First I want to acknowledge that I live on the UNCEDED TERRITORIES of the
Tsleil-Waututh Nation Squamish Nation Musqueam
The UNCEDED TERRITORIES of Tsleil-Waututh Nation, Squamish Nation, Musqueam is what has become know as Vancouver.
I acknowledge that have led a privileged life compared to my gr. grandma's grandma and my gr. gr. grandma and so many others of Indigenous Ancestry. I know that my gr. grandma's grandma attended a convent school in the Oregon,
"Probably not many women in the history of the west coast of North America could rival her, when it comes to generations of grandchildren. (my gr. grandma's grandma)Mary Ann was born at Marysville (Corvallis) in the Willamette Valley of Oregon in 1834. Her parents were of Iroquois and Kalapuya blood; she was raised to age 15 at the Catholic Mission at St. Paul."
Early documents in our possession read “… I was married there to Joseph Brulé, a French Canadian and went to Cowlitz and later to Victoria, British Columbia. Lived there till he died and had six children by him … only two are living now, (my gr. grandma's mom)Ellen and Cecile. Two years after my husband died, I married Jean Baptist Vautrin, a Canadian … by Mr Vautrin I had nine children …
Ellen, the daughter Mary Ann(my gr. grandma) mentions above, married Joseph Poirier, a voyageur from Quebec (the man for whom Ecolé Poirier is named) and raised a large family, in a cabin by the Sooke River and later a home on Grant Road. ”
(source- http://www.bclocalnews.com/community/303481881.html?mobile=true)
and I know that my gr. gr. grandma was Songhees (Theresa Eliza) married a Portuguese settler (Joao Ignacio d'Almada- name changed to John Enos) and lost all her rights and privilege to land and anything else. Her child, my great grandpa Joseph Enos was spared residential school because he was part Portuguese. Due to these events, my life could have been very different and I am blessed it wasn't, but it doesn't make it easier to know truth.
It is to horrible to imagine but it happened in the place that everyone loves to call "their home", "their Canada". Indian Agents came and stole children and forced them into schools, often far away from home where their parents could not help. If they tried THEY were send to jail. Stop and imagine IF that was YOUR child. They tortured many of children physically, mentally and sexually. It was warfare. Crimes against humanity.
But time passed and people just went about their business and they taught and told other untruths and so nothing was learned. Many many people never knew the truth. Many people today who are in their 50's & 60's never knew anything about it, still don't or simply refuse to acknowledge the what actually occurred or the legacy left behind.
An evil legacy which is
- huge numbers of children in the Foster/Welfare system and
- many Indigenous people incarcerated,
- drug addiction caused by TRAUMA from the Residential schools and their legacy.
Sadly people would rather blame people than to acknowledge the ugly history of this so called Canada.
The time has come, it's out there, the truth, the knowledge, the way to learn and to heal. Please if you do not know, educate yourself. Take the bag off your head and WAKE UP! Stop saying hurtful evil things like I saw in the comments on some of these posts.
Imagine if "you" were one of those children. Imagine your life today if you are the child or a grandchildren of one of those children. THINK, put yourself in their shoes.
For those of you that understand please help and reach out to others. Challenge others.
https://tinawinterlik.blogspot.ca/2017/05/challenge-for-truth-tourism-canada150.html
Celebrating Canada day is wrong if you do not acknowledge the past and make every effort to correct the horrible wrongs done to the children and to parents.
We have so much work to do, it's hard to know where to start but everyone must do something....start with yourself.
Do it, do it for every child taken.
It is National Aboriginal History Month.
"In 2008, the federal government established the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to examine the abuse inflicted on Indigenous people through the Indian residential school system. In this clip, Senator Murray Sinclair discusses how participating in the commission impacted him."
Reading the comments is so sad, so many unempathetic people that can not grasp what really happened. It was 150 year war on children. A war on children. Right here. Right in Canada. It was evil. That evilness carried on and lives until we acknowledge the crimes against those children. Only then can we move forward.
This is why EVERY person must learn the TRUTH!
It is a ugly uncomfortable truth but nevertheless to ignore allows for ignorance and hate to grow.
The legacy of the colonialism lives on and is thriving in the pipelines, fish farms, LNG, Site C, Mount Polley, lack of housing, addictions from trauma, our health care, the education and political system. We need a complete overhaul in everyway we think.
Related Info
My Langara TRC Carving Journey
https://mylangaratrccarvingjourney.blogspot.ca/
http://www.bclocalnews.com/community/303481881.html?mobile=true
https://mylangaratrccarvingjourney.blogspot.ca/2016/11/enos-poirier-ancestry-kalapuya-iroquois.html
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| https://tinawinterlik.blogspot.ca/2017/04/we-did-it-langara-carving4reconciliatio.html |
