It has always been said that the first step of Truth and Reconciliation is the “truth”. It is often questioned, in the narrative of Indian Residential Schools and Indian Day Schools, whose truth is it that dominates the narrative? Is it non-Indigenous academics? Is it deniers or distortionists? Is it the media? The public? In the end, whose truth really matters, is that of those who survived what can only be described as “schools of death and abuse”.
Some say we must have the truth before we can have reconciliation. Through these efforts, we not only aim to bring the undeniable truth to life, we also do our best to reconcile with ourselves the legacy we have lived or help those that have lived the legacy. Truth and Reconciliation is work and one that is being seriously undertaken by many people.
The truth has been spoken over and over again. Both my parents attended residential schools and I believe it would be a disservice for me to rehash the truth. The stories of the survivors are theirs alone to share.
We at ISN Maskwa acknowledge and honour those who experienced these terrible crimes and now have the courage to share their stories; those that didn’t come home; and those, that while lived, did not survive their experience unscathed.
What lies at the heart of the truth? Facts. When one searches for the truth, one must try to establish all facts possible in order to get a full picture of that truth. Since November 2022, ISN Maskwa has worked in partnership with others to capture and record the stories of residential school survivors.
The ISN Maskwa team of Indigenous investigators have utilized their extensive investigative experience to conduct interviews of survivors as they share their stories. This process will hopefully one day bring closure to those that survived but more importantly, show that the ones who did not make it home still matter.
Everyone at ISN Maskwa, whether Indigenous or not, has been touched by the Residential School legacy in some way or another. We may be children or grandchildren of survivors, or we have heard their stories. We are touched as we sometimes intervene in crisis situations while on deployment, we are touched when someone reveals to us the trauma they have lived. We will always do our best and are committed to helping those in crisis. We are dedicated to hearing and finding the truths about Indian Residential Schools and Indian Day Schools as this is a part of our journey at ISN Maskwa as well.
Author Bio
Will Landon (Waabishkigaabo) is a nationally recognized mental health advocate and leader, a freelance writer, and he holds a Bachelor of Arts. He takes time when he can to enter deployments as a Community Support Personnel and Supervisor with ISN Maskwa, providing his expertise in mental health and relationship building where he can. His goal while on deployment is to provide compassionate support for the Nations and their people when in need.
