
During this journey, Kendra finds her biological mother April
Kowalski after being apart for 34 years. April, also an adoptee, is a
survivor of abuse, addiction, homelessness, and sex trafficking. Kendra
and April must navigate what it means to be native and to belong to a
tribe from the outside looking in. DAUGHTER OF A LOST BIRD documents the
complex process of finding oneself in the context of a history filled
with both trauma and resiliency.
MEET THE MAKERS: DAUGHTER OF A LOST BIRD
Listen to an in-depth conversation with 'Daughter of a Lost Bird' filmmaker Brooke Swaney
and other thought leaders about the generational effects of adoption on
Native American families and how communities are advocating for justice
and tribal sovereignty. Georgiana Lee-Ausen and Cynthia M. Ruiz also
take time to recognize National Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women
Awareness Day, a time when the Indigenous communities and allies gather
to remember, honor and raise voices of women who have been silenced. Listen now!
Daughter of a Lost Bird | Trailer | Season 10 Episode 4
Here are some of the other resources I suggest to learn more about Native American adoption in the U.S.:
The documentary Blood Memory, featuring my friend and amazing advocate, Sandy Whitehawk. Sandy is the founder of First Nations Repatriation Institute and created Welcoming Home ceremonies for adoptees and former fosterees (and generously included non-Native adoptees)
National Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons Awareness Day Event
transcript Deb: I'm Secretary Deb Haaland
at I'm honored to join you from the ancestral homelands of the Anacostia and
Piscataway people on what President Biden has proclaimed as National Missing or
Murdered Indigenous Persons Awareness Day. I wish we didn't need to be here. I
wish that this day was obsolete, that we didn't have to keep fighting year
after year for our people to be honored and respected. But we are here. And I
want to use today to shine a light on the national crisis of missing and
murdered indigenous peoples and give space to others to share the work they are
doing on this issue. Everyone deserves to feel safe in their communities, but
the MMIP crisis is one that communities have faced since the dawn of colonization.
For too long, this issue has been swept under the rug by our government with a
lack of urgency, attention, or funding. The rates of missing persons cases and
violence against American Indian, Alaska native, and native Hawaiian
communities are disproportionate, alarming, and unacceptable. It is
heartbreaking to know that our loved ones are at an increased risk of
disappearing without warning, leaving families and communities devastated. I
want to extend my gratitude to the organizers, advocates, native women who have
been shedding light on MMIP crisis for decades. People who have had an empty
chair at their kitchen tables, loved ones who tirelessly searched or their
relatives, service providers who hear the heartbreaking stories of family
members of the missing. I want you to know that I see you and I stand with you.
In our first year, there is much the Biden-Harris administration has done to
take this issue seriously. As many of you know, last year, I announce the
formation of a new missing and murdered unit within the Bureau of Indian
affairs office of Justice services to provide leadership and direction across
departmental and interagency work involving missing and murdered American
Indians and Alaska natives. The MMU is marshaling resources across agencies and
throughout Indian country to focus on this crisis. Since the launch ofMMU, the
department has built up personnel and increased infrastructure capacity by
launching new offices. Today, 17 BIA offices located throughout the nation have
at least one agent dedicated to solving missing and murder cases for American
Indians and Alaska natives. In December, the BIA announced on lots of its new
website dedicated to solving missing and murder cases in Indian country. The
website is bia.gov/mmu. Bia.gov/mmu. The site is an important tool to help law
enforcement, families, and communities to share critical information about
missing and murdered individuals that can help the MMU solve cases and give
closure to families. The website showcases individual missing and murdered case
profiles that can be quickly shared via social media and other digital media to
raise visibility of victims. It also provides multiple pathways to submit
important tips and other case information that may help investigators with
detection or investigation of an offense committed in Indian country. The MMU
has enabled the Department to expand its collaborative efforts with other
agencies such as working to enhance the DOJ's national missing and unidentified
