This moment we find ourselves in is one for reflection, for caring, and for support. The most recent events and subsequent media attention of the discovery of young Indigenous lives cut short and placed in unmarked graves at the Kamloops Indian Residential School, St. Eugene’s Mission School, and Marieval Indian Residential School is very sad, shocking and tragic.
We prepare our hearts and minds as we know these recent findings are only the beginning of what will be a long and painful process for so many. It is a traumatic reminder of the callous disregard that both organized religion and the state had for the welfare and wellbeing of Indigenous children.
Both the Indian Residential School survivors and the Sixties Scoop survivors share the same suffering – the deliberate attempt at destroying Indigenous culture, language and pride by denying our right to live our lives with our Indigenous families in our Indigenous communities. As the infamous Duncan Campbell Scott stated on the record in explaining his rationale for suggesting amendments to the Indian Act that would remove Indigenous children from their families:
“I want to get rid of the Indian problem. I do not think, as a matter of fact, that the country ought to continuously protect a class of people who are able to stand alone. . . .
Our objective is to continue until there is not a single Indian in Canada that has not been absorbed into the body politic and there is no Indian question, and no Indian Department…”
As fellow Survivors, we understand the impacts of horrific treatments endured by so many as a result of those policies and also the intergenerational trauma which has followed.
This discovery of lost Indigenous children is a painful trigger in our families and communities, and we mourn with all of you.
We urge you to check on your family, to come together in a safe way and share your grief with others. If you require further emotional support or assistance, please reach out for help: Indian Residential School Survivors Society toll-free number: 1 (800) 721-0066 - or 24hr Crisis Line 1 (866) 925-4419.
As the Board of Directors for the National Sixties Scoop Healing Foundation, we have felt the sense of urgency in the need for healing and support programs, and that is now more evident than ever. In the next few weeks, our new website will be operational, and we invite you to check in soon for important background information and updates on what the Board has been doing as we have met virtually over the past few months.
Respectfully,
Wayne Garnons-Williams, Chair, National Sixties Scoop Healing Foundation