Teacher Tanya Rafuse’s Grade 12 ‘Challenge and Change’ students chose to commemorate the deaths of the children at the Fort Alexander Indian Residential School in Manitoba. Students applied not only their talent, but their hearts and spirits as they created tiny masterpieces — painted tiles that will one day be offered to former students who were victimized by that IRS. Elder and Indian Residential School survivor, Terry McKay, spoke bluntly about the inter-generational trauma resulting from the Residential school experience that has affected so many communities, yet he also gave voice to the beauty of his people, the contributions to Canada that they made and are making, and the land that he still calls “home” (coastal British Columbia).
Most of Ms. Rafuse’s students chose social justice actions that involved signing petitions and/or writing letters to members of parliament regarding human rights issues: access to clean drinking water, Shannen’s Dream (safe, clean, and comfortable schools), and missing and/or murdered Indigenous women.
The pattern of human rights abuses ‘settled-in’, as Cairine Wilson Secondary School students in Ottawa, under the guidance of teacher Malia Robin, made the links between the historical Indian Residential School abuses in Canada, and present-day abuses against Indigenous peoples — violations that human rights instruments such as the Canadian Charter of Human Rights the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People were designed to prevent.
As students decorated tiles to commemorate the lives of the students at the Red Deer Industrial School in Alberta, they were shocked to learn of Canada’s historic and contemporary complicity in human rights abuses. Invited IRS survivor, Terry McKay, (Suu Wii Lax Ha–Tsimshian for ‘Another Great Storm’) gave first-hand evidence of the abusive behaviour he endured after attending three different Indian Residential Schools. Continue reading →
Aboriginal students who lost their lives while attending the Alexandra Industrial School for Girls in Toronto are not lost to memory any longer, thanks to the efforts of Toronto District School Board Native Studies teacher Amanda Conkie.
Conkie was determined to insure that her students were made aware of the IRS history in their own city. Alexandra Industrial School had such poor records kept, that the Department of Indian Affairs doesn’t even know what year the school closed its doors!
A huge ‘meegwetch’ goes out to Amanda, who worked through the Project of Heart module until its conclusion. Elder and Indian Residential School survivor Cliff Standingready was invited to the school to conduct the ceremony to cleanse the 316 tiles, and insure that the memory of these girls was not lost to time.
Well done students of Sir Robert L. Borden B.T. I. – and Amanda Conkie!
Above is the Project of Heart slideshow capturing images from the June 20th “Roll with the Declaration” Day of Action in downtown Ottawa.
Project of Heart, its supporters, and hundreds of others from across Canada came together with Kairos to give a collective call to the Government of Canada to put word into action, and begin the process of implementing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The CBC’s Meagan Fitzpatrick filed an excellent report (seeOttawa urged to uphold aboriginal pledge) on this vital gesture of reconciliation for Canadians.
Click here to see Project of Heart’s endorsement of this event.
In April 2011 Ottawa teacher Alanna Bell and students in her Native Studies class from Notre Dame High School participated in Project of Heart. Eighteen students decorated 450 tiles, half the current student population of Notre Dame, the percentage of students that would have perished if Notre Dame would have been Round Lake Indian Residential School in Saskatchewan at the height of the assimilation period. It is the students of this IRS that students commemorated in their first gesture of reconciliation to the survivors and their families. Here’s how Alanna describes what happened:
Prior to this project, Notre Dame students were not aware of the either the residential school system, or the impact that the schools had, and are still having, on Aboriginal peoples and their communities. The students were excited to decorate the tiles and pay respect to all these young people who had lost their lives.
As part of the social justice action component of the project, Notre Dame students took to the streets and joined the lead of Lady Evelyn Alternative School by participating in Shannen’s Dream Day of Action on Parliament Hill. Each participant wrote a letter to their local Member of Parliament, expressing their deep concerns for First Nations children across Canada. Their message was loud and clear…”safe and comfy schools, equitable education, for ALL Canadian students”.
As a culminating activity, Bell’s class welcomed Christopher Herodier Snowboy. “It was an emotional re-telling of many of the difficult and painful events he endured at the school.” Chris’s sang “Child of Innocence”, a reflection of his own experiences while at St. Phillip’s IRS on James Bay.
Reflecting on the day, Bell concluded “Project of Heart was a touching, educational experience for all my students. They knew they were participating in something so much bigger than themselves. When it was over, they also knew, in a way that books couldn’t portray, the impact of the IRS system on so many lives.”
These inspiring notes were sent to us by teacher Shelley Diamond from the Durham Board of Education:
I was introduced to this wonderful project by another Native Studies teacher in my Board. I have incorporated it in two different Native Arts classes– both classes enjoyed painting the tiles very much. Both groups were incensed and distraught when they learned of Residential Schools and our country’s complicity in it. I know it opened their eyes and hearts as well as their minds.