persons system. Staff are also developing strategic partnerships with
additional stakeholders such as the FBI, behavioral analysis units, FBI
forensic laboratories , U.S. marshals missing child unit, and the National
Center for missing and exploited children. This unit and interior will continue
to engage in collaborative efforts with tribal, federal, and state stakeholders
to ensure accurate data and enhance community outreach. The MMU is a critical
tool in our work to address this crisis, and today, we announce steps for
another. In Congress, the Not Invisible Act now in partnership with the Justice
Department and with extensive engagement with tribes and other stakeholders, we
are putting that law into action. Today, our agencies announce the membership
of the new Not Invisible Act Commission which we formed the last year. For the
first time, the interior and Justice Department will be guided by an advisory
committee composed of law enforcement, tribal leaders, federal partners,
service providers, family members of missing and murdered individuals, and most
importantly, survivors. This commission will ensure that we hear the voices of
those who are most impacted by this issue. It includes diverse experience,
backgrounds, and geographies to provide balance once of use. The commission will
hold hearings, take estimate, and -- testimonies, and receive evidence to
develop recommendations for the federal government to combat violent crimes
against indigenous people. The missing and murdered indigenous peoples crisis
is centuries in the making, and it will take a focused effort and time to
unravel the many threads that contribute to the alarming rates. I'm grateful to
those of you who rang the alarm and gave a voice to the missing. My heart goes
out to the families of loved ones who were impacted by violence. We will keep
working to address this issue and together, I believe we will provide justice
for survivors and families. And that I will turn the floor over to Deputy
Attorney General Lisa Monaco, who will share recorded remarks for today's event.
At the Adoption Initiative Conference in 2022, this discussion came full circle. Daniel was a panel speaker for a discussion on Adoptees as Immigrants [link ➤]
From Simply Smiles: Receiving Tribal Council Approval: The
vote was unanimous to adopt a formal resolution of support that
authorized the creation of the Simply Smiles Children's Village.
Pictured
above: Simply Smiles Village Director Marcella Gilbert and Simply
Smiles President and Founder Bryan Nurnberger, formerly of Naugatuck,
seen here with activist and Village advisor Madonna Thunder Hawk, member
of the Waśagiya Najin Standing Strong Grandmothers' Group of Native
elders, after securing a formal resolution of tribal support, including
from Tribal Chairman Harold C. Frazier.
As
Simply Smiles nears completion of our Children's Village of foster
homes on the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe in South Dakota, this features
the challenges encountered and milestones reached in creating this first-of-its-kind endeavor for Native American children.
The
Tribal Council of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe voted unanimously to
adopt a formal resolution of support that authorized the creation of the
Simply Smiles Children's Village.
The trust and partnerships
Simply Smiles built over our first decade working on the Reservation
made this vital step possible. Our pro-bono Native attorneys at
Kilpatrick & Townsend drafted the detailed resolution and the
Waśagiya Najin Standing Strong Grandmothers' Group of Native elders, led
by the legendary activist Madonna Thunder Hawk, guided the resolution
of support through the tribal government to unanimous approval and
adoption.
This agreement allowed us to begin building and developing the Simply Smiles Children's Village and
solidified our shared commitment to provide a child placement option
that fulfills the spirit of the Indian Child Welfare Act by ensuring
that Native children who have been removed from their homes can remain
with kin and community.
Simply Smiles Village Director Marcella Gilbert and Simply Smiles
President and Founder Bryan Nurnberger seen here with activist and
Village advisor Madonna Thunder Hawk, member of the Waśagiya Najin
Standing Strong Grandmothers' Group of Native elders, after securing a
formal resolution of tribal support, including from Tribal Chairman
Harold C. Frazier.
Stay tuned for the next email in the Creating the Reservation Village series: Becoming A Licensed Foster Care Agency & Professionalizing Foster Care
‘Growing up I kind of thought, why am I this lone person…”
Leah Ballantyne was just 11 days old when she was adopted out to a
Scottish family in Winnipeg – by the time she was 13, she was already
searching for her birth parents.
