Truth and Reconciliation Commission's First National Event on Indian Residential Schools

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~ Today's Speach of Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean, C.C., C.M.M., C.O.M., C.D., Governor General and Commander-in-Chief of Canada

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"Generations of Pain from Residential Schools", © 1974 Norval Morrisseau
/Click on image to Enlarge/
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It is an honour and great privilege for my husband, Jean-Daniel Lafond, and I to be here with you to mark this first step in the long journey towards truth and reconciliation, when we are taking the time to face parts of our memory so as to better move forward together.
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We are taking a journey that concerns all of us, whether we are Aboriginal or non-Aboriginal, whether our roots in this country are very deep or still very young.
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Because, as I said at the Commission’s opening ceremony - which brought together in the Rideau Hall Ballroom survivors, elders, youth and children, officials, spiritual leaders and citizens from all walks of life, under the auspices of the Thunderbird, represented in the painting by Ojibway artist Norval Morrisseau - we have all been deprived.
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In one way or another, we have all been dispossessed.
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Aboriginal peoples have been dispossessed of their languages, their cultures and their dignity, of the precious bonds between generations, the handing down of ancestral knowledge, of an ancient heritage.
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Non-Aboriginal peoples have been dispossessed of a priceless opportunity to learn through contact with these cultures and to appreciate and share the spirit, beauty and sound of these languages, dispossessed of a deep understanding of the land and of a timeless experience.
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I sincerely believe that this Commission will only succeed if we all get involved.
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This very place we have gathered is itself an invitation for us all to go meet one another, in a spirit of reciprocity.
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A “fork,” in reference to a path, is a crossroads, a meeting place.
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So it is not surprising that this magnificent place we have gathered is called “The Forks,” the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers, a traditional rallying point for Aboriginal peoples, the focus of the first permanent European settlement in Canada’s West and a welcoming place for so many immigrants.
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The presentations and exchanges of the last few days have taken place in a spirit of sharing and dialogue.
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And I would like to sincerely thank all those who have had the courage to share their story.
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Because, it is important to remember, telling the story is reliving it.
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Reliving deeply buried pain that has been awakened by memories.
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Returning to the place where the suffering took place, where it hurts the most.
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And trying to communicate this suffering to people who are unfamiliar with this pain. People who did not experience it.
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We cannot underestimate the inner strength it takes for you to share these experiences with us.
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Because, although memory is a duty, it must also be accompanied by work.
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The work of listening to, feeling and taking in the pain of others, of trying to know and attempting to understand, of reflecting and of taking action to break down the solitudes that separate us from one another, and there are a number of them in this country.
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And all this work must be done with the full knowledge that, although we cannot rewrite history, we can take action and thus avoid making the same mistakes we made in the past.
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As the discussion and sharing circles in which we took part so rightly reminded us - circles that are the foundation of Aboriginal spiritual life - healing starts with words.
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Because words are freeing, they are healing.
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Words will allow the truth to come out, to overcome the disregard and ignorance of one of the most tragic episodes in our collective history.
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Disregard and ignorance that are particularly shocking when we think that for over a century, children were torn from their families, subjected to massive deportations to residential schools, various forms of abuse and forced assimilation measures all in silence, with complete indifference, general approval, even.
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It is through words - the power of words to name, to tell - that both sides will arrive at awareness and acknowledgement of the facts, the pain and the losses.
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This awareness and acknowledgement are absolutely necessary to rise above the outrage and for all of us to work together to move forward.
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And it is through words that we will arrive at true reconciliation, if they are received with compassion, respect and responsibility.
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We have decided to focus on the brilliant promise of truth.
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And I will say it again: it is an act of courage. On all sides.
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In doing so, our eyes, our hearts and our spirits will be open to new possibilities.
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We must embrace the possibilities before us to make this country, this vast and generous land we all share, an example for all those around the world who, like us, have taken the path towards truth and reconciliation after years of oppression.
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Let us create space between us for expressions of friendship, solidarity and hope.
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We have been given the opportunity to be reborn after an overwhelming chapter in our history and to imagine how we want to live together.
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This is also an opportunity to pass down a memory to our children that they can be proud of.
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I remember my first encounter with a Canadian Aboriginal community as governor general of Canada.
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It was a visit to the Children of the Earth High School, not far from here, a school that is the complete opposite of the residential schools so many of you knew.
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The school’s mission is to maintain the traditions, cultures, languages and experiences in which identity is rooted in order to restore our youth’ pride in themselves and in their heritage.
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It is also a school that is inclusive of others, of diversity.
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A school with convincing academic results, as evidenced by its success rate.
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A school that is a sign of hope.
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A sign of hope for all of us, but especially for all future generations.
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Yes, we can change the course of history and create a future that brings us together and reflects who we are.
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This is our greatest responsibility.
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Thank you. Thank you for welcoming me so warmly.
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Thank you for sharing your stories and your life experiences with me and so many others, experiences that are a part of our collective journey.
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Life is a long and flowing river.
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Michaëlle Jean, C.C., C.M.M., C.O.M., C.D., Governor General and Commander-in-Chief of Canada
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Source: 'CANADA NEWS CENTRE' @ http://news.gc.ca
-----------(click HERE to read this article in its original context)
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Note: Norval Morrisseau himself spent four years in the St. Joseph's Roman Catholic residential boarding school in Forth William (now Thunder Bay, Ontario) from 1938 to 1941.
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>>> Reference posts:
- ART AS A MEETING PLACE,
- Residential Schools - Honoring Our Parents,
- Honouring of Norval Morrisseau by the Government of Canada!?,
- Canadian History Through the Art of Norval Morrisseau (Part I) &
- Truth and Reconciliation Commission gathers momentum at Rideau Hall.
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* The acrylic painting on canvas in this post: "Generations of Pain from Residential Schools", 48"x96", © 1974 Norval Morrisseau; Click HERE to view some other paintings which came from the same collection of Norval Morrisseau's friend Mr. Blair Debassige of M'Chigeeng, ON (Manitoulin Island); acquired from a Private Collection of Mr. Rolf Schneiders of Thunder Bay, Ontario