Please note, this letter is graphic. Please read with care.
Editor:
We Canadians owe a debt to every single one of our Indigenous citizens for what we did to them in residential schools. The fact that we may gain forgiveness by taking the time and making the effort to truly understand and honour their truths is a testament to their cultures.
From 1998 through 2000, I participated in a healing arts program to become certified to help people with, among other dire conditions, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Of the 20 students, approximately 14 were Indigenous women who came from all areas of B.C. Their intention was to learn how to return to their communities to help survivors of residential schools, their children and grandchildren deeply affected by their grandparents’ and parents’ PTSD.
As a Caucasian woman who had PTSD myself from a different type of trauma, I found myself wanting to scream from the rooftops about the horrific harms done to Indigenous children (now my fellow adult classmates) in the residential schools. I heard, firsthand, in one-on-one sharing sessions, of the vile stripping of their identities –– never allowed to speak their own languages; never allowed to connect with their siblings; their beautiful hair mercilessly cut off; forced to wear uniforms that had no relationship to their culture.
But far worse were the moments when my Indigenous partner and I were sitting together in a state of deep trust, and I heard about the severe abuse. Children were beaten regularly. They were locked in closets and rooms. They were raped. They were denied food. They were belittled and criticized constantly. They were tortured. Many died and disappeared.
I am utterly and completely ashamed that I knew nothing about residential schools when I was growing up and as an adult Canadian. It really wasn’t until I had a Metis therapist that I first heard these truths.
I am livid to think, for one minute, that there are those among us who deny the damage done to Indigenous communities by residential schools. Please thoroughly inform yourself about the need for truth and reconciliation and behave accordingly.
Judy McLarty
Gibsons