Riding the bus to school through Winnipeg’s downtown core, she would see Indigenous people and wondered if they were relatives.
“Growing up, I kind of thought, why am I this lone person and adopted
into a family? Why didn’t my family want me and what were the
circumstances? And as I learned that the ‘60s Scoop was actually a part
of a process that started with reservations, and the Indian Act, and
residential schools, and day schools,” she says on the latest episode of
Face to Face.
“Then I realized that I was part of something that was a separation that was going on through government policy.”
The push to finally find out where she came from came after an event in Vancouver.
She says she was inspired by speeches by former Assembly of First
Nations national chief Ovide Mercredi and Mohawk Council of Kahnawake
grand chief Joe Tokwiro Norton
After, she went digging into her past.
Ballantyne’s birth mother had registered her for a status number at birth so she knew she was from Mathias Colomb Cree Nation. She wrote the chief at the time, the late Pascal Bighetty, asking for help.
Not long after, Ballantyne received a call from Bighetty, who, as it
would turn out, was her uncle, telling her he knew who she was and to
come home.
Advocating for her community
Ballantyne says the rally and reunification with her community, a
“light went on” and she decided she would push for positive changes in
law and policy by becoming a lawyer.
To this day, Ballantyne remains the only member of Mathias Colomb
Cree Nation to become a lawyer. She is currently working with her nation
on child welfare laws and bringing children home, whether they were
part of the 60s Scoop, aged out of the care, or still in care.
Ballantyne is vocal about representation and believes those who falsely claim Indigenous identity, should face criminal charges.
“There is a couple of sections in the Criminal Code of Canada for
identity and identity fraud and so Indigenous identity fraud is very
much a charge that could be laid by any institution that has addressed
this kind of issue and people that are claiming false Indigenous
identity,” she says.
“And there is no statute of limitation on this type of identity fraud within the Criminal Code.”
Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Marc Miller says talks ongoing on disclosing of Justice Canada records
Jorge Barrera - CBC News| April 25, 2022
Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Marc Miller said his
department continues to search for documents related to residential
schools in Canada. (David Kawai/The Canadian Press)
More than 200 boxes of records are currently under separate
court and internal federal reviews to determine their connection to
residential schools after they were found in storage facilities within
the last year, CBC News has learned.
The records were discovered
in Yellowknife and Vancouver storage lockers, according to information
provided to CBC News by a Crown-Indigenous Relations (CIRNA) official.
As
a court-appointed firm and federal officials sift through the records,
CIRNA Minister Marc Miller said searches continue within his and other
departments to find any documents related to the residential school era.
"The state they were found in is entirely unacceptable," Miller said in an interview with CBC News.
"It
is part of this process that I continue as the minister … That work
isn't complete and is still ongoing — knowing any piece of information
related to that time period can help in closure and getting an
understanding of the truth."
The first batch of documents, 125 bankers boxes, was
found in June 2021 by the owner of a storage facility in Yellowknife who
was clearing out a unit once owned by a now-defunct survivor healing
group called the Healing Drum.
The owner contacted the
territory's information commissioner, which then alerted the regional
CIRNA office, said Andrew Fox, the Information and Privacy Commissioner
for the Northwest Territories.
Readers are advised this story mentions the physical and sexual
abuse of Indigenous children in institutions. There are no graphic
accounts included, but the subject matter may be triggering for some
people.
Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby delivered an unequivocal
apology to children, grandchildren and survivors of Canadian residential
schools over the weekend, describing their experiences as “a bit of
hell” that was “built by the Church and in the name of the Church.”
The Anglican Church leader met with dignitaries from Indigenous
governments from James Smith Cree Nation and the Federation of Sovereign
Indigenous Nations, which represents 74 First Nations in Saskatchewan.
There, he heard the stories of school survivors about how the
residential school system ripped families apart, raised self-doubt and
self-confidence issues and left them with traumas as a result of sexual
and physical abuse.
“It is the rawest, wickedest, most terrible thing, to molest a child
while you read them the Bible,” a sombre Welby told the group after
hearing the harrowing accounts.
