The Truth and Reconciliation Commission Wrapped Up Residential School Testimonies

After nearly four years of traveling around the country the The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) headed to Alberta National Event in Edmonton to take testimony from Native American victims of Residential Schools. All of this was wrapped up on March 30, 2014.

The TRC is a commission who’s mandate is:

• Prepare a complete historical record on the policies and operations of residential schools.
• Complete a public report including recommendations to the parties of the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement.
• Establish a national research center that will be a lasting resource about the IRS legacy.

To gather statements from Native American victims of Residential Schools:

• Provide a holistic, culturally appropriate and safe setting for former students, their families and communities in which to share their experiences with the Commission.
• Anyone affected by the residential schools experience might share his or her story by providing a written or recorded statement, in a private one-on-one interview or through a public discussion.
• Participation is voluntary and participants can choose how they want to share.

A video explanation of the commission below, along with what residential schools did to students:

The stereotype of Native American’s being alcoholics gave validity after hundreds of thousands of parents had their children taken away. A lot of the parents of the Residential School students turned to alcohol and drugs to help cope with the fact that their children were basically kidnapped from them by the Canadian government.

Students were abused in many ways: physically, emotionally and sexually. They had their culture and language literally beaten out of them by the residential school teachers.

Siblings were separated and punished for showing any affection to one another. Survivors talked of starvation, beatings and of sexual abuse. Many died of disease or unexplained causes. Some killed themselves.

“Residential schools for Aboriginal people in Canada date back to the 1870s. Over 130 residential schools were located across the country, and the last school closed in 1996. These government-funded, church-run schools were set up to eliminate parental involvement in the intellectual, cultural, and spiritual development of Aboriginal children.

During this era, more than 150,000 First Nations, Métis, and Inuit children were placed in these schools often against their parents’ wishes. Many were forbidden to speak their language and practice their own culture. While there is an estimated 80,000 former students living today, the ongoing impact of residential schools has been felt throughout generations and has contributed to social problems that continue to exist.

On June 11, 2008, the Prime Minister, on behalf of the Government of Canada, delivered a formal apology in the House of Commons to former students, their families, and communities for Canada’s role in the operation of the residential schools.”
~ SOURCE

For people to be able to tell their stories of their residential school experiences is a form of healing to them. In total the TRC has received up to 6,500 statements of testimony nation wide. At the end of June 2015 the TRC will be releasing a report on their findings and testimonies.

This commission is where people should turn if they want to dabble into the dark history of residential schools, not fraud artists like Kevin Anett who has been caught red handed lying about court cases, lying about children’s bones he’s found at the Brantford residential school , forging signatures of Native Americans, and much more.