I am doing Project of Heart this term, and my group is quite small- only nine, but they are REALLY into learning about things and they decided to take on a social action issue involving a young boy, Charlie Hunter, who drowned at 13, while attending I.R.S. and was buried hundreds of kilometres from his isolated, northern reservation. The Canadian Government refused to pay to ship his body home.
My students learned of this sad tale through the Elder who blessed our tiles- Cliff Standingready. They decided we could fundraise and send money to help, so we made crafts together. Star readers were also moved, and enough money has been raised to finally get Charlie “home”! His family has set up a Trust Account in Charlie’s name. I contacted them, and had an email back from Charlie’s sister, who assured me we could still donate to the fund.
My students sold crafts at several lunch hours and at an “Artfest” night at my school. We still had a lot left, so I have arranged for us to have a table at the local Metis Festival , happening at the end of June, here in Oshawa. We are having a celebration get-together and have invited our Elder, Cliff, to join us. It is a happy way to end the year and a positive contribution to society by its next group of leaders!
Since this letter from Shelley, she has let us at Project of Heart know that organizers of the Metis Festival in her area were “thrilled” about the students raising money for their event, as well as for the Charlie Hunter memorial. As Shelley states, “she wanted us to be sure to let people know Metis also were part of the IRS experience, and that’s why many went “underground” – not declaring heritage, for fear of losing their children!”
Thank you Shelley for making Project of Heart come alive in the hearts and minds of students, as well as for the family members of Charlie Hunter. Though governments refuse to help with this memorial, ordinary Canadians still can. If readers would like to donate, they can do so using these details:
The National Residential Schools Survivors Society
Terry Fox Public School in Ajax Ontario, held its first Aboriginal History Day on Friday, June 17, 2011. Teacher Guy Brushey was inspired to develop this initiative after attending a Project of Heart workshop at the May 4 Spirit Calling Us to Share – Durham Aboriginal Education Symposium.
Terry Fox PS decorated tiles in honour of the students who did not survive their experience at Fort Frances IRS in northern Ontario. Guy worked with several teachers, Nikki Soliman, Wendy Van Kempen and Mae Ramphal, to plan the day of Aboriginal awareness for the school. Students from grades 4 – 8 gathered in the school’s gym during the first two periods to learn about the Indian Residential School system in Canada. Mr. Brushey presented some factual information before the school’s STAR group sang a Welcome Song. Students then heard from Mr. Norman Kelly, brother to Terry Fox teacher Nikki Soliman, member of the Onigaming First Nation, and a survivor of the Fort Frances IRS. He shared some of his personal experiences and talked about the intergenerational effects the IRS has had on Aboriginal families and communities.
Classes then returned to their homerooms to decorate the Project of Heart tiles. Students returned to the gym in the afternoon to hear from local Lakota Elder and residential school survivor Cliff Standingready. After speaking to the audience about his IRS experiences and the importance of their participation in the Project of Heart, Cliff honoured the tiles with a smudging ceremony. Students from JK – gr. 8 stayed outdoors after recess to see a demonstration of Pow Wow style dancing. Many students accepted the invitation to participate in a Friendship Dance, perfect end to an incredible day.
Indigenous Elders, Indian Residential School Survivors, Metis Fiddlers and First Nations and Inuit Singers and Drummers — they were all part of the program at Ottawa’s Immaculata High School Aboriginal Student Conference, organized by Immaculata teacher Debbie Tracy and the Learning Partner for Aboriginal Education for the Ottawa Catholic School Board, Carolyn Brambles.
Participants from Project of Heart, Kairos, and the Legacy of Hope Foundation joined Aboriginal knowledge-holders to conduct workshops on topics ranging from the Indian Residential Schools, 500 years of colonization, Aboriginal cultural traditions, and how to actively participate in all the singing, the dancing, and the drumming!
Project of Heart participants decorated tiles in memory of the students who lost their lives as a result of attending St. Phillip’s Indian Residential School on Fort George Island, James Bay. Particularly poignant was the fact that IRS survivor Chris Herodier Snowboy, who addressed the grade 7 and 8 students at the conference, actually attended St. Phillip’s IRS and attested to the crimes committed against the children first hand.
Social activism to address Canada’s contemporary acts of colonization were the order of the day. Petitions to the Federal Government circulated, urging Canada to implement the UN Declaration defending Indigenous Rights. Students watched in amazement as the Shannen’s Dream video graphically told the story of one young woman’s heroic struggle to bring to light the consequences of Federal underfunding of the education of First Nations children.