Despite studies concluding ICWA
has been a successful law to curb the crisis of child removal in Indian
country when implemented correctly, a significant number of attorneys,
think tanks, and politicians argue that ICWA actually harms Native
children and should be repealed. Others argue that ICWA has served its
purpose and is no longer necessary. This article considers how
newspaper editorials perpetuate misinformation about ICWA, its history
and its purpose. Moreover, we explore how anti-ICWA authors employ
“words of colonialism”—in particular, the use of derogatory words and
phrases to portray Native people as bad parents and Tribal Nations as
dysfunctional. Providing inaccurate and racist characterizations of ICWA
is one of the primary tactics used by editorials to delegitimize ICWA.
Emotionally triggering and wholly inaccurate language is often employed
as a sensationalist method to grab the reader’s attention by presenting
the law in terms of clear-cut morality.
Frederick Thompson Richards, Life Magazine, 1900 (How long have you been civilized?)
Can You Say No? Tann advertised. Digital Archive of the Memphis Public Libraries
5,000 children?
As
the executive director of the Tennessee Children's Home Society, Tann
got rich by stealing babies from their parents and adopting them out to
unsuspecting families. More than 5,000 children were snatched by Tann, and at least 500 children are believed to have died while under her care. This was reported Dec 4, 2019.
Actress
Joan Crawford brought the dark-haired infants she'd adopted from
Tennessee Children's Home Society in Memphis… New York Governor Herbert Lehman
purchased at least two infants from Tann. Then Lehman changed the laws
in New York State to seal adoption records. The adoptive homes were not
vetted thoroughly. Jul 24, 2020
Georgia Tann: The Mastermind of a Black Market Baby Ring That Lasted for Three Decades
Tennessee Children’s Home Society in Memphis and the horrors Inside
It
is hard to believe that in Memphis, Tennessee, from 1924–1950, children
were being stolen from low-income families and adopted out to wealthy
ones for a price. But it did happen.
Robert Taylor, a lawyer who investigated the Tennessee Children’s Home
Society scandal for Gov. Gordon Browning, said in his 1992 “60 Minutes” interview.”
For almost three decades, renowned baby-seller Georgia Tann ran a
children’s home in Memphis, Tennessee — selling her charges to wealthy
clients nationwide, Joan Crawford among them. Part social history, part
detective story, part expose, The Baby Thief is a riveting investigative
narrative that explores themes that continue to reverberate today.
I read the book BABY THIEF about this child trafficker years ago... What happened to the children who were adopted out and what happened to their mothers... Trace
Following the Indigenous delegation's visit to the Vatican earlier this month, renewed questions are emerging around justice: is the Canadian residential school system a case for the International Criminal Court? Selen Kazan considers the question: https://t.co/mosSBbx83Fpic.twitter.com/gQsdMcasrf
Yet, almost seven years and
thousands of uncovered graves on residential school grounds later, this
question should be re-visited. What do we make of Canadian genocide now?
Possible sites found close to former location of Gordon's Indian Residential School
CBC News ·
A memorial for the students who attended Gordon's Indian Residential School in George Gordon First Nation. (Kirk Fraser/CBC)
WARNING: This story contains distressing details.
Leaders
of George Gordon First Nation in Saskatchewan announced Wednesday that
14 potential unmarked burial sites had been found close to the site of
the former Gordon's Indian Residential School.
George
Gordon First Nation's chief and council and the band's residential
school cemetery committee announced the results of a geophysical
investigation Wednesday afternoon.
Chief Byron Bitternose
addressed the media, announcing the discovery of the 14 possible burial
sites. He also said the search is not complete.
"In upcoming
months this area will be a priority, an area for continued searching,"
Bitternose said. "It is my hope that one day we will be able to tell our
children the whole story of what their great-grandparents,
grandparents, parents and siblings endured."
Chief
Byron Bitternose announced on Wednesday that 14 possible unmarked
burials have been found near the former Gordon's Indian Residential
School. (Bryan Eneas/CBC)
A total of four areas within the First Nation have been searched, he said. One high-probability site was detected.
