Image
Image Caption
By Shari Narine
Windspeaker Contributor
WABASCA-DESMARAIS, Alta.
Darrell Anderson would like to see the book to be launched this Friday on the residential schools in Wabasca-Desmarais become part of the curriculum for the Northland School Division-operated Mistassiniy High School and the Bigstone Cree Nation Education Authority-operated Oski Pasikoniwew Kamik School, in Wabasca-Desmarais. But he doesn’t want to stop there.
“We’re hoping that eventually every school in Alberta, and maybe down the road, who knows? It’s hard to say. I don’t have a crystal ball, but I envision that (book) being used in every classroom around the world as a sample resource. Every community is regionally specific to the area that you grew up in – every story will be different, every school will be different - but there’s a lot of commonalities to those missions,” said Anderson, who serves as community education engagement coordinator for Mistassinay and OPK schools, as well as NSD’s St. Theresa elementary school.
Kayas Ayamikamik Acimowina: Old Stories of the Mission, which includes memories from eight Elders, who attended either the Roman Catholic-run St. Martin’s Boarding School in Desmarais or the Anglican-run St. John’s Indian Residential School in Wabasca, will be launched Sept. 29 at Mistassiniy School as part of Orange Shirt Day. Anderson notes that the Elders refer to the schools as “the old mission.” The number of students attending the missions varied, but increased as the years of operation went on and some students attended as day scholars, particularly at St. John’s, he says.
The book is the work of four mentors from Mistassiniy School, led by Anderson. Over a six month period beginning in January 2017, the mentors spoke to residents in the Elders Lodge in Bigstone Cree Nation, visited homes, and had Elders visit the school.
“That youth and Elder connection is really important,” said Anderson.
The idea for the book came about through participation at WE Day in Calgary in October 2016. Hundreds of students from NSD attended the event, which focused on “changing communities from Me to We.” For Mistassiniy School mentors, it meant trying to impart a broader understanding of their home community.
“Basically it means that you’re thinking above yourself. You’re basically trying to ensure that other people get to listen to a part of our history through the form of this book by telling stories and making those stories come to life first of all through the research and then eventually turning this information into a book,” said Anderson.
The research conducted by the students was presented this past summer at the World Indigenous Peoples Conference on Education in Toronto. With 4,500 people in attendance, the Mistassiniy School mentors received a standing ovation.
An unexpected and pleasant reward that came from the conference, says Anderson, was a connection made with the Mistassini Cree Nation, in northern Quebec. An invitation went out from the Mistassini Cree Nation for a student cultural exchange between the two First Nations. Details, including funding, fundraising and number of participants are still being worked out, but Anderson hopes to see something happen next June.
Beyond the Elders’ reminiscing, Kayas Ayamikamik Acimowina: Old Stories of the Mission also includes research conducted by Anderson through the provincial archives and reading other books, including one written by late Elder Clara Yellowknee, on the area’s old missions. There are 132 photographs in the workbook-style publication, which sees 450 copies produced through FriesenPress Publishing.
“Once we have the book released this Friday, I think it’s going to be fascinating, not only for the Elders, but for the youth involved doing the research,” said Anderson, who admits he learned new things as well.
“Education is a life-long learning thing. If you can continue to learn as you go and progress … every Elder has a different story they tell from their perspective, therefore you’re always taking something out of it, right? So that makes it really fascinating for us.”
Anderson sees Kayas Ayamikamik Acimowina: Old Stories of the Mission playing an important role in healing the community.
“Yes, it is a dark portion of our history, but it has to be told in order for healing to occur, I think people have to talk about what happened and this is a start and a step forward to that healing process. And basically at the end of the day, it’ll be something that the community - the youth that were involved and the Elders - something for them to be proud of,” he said.