Sixty-two Indigenous cultural items previously held in Vatican museums and vaults for a century are being repatriated to Canada. Cynthia Wesley-Esquimaux, Chair on Truth and Reconciliation at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ont., explains why she’s ‘a bit conflicted’ about the return of these cultural belongings.
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Showing posts with label #TRC. Show all posts
Showing posts with label #TRC. Show all posts
Monday, December 8, 2025
Monday, April 28, 2025
We weren't supposed to be here anymore
my photo
B.C. First Nation takes overdose battle to UN
Members of the Tsilhqot'in Nation were at the United Nations headquarters in New York City on Thursday calling for the British Columbia and Canadian governments to help expand support services in the battle against the toxic drug crisis.
Chief Francis Laceese said the crisis is a "continuation" of threats Indigenous Peoples have faced in the form of residential schools and the smallpox epidemic that devastated Indigenous communities in B.C. in the early 1860s.
"We weren't supposed to be here anymore. The drug crisis is a continuation of this threat to our survival," Laceese said of Canada's residential schools, which separated more than 150,000 Indigenous children from their families.
"I think the government has to intervene, especially the Canadian government and British Columbia, to help us with this crisis," he said.
There had been a meeting recently with B.C. officials to discuss the crisis and impending closure of a four-bed detox centre in Williams Lake, he noted.
Thursday's news conference, which the U.N. says was sponsored by Canada's permanent mission to the world body, came one year after the Tsilhqot'in National Government declared a local state of emergency following a spike in deaths from toxic drug poisoning in its six member nations in central B.C.
"I think the statistics will show how many people have passed just in our community or at the nation level, B.C. level," said Laceese, the chief of Tl'esqox First Nation and vice chief of the Tsilhqot'in National Government.
Asked about harm-reduction measures such as overdose prevention sites and B.C.’s program that provides prescription alternatives to toxic illicit drugs, the executive director of the Tsilhqot'in National Government said access is a challenge because of the remote nature of many communities.
“We don’t have a lot of those,” Jenny Philbrick said of harm-reduction services. “We’re looking for total wraparound services moving forward for our people.”
The First Nations Health Authority released data this month showing 427 members of First Nations in B.C. died of a toxic drug overdose last year.
It marked a 6.8 per cent decrease from 2023, but the death rate was still an average of 6.7 times higher than other residents of the province.
The health authority's chief medical officer, Dr. Nel Wieman, said that represents "the largest gap" between First Nations members and others since B.C. declared a public health emergency over toxic drugs in 2016.
The Tsilhqot'in Nation said last April when it declared the local state of emergency that toxic drugs, combined with the historical and ongoing harms of colonialism, were contributing to higher rates of overdose deaths among Indigenous Peoples.
The statement called on "all ministries and agencies to work together to end this loss of lives" and pointed to a lack of treatment facilities.
Chief Roger William with the Tsilhqot'in National Government told Thursday's press conference that they need help to address the crisis "in our own way," in part through culturally centred programming
"On-the land treatment processes. Supportive recovery through equine therapy. Funding to support our culture and language," he said.
He said Tsilhqot'in members often face racism and discrimination in health-care settings, such as hospital emergency rooms, and they need provincial and federal help to improve access to treatment and recovery services.
William said expanding supportive housing is also a key part of the fight against the toxic drug crisis. The basic needs of Tsilhqot'in members must be met in order to stop their "people from falling into using drugs," he said.
He said there had been some progress working with government.
"We're saying that it's not enough" to address the crisis, he said.
William noted his nation is not the only First Nation in B.C. grappling with the crisis, and others have also declared states of local emergency.
"(We) want to find space for all First Nations to come together and talk about solutions," he said.
Sierra William, a member of the Xeni Gwet'in community where Roger William serves as chief, also took part in Thursday's press conference.
She said smallpox, residential schools and the Sixties Scoop — during which children were taken from their homes and adopted by predominantly non-Indigenous families — had all led to trauma in Indigenous communities.
Canada's Truth and Reconciliation Commission outlined a decade ago what must happen to improve the well-being of Indigenous Peoples, she said.
"If the calls to action were to be realized, some of our people wouldn't have a reason to turn to drugs," she said.
William said for her, self care doesn't mean taking a bubble bath.
