‘It’s an honour’: Survivor touched by Tsleil-Waututh Nation reconciliation march

Warning: This story deals with disturbing subject matter that may upset and trigger some readers. Discretion is advised.

At the age of seven, Samuel George said he began to live a life in fear.

The Squamish Nation elder was taken to day school in 1950 and moved to St. Paul’s Indian Residential School shortly afterward. He was one of the last children to attend that “ugly place,” which was torn down in 1959.

“You try to be invisible,” George recalled, standing in front of the former school grounds in an orange sweater and bear claw necklace.

“You knew if you got singled out, it would mean a slap on the head, or a slap on the wrist, or your ears pulled … it was a time of trauma”

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George is one of many residential school survivors for whom the Tsleil-Waututh Nation marched on Friday, Canada’s second National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

The walkers travelled nearly nine kilometres from the site of the former St. Paul’s Indian Residential School to their reserve in North Vancouver, and were greeted by allies and supports along the way. Last year, they made the pilgrimage in reverse.

“We are retracing the steps back that our survivors used to have to walk on a weekly basis,” explained Tsleil-Waututh Chief Jen Thomas before the march began.

“We just wanted to acknowledge what they had to go through. The walk is minor compared to what happened in the schools.”

0:54 Kamloops First Nation observe second annual Truth and Reconciliation Day

Last year, the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nations, along with the Catholic Archdiocese, launched an investigation into St. Paul’s, which operated from 1889 to 1959 as the only residential school in Metro Vancouver.

According to Tsleil-Waututh, more than 2,000 children were institutionalized there, many of whom were later relocated to the Kamloops Indian Residential School.

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Stories told by survivors of St. Paul’s include children disappearing, although public records say only 12 unidentified students died there between 1904 and 1913.

George said speaks about his experience at the institution of assimilation often as a way to help him heal. When first started sharing his story, he “choked up” every time, he added.

“When I left there in ’59, I didn’t know I was hurting and I was in pain. I did four-and-a-half years in jail because of my anger, the abuse I suffered — sexual abuse, physical, verbal, cultural,” said George.

“I had to go to treatment and join a program … I prayed a lot to the Creator to help me get here.”

4:29 Indigenous youth leaders make their voices heard on National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

Tsleil-Waututh Nation Coun. Kevin O’Neill said he marched to support elders and survivors like George, knowing that trauma can be overcome if “we stick together as one big family.”

“When we are with them we help lift them up. We lift up their spirits and it actually helps lift all of our spirits,” he explained.

“Truth and reconciliation to me is honouring the past trauma and learning from those mistakes … it’s reaching out to Indigenous communities and asking how to reconcile, what you can do for your community, your elders, your youth.”

Thomas, whose father attended St. Paul’s, said the support the community has received during the marches is proof that “living together in the world is changing.”

“Reconciliation to me is acknowledging our truths, having our stories heard, and then re-shared, and then coming together to find that path for this journey together,” she told Global News.

“We can’t do it alone. We may not see the big change that we’re hoping for in our generation but we’re making it easier for future generations.”

1:02 Semiahmoo First Nation flag has permanent home at White Rock City Hall

Meanwhile, George agrees the world is changing.

He said he’s encouraged by the sea of orange shirts he sees each Sept. 30, and enjoys giving an unexpected thumbs up to youth he passes who are wearing them. He feels humbled, he added, that so many people show their support for people like him, whom they’ve never met.

“I’m glad for days like this. It’s an honour,” George shared. “We did suffer. Many of us died in there. It was tragic. I got tired of going to funerals … but it’s all changing now.”

The elder said he has returned to his culture and enjoys dancing and drumming, along with all of the “strong ones who hung onto it.”

The Indian Residential Schools Crisis Line 1-800-721-0066 is available 24 hours a day for anyone experiencing pain or distress as a result of their residential school experience.

The Hope for Wellness Help Line offers culturally competent counselling and crisis intervention to all Indigenous Peoples experiencing trauma, distress, strong emotions and painful memories. The line can be reached anytime toll-free at 1-855-242-3310.