The axe forgets, But the tree remembers
Residential School survivors and Indigenous educators are taking back authority over their own histories.
"They don't turn their backs to the enemy" Dancers perform in a sign of cultural pride and resilience Image Credit: Jaiden Lam Photo credit: Jaiden Lam
Shirley Hunter, committee lead for the “Truth First” curriculum initiative, spoke to an audience of professors, students and survivors at an event hosted by Kihew Waciston, MacEwan University’s Indigenous Center, the morning of this year’s Truth and Reconciliation Day.
It was there that she announced that MacEwan would aim to establish a Residential School education program to wrestle back survivors’ own history.
“The truth of residential schools cannot just live in our textbooks. It lives in the bodies and memories of those who survived them,” said Hunter
She expressed growing concern at the increase of Residential School denialism, and spoke about a time that there would not be survivors to give first-hand testimony.
Why is it important to provide education about Residential Schools?
“There’s a notion that Canadians benevolently created the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), but it required a court order brought about by the efforts of survivors,” said Anne Stevenson, a city councilor.
“It took me a long time to realize my family and I were part of the colonial project, the unknowing complicity is hard to reckon with for my father’s generation.”
Guest speaker Dr. Verna St. Denis said that the culture of Canadians has played a major role in distorting history and averting accountability for Residential Schools and their legacy.
“Canada has a long history of denialism, going back to the government sabotaging Indigenous farmers to frame them as a backwards people. Promoting a culture of impunity and idea that victims are inferior rationalizes denialism and the genocide itself,” she said.
“The inclination of governments, media, and the public to acknowledge the extent of the damage without recognizing the purpose and source of the violence reinforces denier’s beliefs in white supremacy and re-victimizes survivors.”
Hunter heavily emphasized in her speech that “truth first” means survivor and Indigenous scholar-led education, saying it’s a necessary step to preserve their legacy as well as confront myths and disinformation.
“Education about residential schools must come from Indigenous scholars and survivors. The fact that some of our participants apologized for not knowing their own language speaks to what was taken from them. That is why this work matters” she said.
Dancers perform in a sign of cultural pride and resilience
Video Credit: Jaiden Lam