"Self care for us is doing things to connect us to our culture, to our ways of life. The exact things (that) were taken away from us through colonization."
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission had called for sustainable funding for existing and new healing centres to address the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual harms caused by residential schools, William noted.
The commission, which was tasked with researching Canada's residential school system, found the institutions were rife with abuse.
The commission estimated 6,000 children died in the schools, the last of which closed in 1996, though experts have said the actual death toll could be much higher.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 24, 2025.
Friday, September 27, 2024
September 30 | ORANGE SHIRT DAY #TRC
Experts available to comment ahead of National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
Topics include Indigenous health, preservation of culture and languages, Indigenous history and Indigenous knowledge
Thursday, October 5, 2023
Residential school, Sixties Scoop survivors reflect on National #TRC DAY
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'A mixed-emotion day': Day of Reflection honours Sixties Scoop victims
The day included
drumming, singing, round dancing, and smudging, among other Indigenous
ceremonies. (Source: Zach Kitchen, CTV News)
As Manitobans marked the third National Day for Truth and
Reconciliation, an event in Winnipeg's North End remembered Residential
School victims and those affected by the Sixties Scoop.
The Day of Reflection, Sacred Fire and Gathering took place at St. John's Park Saturday afternoon, jointly organized by the Anish Corporation, Manito Ahbee Festival, and 60s Scoop Legacy of Canada.
The day included drumming, singing, round dancing, and smudging, among other Indigenous ceremonies.
"We wanted to provide a space where people could come and learn a little bit about Indigenous culture, but also be mindful that today is kind of a mixed-emotion day for Indigenous people who have been affected by Residential Schools and the Sixties Scoop and day schools," said Katherine Strongwind director of the 60s Scoop Legacy of Canada.
Beginning in the late 1950s through the 1980s, the Canadian government enacted a series of policies allowing Indigenous children to be "scooped" from their families and then adopted into white homes.
Strongwind said Canada's Indigenous peoples have been through a lot of tragedy. "It's important to remember that we're still here, our culture is still alive," she said.
Orange-clad families gathered at the park to enjoy free entertainment and food, and to learn about Indigenous culture through tipi teachings.
Members of the White Horse Ranch in South Dakota brought "Sunka Wakan," or sacred horses to the event.
"They're often the lead for our walks and our events, and so it was really important to have them here so that we could honour the horses today," Strongwind said.
More information about the Sixties Scoop can be found online(opens in a new tab).
How one Sixties Scoop survivor fought for an apology — and won
As a child, Adam North Peigan was taken from his family and placed in a non-Indigenous household. In recognition of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, North Peigan joined Edmonton AM to share his family’s story, and how he fought for an official apology — and won.
Wednesday, September 27, 2023
Windsor City Hall to light up orange #TRC #OrangeShirtDay
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| Shoes left at Assumption Church on July 9, 2021 (Photo courtesy of the University of Windsor) |
Windsor City Hall to light up orange for National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
"Orange Shirt Day and National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is a
challenging time for so many," said Mayor Drew Dilkens. "It provides the
opportunity for all of us to honour First Nations, Inuit, and Metis
survivors, their families and communities."
Orange Shirt Day honours the story of Phyllis (Jack) Webstad, a residential school survivor, who wore a bright orange shirt on her first day of school. The shirt was a gift from her grandmother. It was taken from the six-year-old but became a symbol of remembrance for all Indigenous children who were forced to attend the schools where Indigenous language and culture were repressed, and many suffered abuse.
The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is a call to action for all levels of government, institutions and Canadians to consider how the Indigenous were and continue to be treated in Canada. It came out of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which chronicled the experiences of residential school survivors.
READ: https://londonnewstoday.ca/windsor/news/2023/09/20/windsor-city-hall-to-light-up-orange-for-national-day-for-truth-and-reconciliation
Saturday, September 16, 2023
Seven Generations Haunted by Île-à-la-Crosse School
ICT
This story is published as part of the Global Indigenous Affairs Desk, an Indigenous-led collaboration between Grist, High Country News, ICT, Mongabay, and Native News Online.
NEW YORK — Seven generations of Métis, Dene and Cree children were taken from their communities and placed into a Catholic-run, government-funded residential school in Île-à-la-Crosse, Saskatchewan that is located in northern Canada. However, the survivors were left out of the country's reckoning with residential schools known globally as the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada.
