The Witness Blanket

I believe the hair from Marion and Ellen Newman can connect each and every person to their culture. He mentions that all of the children’s hair were cut upon entering the school to chop off their culture. To them hair is special as it represents strength and it is only cut when mourning, so to have it cut after being taken away from their families must have been extremely tough. Many can relate to having sacred hair and it may jog memories for many of the survivors there. It was powerful to see them perform the ceremony of cutting their hair. I know many people are attach to their hair for various reasons. I believe the Newman sisters cut their hair for their father was to show his survival and strength in Residential School and present day. It was emotional to see the Newman sisters cry, as I recently cut off 6 inches of my hair and ended up not liking the look of myself once it was cut. I am curious to find out what the branches, flowing water, and red powder signified in the ceremony. The witness blanket was created to recognize this part of history and how it still affects the survivors and their families today. The blanket shows strength along with the experiences and feelings of Residential Schools. Making Residential schools tangible is important, so we don’t forget their culture, language, and traditions.

My understanding of reconciliation prior to the movie is making amends with both cultures, in hopes of solving issues from the past and working together in the present and future. I know that Canada doesn’t do enough on this part and that the government still hides the truth away. For example, when Indigenous families needed money for mental health, but Trudeau said this was not a good time. There is a lot of “good” talk in making things better, but there is still a lot of work to do to work towards decolonization and healing. This module showed a lot of pain that many people went through which includes the anger, without their family, the abuse in schools, the hurt, the loss of traditions and identity.

After this module, I recognize that there is the opportunity for everyone to learn from the past and muster up strength, courage, and wisdom. Every one of these individuals has their own story to tell – some negative and some positive. It was interesting to hear two survivors looking at residential schools in a positive light. There was one person who was angry but then a white man helped console him and he decided that he didn’t want to call him a “white man”, just “man”. He decided he didn’t need to be angry at everyone from that race, because there are kind people who are willing to help I agree with Carey, that giving water and a good education is not enough, those are basic human rights. Everyone should have access to those and unfortunately many who live on the reserve have to travel 400-500 km to a school or clinic, which does not show reconciliation when basic needs are so far. As a country, we need to respect the land and recognize all humans who live in Canada should have access to equal rights, regardless of their status, race, ethnicity, gender, and (dis)abilities. That being said, to also recognize the struggles that many minorized groups have faced to this day. True reconciliation is the opportunity to learn from Indigenous Peoples, unlearn racism and the western version of history. I still have a lot to learn, but I am thrilled to dive into this class.

I am a first generation Chinese Canadian and I believe we all need to pay respect to those who were here before the settlers. Although my family were immigrants, I acknowledge that I still have privilege and have benefited from the land and resources that was taken about from Indigenous Peoples. I come from a culture where we respect our elders, so I want to honour all of those who were directly or indirectly affected by the Residential Schools. I bear witness because I want them to live their lives to the fullest without the government system being targeted at them to exclude and assimilate them. Indigenous peoples have been here for over 5000 thousand years before anyone else, they were living their own life with complex cultures, customs, laws, codes etc. before the concept was discussed in Europe. To bear witness, is to recognize their past and where they come from. It also means to develop a deeper understanding of the truth that many of them don’t talk about it. Canada needs to do more to give back the Indigenous Peoples what was rightfully theirs, not just saying a land acknowledgement before a presentation. When we see Aboriginal peoples concern as ours, then we can actually help instead of putting a divide between the two. We shall embrace each other and celebrate our differences to ultimately heal together.

In my classroom, I will say the land acknowledgement we created as our assignment, instead of a general one. I will carry books and other resources for students to explore and learn. Then I will invite elders to talk about their stories so my students and I can learn from them. We can go to a museum, and students can do a research project about an Indigenous artefact. We will talk about the difference between cultural appreciation and cultural appropriation and what it means to the culture. I will try my best so that the Indigenous culture is not forgotten but it is remembered and honoured. Finally, I will talk about their history, which includes the positive aspects; I won’t only talk about the negative part of their history.