Truth and reconciliation holiday a chance to untangle unexamined family ties

OTTAWA—The current sense of national shame began on May 28 with the media reports of some 200 unmarked graves discovered on the grounds of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School in British Columbia. The majority of those bodies are believed to be those of Indigenous students attending the facility. Then, in rapid succession, came the reported findings of more unmarked graves at four other former residential schools: Brandon, Man., Marieval, Sask., Cranbrook, B.C., and Kuper Island, B.C. The largest single discovery was at Marieval, with an estimated 751 graves, putting the collective total at just under 1,400. There are presently 21 investigations underway in search of additional unmarked graves at former residential schools. It is estimated the number could climb to 4,100 bodies. The implementation of the residential school system dates back to its authorization by then prime minister Sir John A. Macdonald on July 1, 1883. Macdonald's stated goal was to isolate Indigenous children from their families and to cut all ties they had to their culture. In hindsight, this practice has been widely denounced as a form of cultural genocide. These graveyard discoveries suddenly put an entirely new spin on things, and Canadians were shocked to discover this sad chapter in our nation’s history. The public outpouring of emotion was immediate with demonstrators wearing orange and carrying signs proclaiming “All lives matter.” In many towns and cities across Canada, statues of Macdonald were either vandalized or toppled. As early as June, the Trudeau Liberals ordered flags to be flown at half-mast in recognition of this historical tragedy. To date they remain there, as no one quite knows what would be a suitable marker signifying that we have paid proper respect to the victims. Some have suggested that the new Sept. 30 National Day for Truth and Reconciliation federal statutory holiday would be that occasion. For me, these revelations of systemic Indigenous abuse actually caused me, for the first time, to further research my own familial roots. Growing up in Toronto, I knew that my maternal grandmother Pauline was a Mohawk born on the Six Nations of the Grand Reserve near Brantford, Ont. Our family also knew that Pauline had left the reserve in 1930 at the age of 16, soon after married my grandfather—a Scotsman—and by doing so, she cut all ties with her Mohawk roots. By marrying a “non-Indian” she legally lost her status as an “Indian.” Given the current attention on this subject, I now know that under the terms of the 1885 Indian Act, it would have been mandatory for Pauline to attend the Mohawk Residential Institute at Brantford until the age of 16. This particular school was notorious for its abuse of students. The food quality was substandard and the school was nicknamed the “Mush Hole” by attendees. Students who “escaped” were placed in a purpose-built prison in the school’s basement. Described as essentially a dark closet, students would be kept in there for days at a time. Shock treatment for the infraction of bed wetting and the close-cropped hair for males and females led to the students being referred to as “Mush Hole baldies.” In 1985, under Canada’s new Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the previous law was changed, allowing those Indigenous women married to “non-Indians” to reclaim their status. However, by that juncture, Pauline was 71 years old and had been cut off from the reserve for 55 years. As a result, not only myself, but my sister and our cousins were never connected to our Indigenous relatives. That is going to change. Through my maternal aunts and uncles, I am starting to assemble the genesis of a family tree and I plan to reach out to Pauline’s extended family on this first ever National Day for Truth and Reconciliation holiday. The National Indian Residential School Crisis Hotline can be reached at 1-866-925-4419. Scott Taylor is the editor and publisher of Esprit de Corps magazine. The Hill Times