My Kokum (Grandmother), affectionately and sometimes ironically nicknamed “Dream”, is a spirited, hilariously witty, and tenacious woman. She is the ultimate matriarch, always ready to listen, offer advice and forgive. She is a mother, grandmother and great-grandmother who enjoys sewing, crafting, reading, singing and cooking as much as her arthritis allows her to. She sometimes chooses ambitious recipes that require unique ingredients, much to my Moshom’s (Grandfather’s) frustration. She once sent him on a wild goose chase (or should I say a wild cheese chase) for an obscure cheese that isn’t really sold in Red Deer.
My Kokum is also a survivor of the Blue Quills Residential School.
Blue Quills was first established in 1891 by Roman Catholic missionaries and began operating as a residential school in 1931. I will not discuss what happened at this institution, but I encourage you to find accounts from survivors of the residential school system and listen to them. These stories are difficult to hear, but knowing the truth is an essential step toward reconciliation. In 1970, discussions regarding closing the residential school began. When the Indigenous community learned about this, activists, my Câpân (Great-Grandmother) amongst them, organized a sit-in and for 17 days they occupied the school seeking control of operations. This brave group refused to relent until Jean Chrétien, then Minister of Indian Affairs, signed an agreement establishing Indigenous control of the school. Blue Quills became the first Indigenous owned and governed educational institution in Canada.
Blue Quills is now “University nuhelot’įne thaiyots’į nistameyimâkanak Blue Quills” and operates “to advance and protect iyiniw pimatisiwin ekwa iyiniw mamitoneyicikan (indigenous forms of life and thinking) through teaching, research, and community service, guided by the natural laws of the nehiyawak (Cree people), and grounded in nehiyawewin (Cree language)” . An institution that housed so much hatred for Indigeneity was transformed into a place that celebrates and seeks to protect Indigenous culture.
I can’t even begin to speculate about the impact of that sit-in and the resulting transformation of Blue Quills. To take back such a significant part of what was stolen from the Nations and transform it into a place of positivity and growth, and maybe even healing, was a powerful thing.
My Kokum’s experiences at residential school are part of her story, but it’s vital to remember that her story is much, much more than that. The harm that this country perpetrated against her is the truth, but the way she carried on with love, forgiveness and courage is also the truth. The hideous history of the residential school system in Canada is the truth, but the way the Nations have continued with love, joy and power is also the truth. True reconciliation in this country can also someday be the truth.
National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is a day reserved to honour the Survivors of residential schools as well as those children who did not survive. It is a day to remember the friends, families and communities who lost their precious children, always keeping in mind that so many of the ones who did return home remained lost forever. Truth and Reconciliation Day means all of this to me and more.
It’s a reminder to me about how powerful we, as a collective, are and how that power can be used to destroy or to create. I hope that as you contemplate what Truth and Reconciliation means to you, you will take a moment to think about my Dream and the Dreams who are part of your community. Also please remember the thousands of little Dreams who didn’t survive. Please acknowledge that the Truth isn’t some relic of our collective past. Truth is a living, breathing, and painful thing firmly existing in our present. Finally, remember that in the process of reconciliation we all have the power to build a better country nation-to-nation with the stories of our Dreams to guide us.
Savana Luk is an Articling Student with Donna Purcell QC Law. She is also a proud member of the Frog Lake First Nation. If you have legal questions, please contact Savana at [email protected].
