The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is celebrated across Canada in many ways. For many, this is an opportunity to learn about the stark history that residential schools played in the lives of Indigenous peoples, how children were ripped from their families to attend schools built to assimilate the children.
Many Canadians lack this knowledge and understanding, which is why many schools are taking it upon themselves to teach the truth about why there is a day designated for Truth and Reconciliation.
Julie Buium, a teacher at Fort Qu’Appelle Elementary Community School, says reconciliation is such a big word for “little people” and that it is broken down to simply the meanings.
“I have a little PowerPoint that we organize around ‘What Is Reconciliation’ and we try to break it down so (students) can understand,” said Buium. “We talked about what reconciliation means to us and how that might be looking at the past wrongs that have happened and trying to make them better today.”
Buium said her students read stories about residential schools, the history of First Nations peoples, their families and how they connect to the land. She said the lessons did not go too in-depth with the kids, but it was enough for them to comprehend at their age.
“They understand that residential schools are a place that children were taken to try to learn English and learn the ways of the settlers … and that they were very scared and very lonely,” she said. “I take it very seriously. I think it’s really very important, but it is hard, especially that I don’t have First Nations history in my own. So, I do rely on other people to help with that teaching a little bit.”
Throughout the month of September, students at Fort Qu’Appelle Elementary School learn about the history of Treaty 4. School principal Lindy Olafson said the week leading up to Orange Shirt Day — Sept. 30 — isn’t celebratory. It’s more somber as the students and staff remember those who were lost in residential schools.
“The bigger thing is the recognition now that it’s not a once-a-year thing, that this is part of Canada (and) this is part of the history of Saskatchewan,” Olafson said. “As they go up the grades, we start getting a little bit more into kind of the nuts and bolts of… the Indian Act and some of the policies that are in place that created residential schools.”
Two Grade 7 students, Henrik Wolaniuk and Parker Bear, have been learning about Canada’s dark truths of Indigenous peoples and the residential schools.
“(We’ve learned) that the people (who) went to residential schools couldn’t go home except maybe summer and holidays,” said Wolaniuk. “And that they weren’t treated very good.”
Since learning about these topics, Wolaniuk has learned a powerful lesson that he carries.
“Treat everyone the same. Treat everyone nice and expect to be treated how you treat them,” he said.
Fort Qu’Appelle Elementary School is one of 39 schools that the Prairie Valley School Division (PVSD) oversees in central Saskatchewan.
“At the end of the day, we’re definitely trying to build citizens of Canada that are going to understand the history and respect the differentiation and inclusive perspective that Canada really is all about,” said Gordon Husband, the PVSD education director.
Husband says although education is focused on Treaties and residential schools this time of the year, students will continue to learn about Indigenous culture in other classes all year round.