While
the ground-penetrating radar (GPR) data cannot discern if the sites are
graves of children, George Gordon First Nation member Sarah Longman
says there is a high probability.
Church says Rev. Mark MacDonald's actions amount to a 'betrayal of trust'
Rev. Mark MacDonald had served as the church's national Indigenous Anglican bishop since 2007. (Anglican Church of Canada)
CBC News ·
Rev.
Mark MacDonald, the Anglican Church of Canada's first national
Indigenous archbishop, has resigned over what the church is calling
"acknowledged" sexual misconduct.
"This is devastating news. The
sense of betrayal is deep and profound when leaders fail to live up to
the standards we expect and the boundaries we set," wrote Rev. Linda
Nicholls, the church's archbishop and primate, in an open letter published on Wednesday.
Nicholls cites
a complainant against MacDonald in the letter but no further details
about the allegations have been provided by the church.
"First
and most importantly, our prayers must be for the complainant whose life
has been affected by Mark's actions. The betrayal of trust by someone
in such a prominent role of leadership will require a long road of
healing and our constant prayers," the letter continues.
A
spokesperson for the church declined an interview request from CBC News
and said it would not provide any further comment about MacDonald's
resignation.
MacDonald, 68, was named the church's first
national Indigenous Anglican bishop in 2007, a post which makes him
pastoral leader to approximately 225 Indigenous churches, most of them
on reserves.
A
biography on the church's website said he served as a minister
in Mississauga, Ont., Duluth, Minn., Tomah, Wis., Mauston, Wis.,
Portland, Ore., and the southeast regional mission of the Diocese of
Navajoland during his career.
MacDonald is a graduate of Wycliffe College, a Christian evangelical seminary at the University of Toronto.
A 2013 article
posted by the Anglican Journal, the national newspaper of the Anglican
Church of Canada, described MacDonald as a "non-status Indian" with
Indigenous ancestry through both his mother and father. The article also
says he "grew up among the [Ojibwe] people."
The Anglican Church has named Bishop Sidney Black to serve as its interim national Indigenous bishop.
Canada’s National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation says their records show at least 24 students passed away while attending St. Anne’s Indian Residential School throughout its 70 years in operation.
In memory of former St. Anne’s students:
- Abraham Moses Nakogee
- Alexandra Chookomoolin
- Anna Aitel
- Antoine Wisk
- Charles Hunter (Fort Albany)
- Emile Anishinape
- Emilien Aitel
- Gabriel Carpenter
- Imelda Edwards
- Jennie Kostachin
- John Kioki
- Joseph Metat
- Josephine Chookomoolin
- Madeline Sutherland
- Margaret Sutherland
- Matheiu Kamascatishishit
- Michael Sutherland
- Michel Matinas
- Raphael Katakwapit
- Raphael Tomykatie
- Sabeth Sutherland
- Sabeth Wabano
- Simeon Ashnipinishkam
- Therese Okitigo
Additional photos of the school throughout its history can be found through Algoma University HERE.
In 1992, Former Chief of Fort Albany First Nation, Edmund
Metatawabin, presented evidence to Ontario’s provincial police about
abuse at the former school, prompting a six-year investigation.
The OPP’s work led to seven former St. Anne’s teachers and
administrators being arrested in 1998, with 156 survivors receiving some
form of compensation by 2004 – two years before the historic Indian
Residential Schools Settlement of 2006.
Documents from the investigation were released in 2014 after an
Ontario Superior Court judge ordered the federal government to disclose
them to survivors and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
But by that time, the federal government had already redacted over
12,000 documents from the record – which denied many survivors any
amount of compensation.
Still, the documents that were released by Ottawa revealed the use of a
homemade electric chair being used between the 1950s and 1960s, with a
variety of reports of disturbing physical and sexual abuse such as
beatings, rancid food, disappearances and much more.