Métis elder, Antoinette LaFleur, 80, is haunted by the 10 years she spent at Île-à-la-Crosse. She was taken to the school at five-years-old and left as a teenager. During those years, LaFleaur didn’t leave the residential school to visit home. As her siblings started getting sent to the residential school she didn’t even recognize them.
“I never used to go home. Ten years I was in there, 10 years,” LaFleur said during a side event at the United Nations headquarters in April.
LaFleur is part of a class action lawsuit against Canada and
Saskatchewan. During the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s
investigations, the criteria for which institutions qualified was
narrow, leaving out schools like Île-à-la-Crosse, said vice-president of
Métis Nation Saskatchewan, Michelle LeClair, that represents some
80,000. This is because the school was supposedly run by Saskatchewan,
not the federal government. Although Saskatewan officials deny the school was owned or funded by the provincial government.
KEEP READING: https://ictnews.org/news/left-out-of-truth-and-reconciliation
Tuesday, September 12, 2023
September 30 Orange Shirt Day #TRC
September 30 is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
September 11, 2023
September 30 is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in Canada. It is a time to recognize and commemorate the intergenerational harm that residential schools caused to Indigenous families and communities, and to honour those who have been affected by this injustice.
We urge our members, staff and allies to take this opportunity to learn about, and reflect on, our past and how we can meaningfully participate in reconciliation in Canada.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission and its Calls to Action
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission ran from 2008 to 2015, providing those directly or indirectly affected by the legacy of the Indian Residential Schools policy with an opportunity to share their stories and experiences. The Commission released its final report detailing 94 calls to action. The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation responds to Call to Action 80 from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action, which reads:
80. We call upon the federal government, in collaboration with Aboriginal peoples, to establish, as a statutory holiday, a National Day for Truth and Reconciliation to honour Survivors, their families, and communities, and ensure that public commemoration of the history and legacy of residential schools remains a vital component of the reconciliation process.
The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation (NCTR) has become the permanent archive for the statements, documents and other materials the Commission gathered, and its library and collections are the foundation for ongoing learning and research.
Our 2023 National Day for Truth and Reconciliation artwork was created by Anishinaabe Onyota’a:ka artist, Tsista Kennedy (https://hotdogwaterart.com/.)
When I first read the theme of "healing and care", as well as the theme of "remembering the children" being worked into this art, the image of this first draft immediately came to mind.
The bison is a common image I use in my artwork, and I often use it to portray healing, resiliency, and strength, and wellness. When the buffalo were brought to near extinction, we as Indigenous people struggled due to our diverse relationships with these animals, and the nourishment, shelter, and tools they provided us. Since colonization began, both the bison and we as Indigenous people have maintained our strength and resiliency, and now we both are growing in numbers once again. Because of this, I wanted the bison to be a place for the past generations, the children and elders, to rest upon.
The elder and children on the bison fit the theme of "remembering the children", but also represent the children and elders of the present day who will pass on and receive the traditional knowledge our ancestors succeeded in passing down to us. The individuals on the far right looking at these children and the elder represent those that support the children and the elders in any way they can, ensuring that they are doing their part in the passing down of our culture, wellbeing, and way of life. This is all connected by a medicine wheel, and some floral patterns in the top right corner, which to me represents new life, and continuity.
Tsista Kennedy, Anishinaabe Onyota’a:ka artist
Orange Shirt Day
Orange Shirt Day is a legacy of the St. Joseph Mission (SJM) Residential School (1891-1981) Commemoration Project and Reunion events that took place in Williams Lake, BC, Canada, in May 2013. The events were designed to commemorate the residential school experience, to witness and honour the healing journey of the survivors and their families, and to commit to the ongoing process of reconciliation.
Each year on September 30, people across Canada wear orange shirts to raise awareness of, and start a conversation around, the history and legacies of the residential school system in Canada. Watch the video at right to learn more about how Orange Shirt Day came to be and to listen to Phyllis Webstad's story.
Wednesday, September 6, 2023
Vermont Truth and Reconciliation Commission holds first public meeting
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MONTPELIER, Vt. (WCAX) - Vermont’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission held its first public meeting Tuesday evening.
The state-funded commission was created in March to document how state laws and policies have discriminated against marginalized communities.
