‘We move forward with our healing’: memories shared as Assiniboia Residential School monument unveiled

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This article was published 29/09/2022 (720 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

One by one, they shared stories of loss, success, loneliness and friendship.

On Friday, dozens of survivors of the Assiniboia Residential School returned to its former site to mark the second National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Several shared their struggles with being separated from their families, as well as the joys of finding lasting friends and hobbies.

For Martina Fisher, the Winnipeg school brings back memories of feeling very much alone.

“There was… a lot of pain… I remember being so lonely and there was no way to communicate with my mom and dad,” said Fisher.

Residential schools were designed to assimilate Indigenous students, separating them from their families, communities and culture. Friday’s event was meant to help the public understand the impact of that system on the students and the generations that followed.

Fisher believes residential school students lacked the love and nurturing they could have otherwise received. She said it affected her mother, who also attended a residential school.

“My mother didn’t know how to say ‘I love you’ to us. I remember when I was a child how I wanted my mom to hug me when I needed a hug but she couldn’t.”

Jonathan Flett, who also attended Assiniboia, shared several positive memories from the high school.

“Whatever you read about residential schools, that is true to a large extent, right across the country here,” said Flett.

However, he personally enjoyed multiple sports at the school and succeeding in his education, while acknowledging others’ experiences differed from his own. He recalled opposing teams telling him they dreaded playing against Assiniboia.

“That’s true. We were pretty good, I thought… pretty much all the boys played hockey,” said Flett.

Several former students said they felt forced to tackle an unclear future far from home due to the overall residential school system. Some recalled siblings being sent to multiple schools before finally arriving at the one they would attend. Others said they were placed at the same school as their brothers and sisters but had little chance to speak with them, since boys and girls were largely separated.

Some recalled abuse at other residential schools they or their loved ones attended.

Clad in an orange sweatshirt that identified her as a residential school “thriver,” former Assiniboia student Betty Ross said the stories highlight the resilience of the survivors and may help them heal.

“There’s so much deep within the recesses of our beings… It’s healing when you share from the depths of your heart,” said Ross.

The Assiniboia graduate said a key element of reconciliation is educating others about the effects of the entire residential school system.

“Being here… listening to our stories, you’re helping us in our healing journey,” Ross told those gathered at the ceremony.

The event also marked the opening of a new commemorative monument and gathering place at the 621 Academy Rd. property.

A high school from 1958-67, and student housing from 1967-73, more than 765 students attended Assiniboia, mostly coming from rural Manitoba. The new monument and gathering place displays the names of the students on paving stones that surround a sacred fire circle. Their 85 home communities are etched on metal markers placed around the circle’s edge.

A second phase of the project is expected to add an accessible pathway, interpretive panels and new landscaping.

The theme of healing and optimism was repeated often during the Friday event, which included the lighting of a sacred fire, music and drumming.

“I hope these words reach a long ways (toward) education. As our original people, we move forward with our healing,” said Sheldon Cote, who led a pipe ceremony.

The new commemorative site, which was initiated by the Assiniboia Residential School Legacy Group, is intended to offer a space for education and reflection, while honouring students who attended the school. While financial support is expected from the city, province and Ottawa, the group is also fundraising for the project, which is expected to cost $1.3 million.

joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @joyanne_pursaga