Students celebrate mino-pimatisiwin at truth and reconciliation event to honour residential school survivors
Over 7,000 Manitoba students hear from residential school survivors at Canada Life Centre
More than 7,000 students across Manitoba celebrated the power of mino-pimatisiwin, which means "the good life," to kick off truth and reconciliation week by acknowledging the history and resilience of residential school survivors.
Students from grades 8 to 12 listened to Indigenous speakers and performers at the Good Life Youth Empowerment Gathering held at the Canada Life Centre in Winnipeg on Wednesday to talk about Indigenous history, culture and strength.
"Mino-pimatisiwin is how our people used to thrive living in this land and mino-pimatisiwin is what the residential schools tried to take away, but they did not succeed," said Stephanie Scott, executive director of the Winnipeg-based National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation, which was established by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and continues the work started by the commission.
"We are so grateful for the strength and courage of the survivors, elders and knowledge keepers who have kept our tradition and languages alive despite all of the terrible hardships they have endured."
Scott, who is from Roseau River First Nation south of Winnipeg, said she's the daughter of a residential school survivor and herself a survivor of the Sixties Scoop, which refers to the removal of Indigenous children from their homes to be placed in foster homes or put up for adoption.
From the 1870s to the 1990s, an estimated 150,000 Indigenous children in Canada were forced to attend residential schools, where neglect and physical and sexual abuse were rampant.
Restoring the good life will not be easy or quick, Scott said, but she is grateful for young people who are enthusiastic to learn the stories, songs, dances, crafts and survival skills of Indigenous people.
The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation, which educates Canadians about residential schools and collects survivor statements, documents and materials, has a responsibility to honour the children who were taken to residential schools, those who never returned to their families, and those who never had the chance to experience what it means to live a good life again, Scott said.
Students carried a red memorial cloth inscribed with the names of 4,000 children who attended more than 140 residential schools down the aisles at the event while Ry Moran, who is Red River Métis and the founding director of the NCTR, performed a song on the piano.
Moran was among more than 15 Indigenous performers who shared their culture with the students at the event, through singing, dancing, drumming, a drag queen performance and a fashion show.
Canada's Got Talent finalist Rebecca Strong from Denesuline First Nation in Saskatchewan, who also sang at the event, told CBC she wants to encourage people to follow their dreams.
"I want the youth to take away from this event how talented Indigenous people are and seeing all these people on the stage and knowing that they can do this as well."
Students listened to three residential school survivors who shared their wisdom about living a good life with nature, communities or as a two-spirit person.
Residential school survivor Dorene Bernard was four years old when she was taken to the Shubenacadie Indian Residential School in Nova Scotia.
"Many of our survivors have found a way to live a good life," said Bernard, a Sipekne'katik First Nation community elder.
"They talk about their healing journey of finding their spirituality, their connection to Creator that helped them get through these hard times."
Bernard would like Indigenous people to reclaim their language and culture, and youth to remember that they don't have to go through hardships alone.
Laurie McDonald, a two-spirit residential school survivor from Enoch Cree Nation in Alberta, said youth have a right to seek help.
"Talk to your best friend, talk to your parents, talk to your kookums … go to a teacher, go to a trusted one, 'cause there's no need for you to sit in this world alone."
Survivor Levinia Brown, an Inuk who was born in Nunavut, was amazed by the sea of orange shirts that filled the arena.
"I wish you could bring me to your school and start all over," she told the students.
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With files from Arturo Chang and Jim Agapito