The goal is to seek ways to repair harm caused by the state.
A little over 25 members of the public attended the virtual meeting.
Commissioners introduced their new staff, and set out the goals for the meeting.
“We can all think of a different world where everybody is included, everybody feels safe and can be there best selves,” Melody Machin, a Truth and Reconciliation Commissioner said. ”And in order to do that, they have to address what’s come before that hasn’t been very conducive to that environment.”
Tuesday evening marked the first of its monthly meetings generating ideas about reconciliation.
Tuesday, August 29, 2023
60s Scoop film: Birth of a Family
United Way film screening focuses on tragic stories of Sixties Scoop
The film, called Birth of a Family, is screening is Sept. 26
Stock photoNEWS RELEASE
UNITED WAY SIMCOE-MUSKOKA
**********************
United Way Simcoe Muskoka will be screening the award-winning film Birth of a Family at the Midland Cultural Centre on September 26, 2023, as part of the 2023 Real2Reel Film Festival. The local charity is partnering with the Barrie Area Native Advisory Circle and Mamaway Wiidokdaadwin to host the evening in recognition of Truth and Reconciliation Week.
“They say that there can be no reconciliation without truth,” said Brian Shelley, United Way Chief Executive and Philanthropy Officer. “It is important to create space for those with lived experiences to share their stories so that we can begin to move forward with reconciliation in a good way.”
In this deeply moving feature-length documentary, three sisters and a brother meet for the first time. Removed from their young Dene mother during the infamous Sixties Scoop, they were separated as infants and adopted into families across North America. Betty Ann, Esther, Rosalie, and Ben were only four of the 20,000+ Indigenous Canadian children taken from their families between 1955 and 1985, to be either adopted into white families or live in foster care. As the four siblings piece together their shared history, their connection deepens, and their family begins to take shape.
Following the film, Barrie Area Native Advisory Circle’s Heather McIntyre will moderate a panel discussion to further explore the impact of the Sixties Scoop.
United Way Simcoe Muskoka’s Real2Reel Film Festival is sponsored by the RBC Foundation and aims to reduce stigma and raise awareness of complex community issues. Net proceeds raised through this event will support the United Way’s funding of the Wiijinokiiwag project delivered in partnership between CMHA and the Barrie Area Native Advisory Circle.
When: September 26, 2023 – 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.
Where: The Midland Cultural Centre, 333 King St, Midland, ONTARIO L4R 3M7
Who: This event is open to the public. Tickets are $7.53
More Information: https://uwsimcoemuskoka.ca/
This film contains material of a sensitive nature, including the
Sixties Scoop, that may be triggering for some individuals. Please take
part as you feel comfortable.
Tuesday, June 6, 2023
Our Stories Heal – Ginoojimomin Apii Dibaajimoyang [Recording]
The full recording can be found here.
In 2021, Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland announced the Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative. This initiative, which includes gathering records from the boarding school era, and compiling an official list of boarding school sites, makes visible on a national scale the intergenerational impact federal Indian board schools have had on tribal communities. Currently, there are five schools in the state of Michigan that were identified from the federal investigation process (Holy Childhood Boarding School, Baraga Chippewa Boarding and Day School (Holy Name), Mount Pleasant Indian Industrial Boarding School, Mackinac Mission School, and Catholic Otchippewa Boarding School). This is not an extensive list of all the other entities, schools, and programs that operated in Michigan through the Indian Civilization Act of 1819.
The Native Justice Coalition’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) was launched in July 2022. It seeks to expand its reach to strengthen relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people in an effort to seek the truth behind the Indian boarding school policies and corresponding actions taken by the government and church. Through this work, the NJC provides safe, supportive, and culturally competent spaces that offer opportunities for healing and uniting our Native communities on this journey. Our goals are to create an Indigenous-led process that is grounded in mutual respect, culturally sensitive, and focused on meeting clearly defined, jointly agreed upon metrics. Our key four priorities are truth and reconciliation, healing our people and our communities, strengthening ICWA and ensuring a cultural identity for our children, and building a strong ecosystem through investment in the Native Justice Coalition.
