By Taylor MacPherson

Carlton students hear from residential school survivors

Jan 25, 2018 | 7:00 AM

Two residential school survivors spoke with students at Prince Albert’s Carlton Comprehensive High School Wednesday to conclude a special unit on reconciliation.

After studying residential schools for part of the semester, the students of Bonnie Vandale’s Alt. Ed. class heard stories from residential school survivor Maria Martin, survivor and Métis Nation of Saskatchewan President Glen McCallum, and Prince Albert Police Chief Troy Cooper. Several students also spoke about their experiences in the class and what reconciliation means to them.

Martin, who attended two residential schools in Kenora, Ont., said she was excited when she first learned she would be attending “a special school.”

“When my foster parents left, that’s when the fear set in,” Martin said. “They told me to strip and they cut my pigtails off.”

Martin said she suffered awful abuse at the school, which she hid from the world for 45 years. Her attendance at the school – the same school her own mother attended – continued a cycle of abuse, she said, which still exists to this day.

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“That abuse continued as an adult,” she said. “I can see that cycle still continuing with my grandchildren.”

Martin said she has since opened up about her own experiences, and the negative consequences they have had on her and her family. She is proud of the woman she has become, Martin said, and shared her story to help ensure future generations do not suffer in the same way.

“You’ve got to look at where you come from to understand where you’re going,” she said. “Even though it’s been a long road, they didn’t beat me. I didn’t get lost in that system.”

In his presentation, McCallum spoke about the crucial role education plays in reconciliation. Like Martin, McCallum emphasized the importance of learning from the mistakes of the past to ensure they are never repeated.

“It’s so important for you to stay here, in this class,” he said. “Get to know what happened, how people were treated … If you don’t listen, you will not learn.”

McCallum also spoke about the importance of traditional languages, which the residential schools tried to strip away from students. His own children speak traditional languages as well as English, he said, a fact of which he is very proud.

“I’m happy that I didn’t lose my language,” he said. “Never be shameful of your language.”

Grade 11 student Shyanne Lafond, McCallum’s niece, said she cried during her uncle’s presentation. She grew up learning about residential schools from her family, she said, but it is still emotional to hear about the abuses the survivors endured and the intergenerational effects.

“People started drinking more and doing drugs and abusing their children because of their past,” she said.

Lafond said for her, reconciliation is all about listening and understanding. Talking about experiences like those suffered at residential schools is difficult, she said, but is necessary for healing.

“People need to heal more, and talk about their feelings,” she said. “They need to talk and they need to know that people are there for them.”

Taylor.macpherson@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @TaylorMacP