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Statement gathering still goes on
One month after Truth and Reconciliation event, help still available to share storySamantha Stokell Northern News Services Published Thursday, August 4, 2011
There is a lamp, box of tissues, wooden basket, stones and flower petals as well as a video camera and her working desk. The vents are blocked, the door is closed and the window to the hallway is covered, insuring complete privacy for people sharing their experiences at residential school. One month after the national Truth and Reconciliation event in Inuvik people still have the opportunity to put what happened to them on the record and make it a part of the history of residential schools. "It's good that I'm still here," Mazhari said. "There was no way to get to everybody and there are so many stories that people have to say." Mazhari, a TRC statement gatherer working with the Gwich'in Tribal Council, will stay in Inuvik until October to make sure everyone has a chance to speak when they are ready. She will also travel to the Gwich'in communities and possibly Tuktoyaktuk to record stories from survivors in those communities. What she's heard so far is mixed messages about the national event. People felt that it didn't meet expectations or solve problems stemming from residential school, instead just brought feelings and memories up. She thinks it's good to talk about the past events, no matter how bad. "In a more oppressive environment, they would have been silenced," Mazhari said. "It's nice to have the freedom to talk about it even though everybody didn't have the chance to talk." While other communities in the territory had hearings with a commissioner, Inuvik didn't have that chance so people may not have shared their experience. John Banksland, member of the TRC's survivors committee and Inuvik resident, thinks there will be a stronger push from survivors to continue the commission and maybe even bring back formal hearings for those that didn't share at the national event. "It's not the end of it yet," Banksland said. "For the North it's sort of at a crossroads. If any survivors want to do something about their experience, they'll have to get organized. They can still get a commissioner to come back." Aside from gathering statements, another mandate for the national event is to educate non-aboriginals and non-survivors about the history and impact of residential schools. Banksland hopes that those people learned a lot during the event. "During the opening ceremonies, with my (five-year-old) grandson, I brought him up on stage and it was very hard to do. A lot of survivors out there really took it hard," he said. "Survivors know how old they were when they went to school. I did that for the benefit of non-survivors." Although the immediate effects of the TRC may seem negative to survivors, Banksland hopes that sharing their experience will start a forward movement in the development of aboriginal people. "Let's get on with life. I don't want my grandson to go through prejudices and all that our people had to go through," Banksland said. "The end effect will have a positive result. Now we need to deal with the issues and don't dwell on it." For people still considering sharing their experience, Mazhari will be in Inuvik until October and making trips to Tsiigehtchic from Aug. 8 to 12, Aklavik Aug. 22 to 26, Fort McPherson Sept. 5 to 9 and possibly Tuktoyaktuk from Sept. 19 to 23. Even people who didn't go to residential school can share their experience of being affected by it. Children or parents whose family members attended or people who went to school with the students who stayed in the hostels or workers at the residences or schools can provide a statement, as well as people who had good experiences in the schools. "We want to get the whole picture, even if it was a regular experience," Mazhari said. "Everybody who is a Canadian citizen, this is the time to share."
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