Without support from community partners such as the Indigenous Law & Policy Center, Native American Institute, and American Indian and Indigenous Studies at Michigan State University, this work would not be possible. This one-day symposium honors that work on a local scale, providing Michigan State University, and the greater Lansing community an opportunity to learn about the intergenerational trauma caused by federal Indian boarding school policies. Attendees will hear first-hand accounts from boarding school survivors and others who can provide the legal, social, and historical context of the Indian boarding schools. By joining together in community to share stories and voices, the symposium provides a space for knowledge and healing.
Wednesday, April 12, 2023
Vermont #TRC starting from scratch
Ed. Note: Maine has its own TRC - more states to follow, we hope. Trace
Vermont now has a Truth and Reconciliation Commission. 'It’s a huge task.'
Elodie Reed /Vermont Public
A state-funded effort has begun to document how Vermont state laws and policies have discriminated against marginalized communities, including people with disabilities, Black people, Indigenous people, other people of color and people of French Canadian heritage.
It came out of legislation passed last year that created a Truth and Reconciliation Commission to seek ways to repair harm caused by the state of Vermont.
In
a press conference, a selection panel announced the
commissioners who will lead the effort over the next three years as
full-time state employees:
- Mia Schultz, president of the Rutland-Area NAACP
- Melody Walker Mackin, an artist, educator, member of the Vermont Commission on Native American Affairs and citizen of the state-recognized Elnu tribe
- Patrick Standen, professor at St. Michael’s College and leader in Vermont’s disability community
The new commissioners stressed their roles include making policy recommendations, as well as hearing experiences of communities who suffered injustices.
“We know this is not about what has just happened in the past,” Schultz said. “This is about how that past continues and is perpetuated in our present, and how we’ll learn from it, and eradicate it in our future.”
They’ll have an annual budget of almost $750,000, and will hire an executive director and other researchers.
“First, we're tasked with starting an office — there’s nothing like this that’s been done before,” Schultz said. “We are starting from scratch.”
"It's a huge task," Melody Walker Mackin said.
A commission with more limited scope was created in Maine to document the state's child welfare practice with Wabanaki people, and Burlington City Council created a Reparations Task Force in 2020, but the new commissioners said they're not familiar with any mandate that's so broad in scope.
"While it may look overwhelming, it's essential that all voices by heard," Standen said. "The resources that are provided by the state at this point seem to be ample and welcomed."
Thursday, February 9, 2023
60s Scoop, #TRC, Racism Apology, Day Scholars and more (Canada)
Residential school, day school and Sixties Scoop survivors gather at conference
There were many emotional moments as residential school survivors gathered in Winnipeg this week. Around 1,700 people took part in Wa-Say Healing Centre’s conference.
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The Physicians College of Manitoba apologizes for current and past racism against Indigenous peoples
It also said that pledging to end racism would not be enough.“Recognizing racism in itself will neither be spontaneous nor easy. We are committed to working with Indigenous healers, scholars, elders and knowledge bearers, as well as the legal and ethical requirements to provide respect, dignity and equitable health care for Indigenous Will ask and intend to guide you along.”
Four months after the apology, Indigenous leaders and politicians signed a declaration calling for an end to anti-Indigenous racism in northern Manitoba’s health care system.
The College of Practitioners Regulating Manitoba begins work in 2021 to address the call to action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. The apology is one action the college is taking as a result of those discussions, the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs said in a statement released late Tuesday.
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In photos: Pow Wows across Treaty #3 and Treaty #1 territories
“The pow wow is a living cultural expression of song, dance, and art which brings people together, and through the drum, reminds us of our connection to Mother Earth. […] pow wows are a time to put differences aside and to celebrate traditions, mostly it is the time to celebrate life. A pow wow strengthens an entire race of people. To be Anishinabe is to be proud, to know who you are, and where you came from.” – Harold Flett
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Only 13 T&R Calls to Action achieved over seven years: report - rabble.ca
2023 marks the eighth year since the Truth and Reconciliation Commission released a list of 94 Calls to Action.**
Canada’s $2.8 billion settlement with Indigenous "Day Scholars" is a long time coming
Eleven years. That’s how long it took the federal government to agree with 325 First Nations over the collective loss of language and culture suffered by Day Scholars in the Residential School system in Canada that existed between the mid 1800s until 1996.
Day scholars attended a Residential School during the day but didn’t sleep there overnight.