“Innocent children were malnourished, physically assaulted, sexually
abused, and tortured. They went to bed hungry and lived in fear of a
homemade electric chair. Some were forced to eat their own vomit,” said
NAN leadership, as they described St. Anne survivors’ experiences.
NAN’s search at notorious residential school continues
Written by Ryan ForbesWednesday, Apr 20 2022, 4:55 AMStudents at St. Anne’s Indian Residential School in Fort Albany First Nation. Photo courtesy of Algoma University.
If you are a residential school survivor, you are able to contact the 24-hour National Crisis Line at 1-866-925-4419for support. Indigenous people can also access the Hope for Wellness Help Line at 1-855-242-3310 or online chat at www.hopeforwellness.ca.
The provincial governent is committing nearly $500,000 to support
community members in the Nishnawbe Aski Nation area with the region’s
search of one of the most notorious Indian Residential School locations
in Canada.
Ontario and Ottawa have committed $475,000 over two years to support
survivors affected by the six former Indian Residential Schools in the
NAN territory, including those of St. Anne’s Indian Residential School
in Fort Albany First Nation.
Records from the federal government show students at St. Anne’s were
subjected to a homemade electric chair, with survivors describing
physical, mental and sexual abuse. Legal battles over compensation for
survivors continue to this day.
“This funding will help us develop healing initiatives to support our
families and communities through community-driven initiatives as they
search for their loved ones,” said NAN’s Deputy Grand Chief, Anna Betty
Achneepineskum.
“The search for these innocent children will be a painful experience and
needs to be done with great care and respect. We look forward to
implementing our Reclamation and Healing Strategy and will continue to
develop and implement cultural and spiritual mental health supports to
support all those who undertake this important work,” she adds.
Achneepineskum adds the strategy will be developed with survivors and
will include recommendations from the Truth and Reconciliation
Commission’s 94 Calls to Action of 2015. Funding will also support
communications and technical supports, as well as public education and
awareness initiatives.
St. Anne’s Indian Residential School was run by the Oblates of Mary
Immaculate Catholic Church and the Grey Nuns of the Cross in Fort Albany
First Nation between 1906 and 1976, with support from the federal
government.
Records show that the school was originally located at the Fort
Albany Mission on Albany Island in Treaty #9, before relocating to the
banks of the Albany River in 1932. The school burned down in 1939 and
was later rebuilt.
First Nations youth from Fort Albany, Attawapiskat, Weenusk, Constance Lake, Moose Fort and Fort Severn all attended the school.
‘I haven’t heard a word:’ ‘60s Scoop survivor says healing foundation is no help at all
Some survivors of the ‘60s Scoop say they’re frustrated by the lack
of response they’re getting from the organization set up to help them
heal.
“I’ve been waiting to hear from the Sixties Scoop (Healing
Foundation) to tell me what they have planned,” says survivor Darlene
Gilbert of Annapolis Valley First Nation in Nova Scotia.
“I’ve heard nothing.”
The Sixties Scoop Healing Foundation
was created with $50 million from the $875-million national
class-action settlement that compensated Inuit and First Nations
survivors for the loss of their cultural identities.
The foundation says on its website its mission is to “accompany
Survivors and their descendants along their healing journey by
supporting cultural reclamation and reunification, holistic wellness
services, advocacy, commemoration, and education initiatives.”
Darlene Gilbert was 10 years old when she was taken from her family. Photo: Angel Moore/APTN.
Gilbert, who was removed from her family when she was 10 years old,
was placed in a number of temporary spaces and group homes in Nova
Scotia.
She says she contacted the foundation using the phone number listed
on its website to access therapy to deal with the traumatic effects of
losing her culture and language.
“There’s supposed to be healing money,” she said in an interview. “We
need therapy, our families need therapy, our children, our
grandchildren may.
“I haven’t heard a word, not a word; so that was just like I felt brushed under the carpet like we all do.”
Katherine Legrange, a ‘60s Scoop survivor and director of the
national non-profit support group 60s Scoop Legacy of Canada, feels the
foundation isn’t working so far.
