Anishinabek Nation honours residential school survivors

The Anishinabek Nation honoured the resilience of its citizens on March 25 with the unveiling of a monument dedicated to those impacted by residential schools.
“I really see this monument as a testament to the resilience of our people,” said Anishinabek Nation Grand Council Chief Patrick Madahbee. “We should take that collective strength that the residential school survivors have exhibited, refuse to be treated as victims and take control of our own destiny. We should look at the monument as a symbol of strength, not of victimhood. It’s also to remind visitors to our Union of Ontario Indians headquarters that residential schools are a part of their history, as well as ours, and should not be hidden.”
Madahbee noted a widespread lack of understanding about Canada’s attempts to use residential schools to forcibly assimilate First Nations children.
“We know that it has only been recently that the truth about Indian residential schools has started to be told and documented,” Madahbee said. “We also know that provincial and federal schools have limited and inconsistent curriculum on the subject.”
The monument was unveiled during a ceremony at the head office of the Union of Ontario Indians as part of the Honouring Our Children, Families, and Communities affected by Indian Residential Schools Project initiated by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
The project features a variety of educational resources documenting the history of residential schools, including a fictitious narrative picture book about a girl who attended Indian residential school available in English, French and Anishninabemowin, four videos about the Indian Residential School system and its effects on the Anishinabek Nation, survivors and their families, including one in Anishinabemowin, and information booklets about inter-generational trauma and the history of the schools as well as educational resources.