While Day Scholars settled an individual compensation package for just $10,000 each earlier in 2022, this new agreement is specifically aimed at rectifying the systematic and forced removal of language and culture through these institutions.
Left out of original agreement
In 2012, members of the Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc and shíshálh Nation led by Shane Gottfriedson and Garry Feschuk launched a national class-action lawsuit for Day Scholars who were left out of the original Indian Residential School (IRS) Settlement Agreement (2006).
Wednesday, October 26, 2022
Monday, October 3, 2022
BONE COLLECTORS: 6.7 million Indigenous objects and human remains held in Canada museums #TRC
Canadian Museums Association Urges Repatriation of Indigenous Objects
The report estimates that 6.7 million Indigenous objects and human
remains continue to be held in Canadian institutions, most of which do
not have formal repatriation policies.
A major new report released on Tuesday, September 27 by the Canadian Museums Association (CMA) calls for greater support and funding for Indigenous organizations and museums as they pursue Indigenous “self-determination” at all levels of governance.
The CMA estimates that 6.7 million Indigenous objects and human remains
continue to be held in Canadian museums, with approximately 94% of them
held in eight institutions. The report finds that few museums have
formal repatriation policies and that even fewer of them are publicly
accessible. Currently, only one province, Alberta, has repatriation
legislation. The report also finds that although many museums showcase
Indigenous-related programming and say they value Indigenous engagement,
Indigenous curators and staff members are underrepresented, suggesting
that Indigenous professionals are often slotted into advisory roles.
The report, entitled “Moved to Action: Activating UNDRIP in Canadian Museums,” was commissioned as part of the nation’s response to Call to Action 67, one of 94 calls to action issued in 2015 by the country’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC). The TRC was established to reckon with Canada’s history of Indian residential schools, which forcibly separated Indigenous children from their communities for purposes of assimilation.
Friday, September 30, 2022
TIFF: ‘Bones of Crows’ conveys so much pain… and joy in spite of it
TIFF ’22 Review
A scene from 'Bones of Crows' courtesy of TIFF
‘Bones of Crows’ is an emotional account of the intergenerational trauma caused by the Canadian residential school system.
The Canadian history taught in school is a whitewashed version of the truth, omitting much of the country’s sordid relations with its Indigenous populations, which have continued to have negative effects to this day. The last few years have brought appalling revelations that had been covered up and ignored for so long. After years of silence and denial, the government formed The Truth and Reconciliation Commission, providing an avenue for those directly and indirectly affected by the legacy of the Indian Residential Schools system to share their stories and experiences. Bones of Crows is a fictional account of one woman’s life before, during and after being forcibly placed in the system.
Born in the 1920s to a large and happy family, Aline Spears (Grace Dove) and her three siblings were taken from their parents under threat of prison and sent to residential schools. There, they were subjected to horrific physical, emotional and sexual abuse at the hands of the priests and nuns who oversaw their education. As a teen, Aline enlists in the military, where she meets her husband, Adam (Phillip Lewitski), and is eventually recruited for a special operation that uses Cree to transmit secret messages during World War II. After the war, they return to Canada to raise their children. But she is haunted by the years of cruelty she endured, only finally able to confront her abusers in her ‘80s.
There are news stories, a day of reflection and professional sensitivity training, but they don’t capture the impact and scars of this institution of abuse as well as a film is able. The narrative does an exceptional job interweaving so many experiences, traumas and repercussions into a single movie. It highlights the anguish of families forcibly separated, in many cases permanently; the degradation spewed by the clergy who view their charges as less than human; the punishment for any miniscule attempt to maintain the culture and language the schools were meant to eradicate; the widespread abuse and intentional neglect as superiors boast about keeping the children in a state of malnutrition during their own feasts; the countless deaths due to disease and mistreatment; the sexual assaults that steal their innocence and fill their nightmares; the substance abuse to hide from the pain of their memories; the suicides when the hurt becomes too much; and so much more. It also touches upon the numerous unsolved deaths and disappearances of Indigenous women and girls in Canada.
Nevertheless, it’s also a story of joy, strength and triumph, both fleeting and lifelong. As a child, Aline enjoyed sing-alongs and family meals. She and Adam shared a lot of love, which produced equally loved children who grow up to have successful careers and their own children. Aline engages her love of music by playing the piano and passes the skill on to her granddaughter. One must savour the good through the bad and the movie strives to capture both, revelling in the joys and not cowering from the sorrows. This is the story of one family, but it represents the tale of thousands of Indigenous people across the country, giving voice and audience to their lived experiences.
