673;
Good morning to you my friend, I trust that other than this sobering topic we're discussing that you're reasonably well and your finger is getting better.
As you know about me, I have no FN ancestry that I'm aware of, I shall attempt to articulate this as carefully as possible.
I'll begin by saying that my thoughts and prayers are with all the folks attempting to deal with this, both FN and non FN as it's going to be a heart wrenching experience in all probability.
I have immediate family who lived in FN communities in 3 provinces during their careers - which were school teacher and RN. The RN portion meant she was the only medical practitioner in town most times. The doctor had to fly in and since it was always in the north, weather sometimes prevented that. The time span they were involved would have been about 1970 to 1990 more or less.
All that to say they went so far as to learn enough Chippewa dialect to converse a tad and lived in Dene, Cree and Tahltan FN communities.
Some of the FN communities were "dry" and some not.
When we visited the different FN communities - sometimes for extended periods of time, ie: an entire summer in Black Lake, SK, I got to know a few of the FN folks and saw them interact with my family enough to understand they had a mutual respect for each other.
That's all to say then 673, that the opinions of those family members on some of the social and community issues taking place carry more weight with me than for instance someone who was not ever there, you know? Since you've got direct involvement through family, you definitely are someone I'll choose to listen carefully to on the matter for sure.
A few years back I worked with a chap who passed way too young, but who's wife was FN and adopted into a non FN family during the infamous 60's Scoop. She told me that she felt her adopted parents had saved her life - full stop.
None of this defends taking children away from their communities ever 673, but you and I both understand how incredibly broken some of the communities were at that time.
I can still vividly see this as I type..... I was shocked to my very core....
It's Boxing Day 1977 at Cumberland House, SK. For reasons that I can't entirely recall, I wanted to get out of the house and away from family, so I gassed up my Arctic Cat 340 Jag and began to explore the community.
At that time, there was a Metis community and a FN Cree Federal Reserve beside it. When I sledded onto the Federal Reserve it was akin to crossing into a war zone - it was day and night - I cannot describe it differently.
It's -38° as I pass a house that has all manner of broken vehicles and stuff out front. The front window of what we'd call the living room is broken out and there's a baby standing in a diaper crying. It's -38°!!!
I'm 15, I don't know what to do.... I still don't know if I did the right thing, but I turned the sled around, went home and told my family. I want to say they called the RCMP, but that's lost on me now.
I still choke up when I type that.. That didn't happen in "my" Canada, you know?
So then what does that have to do with bodies near a former residential school? That's a valid question for sure.
My thoughts are only that first we need to determine who the people were and return them to their families with as much dignity as possible.
We need to attempt to ascertain the cause of death if that's possible.
That school in Kamloops was open from 1890 to 1969 I believe it was, so it would have been running during the time of the Spanish Influenza - but I have no clue as to how badly it affected Kamloops. I read that some communities in Canada had death rates of 1 in 6, but it might well have been much less in Kamloops.
I agree with your statement that we need to determine how those circumstances came to happen and then all sides need to take steps to ensure it's never, ever repeated.
Lastly 673, I am truly sorry that the FN residential school had a personal effect on you and your family sir, that I can say without question.
All the best.
Dwayne
Last edited by BC30cal; 06/02/21. Reason: better wording - maybe???
