Kamloops residential school survivors look back on a turbulent year | Native Residential Schools

The recurring nightmares that tormented the Chief of the First Nation ofUpper Nicola Harvey McLeod since the discovery ended in the fall, when he dreamed of a young girl from boarding school telling him that she had finally arrived home.

Harvey McLeod, 68, spent two years at the Kamloops Indian residential school. He interpreted this dream as a sign that he could make peace with the past.

” It was both difficult and wonderful. »

Percy Casper, a 73-year-old Bonaparte First Nation member, spent 10 years at the school. He says he must have found strength in himself, after the announcement of the discovery of the remains. He felt like he was going through a trauma all over again and felt angry.

When I heard the news about the remains of the […] children, it’s as if the rubber band had been pulled too far. I was exhausted and ready to bursthe recalls.

To cope, he turned to traditional Aboriginal ceremonies to achieve spiritual healing. Also a Vietnam War veteran, Percy Casper found inner peace following a summer solstice ceremony near Cache CreekBritish Columbia.

It was up to me to accomplish this inner spiritual journey. It was up to me to heal myself. I have children, I have grandchildrenhe thought.

Two survivors embrace, in June 2021, after testifying about their experience at the Kamloops Indian residential school.

Photo: The Canadian Press/Darryl Dyck

79-year-old Mike Arnouse spent 11 years at the Kamloops Indian residential school. The past year has allowed this First Nation member toAdams Lake to renew its commitment to live in harmony with the earth.

There is a cycle of life. We belong to this cycle. The birds know what to do. Mammals know what to do. The fish know what to do. But do we know?he asks himself.

Back to childhood

Nicole Schabus, an expert in Indigenous and environmental law at the University Thompson Riversin Kamloops, says upset residential school survivors called her within hours of news of the discovery of the children’s remains, in May 2021.

Survivors returned to when they were children, reawakening intergenerational traumashe points out.

She says that many have told her that they dreamed of lonely little boys.

It took them a while to realize they were dreaming of themselvesshe concludes.

The Kamloops Indian Residential School operated from 1890 to 1969. The federal government took over the facility from the Catholic Church, and it was used as a day school until it closed in 1978.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission recorded at least 51 deaths in this boarding school from 1915 to 1963. Already in 1918, health officials believed that the residents were malnourished, it noted in its 4,000-page report published in 2015.

According to the report, more than 4100 indigenous children have lost their lives due to various neglects in such residential schools in Canada.

A ceremony will be held Monday in Kamloops to mark the first anniversary of the discovery.

Harvey McLeod believes that the discovery of unmarked graves has forced individuals, institutions and the country as a whole to come to terms with the past. It’s gonna take time, but it’s gonna change us all one way or anotherhe believes.