On Saturday, we attended a Celebration of Life for a friend who was indigenous. He was a member of a local church and it was held in his church. The church was packed! It had a very high ceiling and some wore masks but the seats were not close together.
He passed away at 75 from a brave battle with cancer. We met him about six years ago and didn't really know his past. He was the sixth of twelve children and was born on a reservation near Lillooet. His two older sisters got up and said their parents and both sisters lived the horrors of a residential schools. Their father decided, against Canadian law, and with the knowledge they could be jailed, to move off the reservation. I didn't know there was such a law in the early 1950's! The family didn't get into trouble and eight of the twelve children didn't go to a residential school. They talked a lot about their heritage. Then a group of drummers came in and performed. The service was so moving and the tributes to him were very touching.
So many survivors of residential schools never talked about their experiences. If they did, maybe the government would have acted sooner. I look forward to the Pope coming to Canada and hope his trip will give these people some closure!
