A Memorable National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
Paying respects to the memorial on the grounds of the former boys' residential school, Spanish Ontario
The Remembering Project was invited by the Nisoonag Partnership to attend their National Day for Truth and Reconciliation Commemoration for the children who had attended the former Jesuit-run Spanish Indian Residential School for Boys and Girls in Spanish, Ontario. Ben put out an invitation to the volunteers to accompany him on this Day. I was delighted to be able to attend along with my husband Mark. We drove from Ottawa on Sunday and the three of us settled into a cozy cabin near Espanola ready for an early rise the next day.
The Day began with a sunrise sacred fire on the levelled field of the former Boys School. It was a clear and cold morning with about 30 of us settled in around the fire. Part of the ceremony was passing the eagle feather so each of us could talk about meaningful experiences and for some, heartbreaking memories. Some of the people in the Circle were survivors of the school. Bud, the leader, and his son drummed and sang a song. We were warmly welcomed, and I felt honoured to be included. At one point, Robert, the sacred fire keeper, stood and wrapped his blanket over my shoulders in the cold. A significant gesture of welcome and friendship. We placed our tobacco on the fire, the sage burned in the smudge bowl and we were left with our own feelings of grief and sadness. After the ceremony, we put our tobacco and blueberries on the 2 memorials to the children on the site.
A hearty breakfast was served in the Marina building on the school site at the shore of Lake Huron. We carried our food to long tables and joined conversations already in progress. Ben had met with members of the Nisoonag Partnership several times and he introduced us to a few of the leaders.
Along another wall, tables displayed photo albums and binders with collected school material, including the Remembering Project’s binder of letters, photos and names of children at the school 1911-21. Larger individual photographs were displayed on easels. There was also a binder of maps, including an aerial map of the site and 2 others which showed possible areas for unmarked graves. I had an interesting conversation with a man who had been in Thunder Bay recently for a First Nations’ meeting around the technology needed for discovering unmarked graves. Active work on this is expected to begin here in the Spring.
One of the main reasons Ben had been invited to this Day was an offer to video-tape or audio-tape survivors who wished to tell their story. Three people came to us individually to tell their story of being in the School. These tapes will be part of the Archives of the School.
It was a memorable day. The conversations we had with members and leaders of the Sagamok, Serpent River and Mississauga First Nations, which form the Nisoonag Partnership, were friendly, heartwarming and informative. I had read the Library and Archives Canada files on this School and found myself remembering the issues and concerns which were so prevalent over the years. At the end of our visit, we walked to the burned-out shell of the Girls’ School and as I walked up to the entrance, I was overwhelmed with grief and horror.
Before retuning to Ottawa the following day, we drove to M’Chigeeng First Nation in central Manitoulin Island to visit the Ojibwe Cultural Foundation. This is an impressive building incorporating many aspects of Anishinaabe culture. In the middle, there are tower windows which give natural light to the central interior, there is a room off it with a sacred fire, another for arts and crafts activities, a museum, kitchen for native foods, language classes. We spent time in the arts and crafts room where Darlene, a gifted instructor, told us about the various natural sources used in creative work and then very ably directed us in a beading project. We made small keychains and came away with great respect for beautifully beaded items!
We are grateful to The Remembering Project for offering us the opportunity to learn more about Anishinaabe culture and especially the opportunity to build positive relationships with First Nations’ peoples as we go forward together, equal partners in this land called Canada. When invited, I encourage all volunteers to accompany Ben on journeys to schools and/or sites. It is very rewarding.
Elinor Mueller
October 8, 2024