Twelve-year-old Chance Adrian sat onstage with 32 other relatives, listening to his grandfather, Ted Quewezance, tell the audience about his residential school experience.
"(Quewezance) has been talking about this for a long time. I thought it would be good to be here for him," Chance said Friday following the morning session of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada hearings at Prairieland Park.
"I learned a lot. They were treated almost like animals. It was crazy."
Residential school survivors are testifying before the commission this week as part of the TRC's fourday national gathering in Saskatoon, which continues through the weekend. Survivors are generally accompanied by a spouse, friend or counsellor as they testify. Chance and the rest of his family, wearing colourful matching scarves, decided they all needed to be there.
"We are here to give an understanding to society, but to also get an understanding for our own family," said Chance's mom, Amanda Adrian. "It's taken us this many years to share our stories."
The Quewezance family, members of the Keeseekoose First Nation in east-central Saskatchewan, wants everyone to know residential schools damaged the students, but also their children and grandchildren.
"We never heard 'I love you' when we were kids," Amanda Adrian said.
Quewezance, a former chief and one of the first prominent figures to push the issue of residential schools onto the national agenda, said residential schools have contributed to the poverty, suicide and other problems facing First Nations.
"We seldom have a natural death in our community," he told the audience of several hundred people.
He listed many government and church policies that governed residential schools, such as the forced sterilization of thousands of students in B.C. and Alberta and the forced designation of the school principal as the students' legal guardian.
"This is genocide, Mr. commissioner," he said.
"We, as little boys and girls, lost our innocence," he said. "We lost our lives, our identity, our language, our culture and our family."
Following his testimony, Quewezance said it was vital to have his family by his side.
"Today, I feel empowerment. I feel strong today."
Quewezance said he and his family are ready to forgive each other, ready to move on.
He lauded Saskatchewan people, aboriginal and nonaboriginal, for turning out in large numbers to hear the survivors' stories this week.
"People here in Saskatoon, they're opening their ears. I'm proud of the nonindigenous people here," he said.
Assembly of First Nations (AFN) Chief Shawn Atleo spoke at an afternoon session with other survivors, church and government officials. He called the gathering an "amazing event" and encouraged others to attend the weekend sessions.
Former AFN chief Phil Fontaine said government and others must first work with First Nations to alleviate poverty.
"Then it will be possible to talk about reconciliation," Fontaine said.
Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Minister John Duncan told the audience there is more to do on the residential school issue, but much progress has been made.
"I believe we are moving in the right direction," he said.
Metis National Council president Clement Chartier noted many Metis people who attended residential schools are not recognized in an official agreement by the federal government. Chartier, who spent 10 years at a residential school at Ile-a-la-Crosse, said Metis people "are the products of the same assimilationist policy."
Saskatoon Roman Catholic Diocese Bishop Don Bolen, one of the numerous church representatives attending the event, reiterated the church's apology for its role in the schools.
"We desire to be involved in those efforts of reconciliation. We do seek your forgiveness," Bolen told the audience.
He said truth is a "starting point" toward reconciliation. The church has plans to take more concrete steps, such as following the Prince Albert diocese's lead and establishing an advisory committee. This could lead to meaningful change, Bolen said.
"We know we are just at the beginning," Bolen said.
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