Stories shared at Rolling River First Nation
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 28/09/2024 (550 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
ROLLING RIVER FIRST NATION — Residential school survivors shared the pain of their stories on Friday at a Truth and Reconciliation event hosted by Rolling River First Nation.
Verna Shannacappo was among the group of survivors who shared to a crowd of hundreds on the powwow grounds of the Rolling River nation. She broke into tears recounting her story of losing the clothing her parents bought her and a toy xylophone she got for Christmas.
Shannacappo said when lining up to return home from school, all that was provided was a bag of the students’ schoolwork. She remembered packing her suitcase before — eager to show her brother her toy — but it wasn’t at the door when it was time to leave.
“I asked, where’s my suitcase?,” she told the crowd at Friday’s event. “Because I was proud of my little suitcase. And they couldn’t give me an answer … I never got to take my clothes home, I never got to take that toy home.”
Shannacappo began tearing up at that thought and was comforted by others at the front of the powwow grounds.
“I’d like to pass that on to the kids and let them know what I went through. And hopefully there’s nothing like that in the future … The pain I went through.”
Dennis McKay, another residential school survivor, told the crowd that he spent 11 years in residential schools. He said for him, it’s also about moving forward on a different path.
“I am always praying it’s never going to happen again,” he said. “That’s what I say. No more.”
The Rolling River day was attended by several hundred children from the Rolling River School Division. They came in on seven different buses and spent the day, which included a pancake breakfast, rides in a horse-drawn cart, and a march in the powwow grounds during a drum circle. Shannacappo said more than 460 students were expected.
The superintendent of the division, Jason Cline, also spoke and said the day for the students was about understanding and being part of that transition into the future.
“Each of the students here from all the schools have a responsibility to be good listeners,” he said. “To listen and to learn and to be kind. And to take that out into the world as you grow.”
Dennis White Bird, a former Rolling River chief who held the position for 18 years and also served as Grand Chief of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, recounted some of the local impacts on Rolling River people specifically.
“We had children that went to Dauphin, Lake Manitoba, Brandon, Winnipeg, Portage La Prairie … our families were broken up,” he told the crowd. “And they all came back to the community with different religions. And the reason for that was to break up the family.”
“What we are experiencing today is the sad reality of Canada’s history.”
But he went on to say the future can be bright. In a long speech for everyone at the powwow grounds, he encouraged being thankful for life every morning, working together and moving forward for a healthier future.
“We are all one family,” said White Bird. “The human race is one family.”
Rolling River First Nation Chief Wilfred McKay Jr. gave some words for people moving into the future as well.
“My children, be proud of who you are,” he said. “Be very proud of who you are. That’s what the great spirit gave us. To use in a good way.”
“We’re standing today in brotherhood, sisterhood, we’re all one people… . We’re still here. And we’re not going any place. And you’re not going any place. So we have to learn to live together.”
Orange shirts were provided from Jordan’s Principle, a program that ensures First Nations children can access products, services and support they need. The shirts bore a list of names of local residential school survivors, attendees and the name of nearby residential schools.
Shannacappo told the Sun the purpose of sharing her story was about having children move forward into a future where they understand the pain so it’s less likely to happen again
» cmcdowell@brandonsun.com
» X: @ConnorsCupful