“I’d say that the communication with survivors has been really poor
to date, it’s really unclear about how the healing foundation intends to
directly help survivors,” she says from Winnipeg.
“I feel like they are really struggling to connect with survivors and
share what their plans are; even if there are no plans, share that.”
Call for a national inquiry
Legrange has called for a national inquiry to examine the ‘60s Scoop
and “make that connection with residential schools, with MMIWG (missing
and murdered Indigenous women and girls), with the justice system,
because we know that lots of us ended up in these kinds of unfortunate
situations.”
The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation, a research and
archive centre established after the Indian Residential Schools
Settlement Agreement, “is in full support of the 60’s Scoop Legacy of
Canada and their call for the federal government to commission a
national inquiry into Indigenous child removal.
“The Residential School system came first, followed by the Scoop,” the centre says.
“Finding this truth means hearing from those affected directly –
nationally and internationally – to hear from all the children, the
families and the individuals that ran those systems to fully understand
the colonial historical record of the Scoop and what really happened.”
APTN News tried reaching the foundation using the phone number and email on its website and didn’t receive a response.
APTN also requested an interview with the foundation’s inaugural CEO, Dr. Jacqueline Maurice of Saskatchewan.
Her vision for the foundation, described in a statement following her
appointment, includes the concept of one survivor helping another
survivor on the path to healing.
“In this new role, [Maurice] will be responsible for the development
and implementation of programs and services to support survivors and
will play an integral part in the development of grants, services and
supports to survivors,” the statement added.
A few months later, the foundation distributed its first round of
grants – valued at just over $1 million – to eight community groups.
“This year’s pilot program begins the foundation’s legacy of
investment into healing and serving Sixties Scoop survivors across the
nation,” Maurice said at the time.
“The initial grant process will inform the design of future funding
streams that will deliver valuable services to those who need them
most.”
But Gilbert is still in the dark about what’s available to her and whether it’s in Nova Scotia.
She feels a national inquiry would help.
“We should be able to tell the government how they tried to colonize
us, break us, take our language, keep us away from our communities,” she
says.
“This is important for this generation – the ‘60s Scoop – to be able
to say, ‘Hey, we need this healing in order to break what has come
behind us and [so] it doesn’t come [back] in the future.”
Sexual violence is a far too common thing throughout Native communities. According to the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence,
Native Americans are 2.5 times more likely to experience sexual
violence in their lifetime. As we know, this may be even higher due to
the lack of reporting common in Native communities. Sexual violence is
any type of sexual activity done without consent. We often don't know when someone is struggling with something. Sexual violence is no exception.
If you believe someone you know and love has experienced sexual violence, here are some warning signs:
Pulling out of their favorite activities or hobbies
Your relative may be showing little or no interest in their favorite activities.
Small signs of loss of trust
Your relative might stop trusting you or your family members with small or large things.
Isolation
You
may notice that your loved one is absent or turning down more
invitations. They may have secluded themselves in their homes or
workplaces or finding reasons to spend more time alone or with very few
people.
Signs of depression or energy fatigue
Your relative may be starting to show signs of depression. This
can include changes in appetite and weight, conversations that include
hopelessness or lack of outlook on life, and either uncontrollable
emotions or numbing of emotions.
Loss of interest in conversations or seeming spaced out
Your
relative might be experiencing zone out or feelings of disconnection
while in the middle of a conversation. This could look like slow
responses to questions, looks of lost in thoughts or slower speech when
talking.
Seeming to be uncomfortable when talking about sex or topics related to sex
This
can be a little hard to detect if you don't already know how
comfortable someone is with talking about the topic of sex. But if you
see a dramatic change in the comfortability of one's expression and
opinions of sex this could be a sign of sexual violence.
If your partner has a change in interest in sex or being touched
If
you are concerned that your partner may have experienced sexual
violence, one warning sign may be that they no longer show interest in
sex and pull away when you try to approach or touch them. The main
component here is that they seem to have lost trust or interest in
sexual touch, but not necessarily in your relationship.