On May 4th, Project of Heart was invited to attend a joint effort by the Durham District School Board and the Durham Catholic District School Board to the 4th annual Aboriginal Symposium aptly called “Spirit Calling Us to Share”, at the Education Centre in Whitby Ontario.
The morning keynote was provided by author David Bouchard, author of The Drum Calls Softly, I am Raven, The Song Within My Heart, The Great Race, and Voices from the Wild. Many of the workshops focused on resource kits developed this year by teachers, that support the infusion of Aboriginal Education in the classroom in all divisions.
Of special note for the morning’s activities, was a workshop by local Port Perry teacher, Nancy Hamer-Strahl titled “The 10 most significant Crossroads in Aboriginal History”. The Aboriginal resource kit Hamer-Strahl developed is based on Jan Beaver’s book of the same name, and includes a variety of activities, assessment pieces, slide shows, and media links. Teachers were alive with excitement as Nancy lead them through fun-filled, action-packed exercises, sure not to be forgotten. Continue reading →
On April 27th, Project of Heart took part in a student-led day of action on Parliament Hill to encourage the federal government to stay true to its promise to build a new school in the northern community of Attawapiskat and all First Nations communities lacking adequate educational facilities for their children.
The day began with a refreshments in the Lady Evelyn Public Alternative School, where guests from Attawapiskat — including Shannen Koustachin’s parents, Jenny Nakogee and Andrew Koustachi – were warmly welcomed by the staff of Lady Evelyn. Joining Jenny and Andrew were Grand Chief Terry Waboose, Chelsea Edwards, and four students from Attawapikat. Also in attendance was Charlie Angus, MP for Timmins-James Bay, Cindy Blackstock, executive director for the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society, Eric Chen from Ontario Student Trustee’s Association, and Project of Heart participants from the Native Studies class of Lester B. Pearson Catholic High School in Ottawa.
Enthusiasm built as Charlie Angus and the students sang “Diamonds in the Snow” (see video above) a tribute to Shannen and her dream, as they marched out of the school and onto the street.
On the way to the Hill, students from Immaculata Catholic High School joined the march, as did a bus-load of First Nations students from Kitigan Zibi Reserve near Maniwaki, Quebec. All in all, about 300 youth marched to Parliament Hill where they presented Paul Dewar with their letters to the government, urging action be taken to give the students of Attawapiskat a new school, and to fix the many other run-down schools on reserves across Canada.
Project of Heart participants from the Ottawa schools of Summit Alternative, Notre Dame Catholic High School, Glebe Collegiate, and Fisher Park were also there to tell the Government to build high schools so students don’t have to leave their families and their communities, like Shannen did, to get what every other youth like them, in Canada, takes for granted–an education.
First Nations youth as well as non-Aboriginal youth spoke from the podium. Chief Gilbert Whiteduck from the Kitigan Zibi First Nation lauded the youth, as he spoke of the importance of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginals working together for a fair deal. Ann Hawkins from the Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association, and Paul Dewar both iterated the responsibility of the Federal Government to end the discrimination against First Nations youth.
Below is Project of Heart participant, Tara Wilson’s letter to Prime Minister Harper, which she read on Parliament Hill:
Dear Government of Canada,
On behalf of the First Nations children of Canada suffering from inequitable funding, I am writing this letter to remind you that your lack of funding for a new school in Attawapiskat is shameful and it’s a social injustice that will no longer be tolerated. We are no longer asking, but we are demanding that the treaty right to education of the children of Attawapiskat be recognized and implemented immediately. An apology is also in order.
A 13-year old girl shouldn’t have to write to a letter explaining to the Government of Canada that inequitable funding for First Nations education programs is in direct violation of Articles 1, 2, and 26 of The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Section 15 of The Charter of Rights and Freedoms, Article 14 (2) of United Nations Declaration on the right of Indigenous peoples, and the Convention on the rights of the Child. Not to mention that it is discriminatory and wrong. The Government of Canada has been ripping off the people of First Nations communities for far too long and it is time for you own up to what was rightfully promised to the children
You also should not be arguing with the government of Ontario regarding funding. The Federal Government and the Provincial government should both be funding what is freely given to children off reserve. You wouldn’t make your children suffer this way, so why inflict it on First Nations children? If you were truly apologetic for the oppression that First Nations children went through in residential schools, then why are you inflicting the same oppression on First Nations children today through inequitable funding?
It is a sad and shameful day when children are telling the leaders of our country what is right and wrong; they have voiced their opinion and taken a stand. There is no denying that First Nations children want and deserve a change. Build the children of Attawapiskat a school and close the funding gap between Children on and off-reserves.
Sincerely,
Tara Wilson,
Grade 8, Ottawa Ontario
Summit Alternative School
For more about the devastating impact on underfunding of First Nations children on reserves, see this Ottawa Citizen report:
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