Bones of Crows had its world premiere in the Discovery programme at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Wednesday, September 28, 2022
Sunday, June 19, 2022
First Wolastoqey nation in Canada to ratify its own Child and Family Well-Being Act
Tobique First Nation Adopts Dedicated Child Welfare Act
Moncton, NB, Canada / 91.9 The Bend |Aaron Sousa | Jun 16, 2022
Wolastoqewiyik Neqotkuk (Tobique First Nation) made history on June 8 after becoming the first Wolastoqey nation in the country to ratify its own Child and Family Well-Being Act.
Similar to the federal government’s C-92, also known as the Act respecting First Nations, Inuit and Métis children, youth and families, it empowers Indigenous communities to take jurisdiction over child and family services.
Neqotkuk First Nation Chief Ross Perley said this is a historic step towards self-determination, adding that it will ensure kids and their families can stay healthy, achieve their dreams and celebrate their culture while living at home.
“We have talked for a long time about making our laws and taking control over child welfare for our community, our families,” said Perley in a news release.
“The Neqotkuk Child and Family Well-Being Act makes this goal a reality.”
The Wolastoqey nation noted this was a recommendation by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to help address the ongoing legacy of Residential Schools and Indian Day Schools.
The new Neqotkuk Child and Family Well-Being Act introduces the following changes:
- Recognizes the rights of the child
- Exercises inherent right to make laws governing child welfare amongst Neqotkukiyik
- Establishes Neqotkuk jurisdiction and definition of the best interest of the child
- Unifies families through a proactive prevention-based child and family well-being model
- Builds service models representative of Wolastoqiyik Neqotkuk
- Replaces the Province of New Brunswick’s authority over child welfare matters in Neqotkuk
Neqotkuk First Nation has operated a child welfare agency, the Tobique Child and Family Services Agency Inc., since 1985, delivering services designed by federal and provincial governments.
The act will also allow the agency to design child welfare services.
“The New Brunswick Social Development department has been a solid and reliable partner and we look forward to working productively with them to implement this law and establish its support through provincial institutions,” said Perley.
Tuesday, May 31, 2022
Burial sites found at 53 Native American boarding schools | More Headlines
May 11, 2022 REUTERS
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May 11 (Reuters) - A U.S. government investigation into the dark history
of Native American boarding schools has found "marked or unmarked
burial sites" at 53 of them, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said on
Wednesday, May 11, 2022.
'IDENTITY ALTERATION'
Researchers examined government records and spoke to Native Americans to prepare the report. The results detail a history dating to at least 1801, when the first such schools opened, and one in which education was used as a weapon.
Native American affairs, including education, were a War Department responsibility until 1849 and the military remained involved even after civilians took over, the report noted.
The schools were described as resembling military academies in their regimentation and strictness and emphasizing vocational skills. Police were called on to force families to send their children to the schools. Food was denied to families as another way to force them to surrender their children.
"These conditions included militarized and identity alteration methodologies - on kids!" said Bryan Newland, the assistant secretary for Indian Affairs at the Interior Department, who heads the investigation.
Conditions at former Indian boarding schools gained global attention last year when tribal leaders in Canada announced the discovery of the unmarked graves of 215 children at the site of the former Kamloops residential school for indigenous children, as such institutions are known in Canada.
Unlike the United States, Canada carried out a full investigation into its schools via a Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
The U.S. government has never acknowledged how many children attended such schools, how many children died or went missing from them or even how many schools existed.
The report released on Wednesday included recommendations for funding programs to preserve the Native American languages the schools tried to stamp out, and establishing a federal memorial.
**
At least 500 Native American children died while being forced to attend federal ... He said this means protecting the Indian Child Welfare Act, ...
Report: Christians May Have Helped Run Half of Native American Boarding Schools
... times more than the number of schools documented in Canada's residential school system by that country's Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
**
Travelling exhibit shows legacy of 'Sixties Scoop' - Cranbrook Daily Townsman
Exhibit telling the history of the “Sixties Scoop” and its survivors was on display at the Cranbrook History Centre May 11.
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