While not every sexual assault or rape leaves physical injuries, here are a few to look out for:
●Bruising
●Vaginal or anal bleeding
●Broken or dislocated bones
●Difficulty walking
It
can be difficult to talk with someone who has experienced something as
traumatic as sexual violence. But as a relative, your support can mean a
lot to a victim-survivor. StrongHearts Native Helpline is here to chat
about ways that you can support a relative experiencing the effects of
sexual violence.
Call or text 1-844-7NATIVE or chat here on strongheartshelpline.org,
advocates are available 24/7 for free, safe and confidential support.
If you would like more information about how you can help someone in an
unhealthy or abusive relationship visit our Help a Friend or Relative page.
Pope Francis is expected to visit at least three cities during a late July trip to Canada, CBC News has learned.
Sources
involved in the planning of the trip say the Pope will likely make
stops in Edmonton, Quebec City and Iqaluit during what is scheduled to
be about a four-day trip to the country. CBC News is not identifying the
confidential sources because they were not authorized to speak
publicly.
The religious organizations that operated the schools — the Anglican Church of Canada, Presbyterian Church in Canada, United Church of Canada, Jesuits of English Canada and some Catholic groups — in 2015 expressed regret for the “well-documented” abuses. The Catholic Church has never offered an official apology, something that Trudeau and others have repeatedly called for.
no arrests?
Almost 7000 bodies found and not one member of the church has been arrested. The names are out there. The church must be held accountable. #NeverForget#EveryChildMatters
— Wambli Ska Wicasa 🦅🪶 (@LakotaWambli) August 30, 2021
Crime Scene
The Justice Department is protecting the names of many perpetrators of abuse of Indigenous children. We need a special independent prosecutor who can force the government and church to turn over the documents. There can be no reconciliation without justice.@MumilaaqQaqqaqpic.twitter.com/5TL6OxKM5O
— Charlie Angus NDP (@CharlieAngusNDP) July 8, 2021
This is a map of every residential "school" site in Canada.
Veronica, we adult adoptees are thinking of you today and every day. We will be here when you need us. Your journey in the adopted life has begun, nothing can revoke that now, the damage cannot be undone. Be courageous, you have what no adoptee before you has had; a strong group of adult adoptees who know your story, who are behind you and will always be so.
Did you know?
lakota.cc/16I9p4D
Did you know?
New York’s 4o-year battle for OBC access ended when on January 15 2020, OBCs were opened to all New York adoptees upon request without restriction. In only three days, over 3,600 adoptees filed for their record of birth. The bill that unsealed records was passed 196-12.
Diane Tells His Name
where were you adopted?
Lost Birds on Al Jazeera Fault Lines
click to read and listen about Trace, Diane, Julie and Suzie
ADOPTION TRUTH
As the single largest unregulated industry in the United States, adoption is viewed as a benevolent action that results in the formation of “forever families.” The truth is that it is a very lucrative business with a known sales pitch. With profits last estimated at over $1.44 billion dollars a year, mothers who consider adoption for their babies need to be very aware that all of this promotion clouds the facts and only though independent research can they get an accurate account of what life might be like for both them and their child after signing the adoption paperwork.
Original Birth Certificate Map in the USA
Why tribes do not recommend the DNA swab
Rebecca Tallbear entitled: “DNA, Blood, and Racializing the Tribe”, bearing out what I only inferred:
Detailed discussion of the Bering Strait theory and other scientific theories about the population of the modern-day Americas is beyond the scope of this essay. However, it should be noted that Indian people have expressed suspicion that DNA analysis is a tool that scientists will use to support theories about the origins of tribal people that contradict tribal oral histories and origin stories. Perhaps more important,the alternative origin stories of scientists are seen as intending to weaken tribal land and other legal claims (and even diminish a history of colonialism?) that are supported in U.S. federal and tribal law. As genetic evidence has already been used to resolve land conflicts in Asian and Eastern European countries, this is not an unfounded fear.
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