Teresa's Story: National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

Today, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in Canada honours the children who never returned home, the Survivors of residential schools, and the lasting intergenerational trauma that still exists today. Between 1831 and 1996, there were 140 federally-run residential schools that operated in Canada. Public commemoration of the painful and tragic history is a vital component of the reconciliation process. 
 

At Epicure, we are honoured to work with and learn from resilient, strong Indigenous people—both at our Home Office in British Columbia and across North America. We are sharing three stories today from truly inspirational Indigenous members of our team that were gracious with their time and knowledge on this very important day. 

This is Teresa’s story.

My dad was one day away from the “60s scoop”—their family had a friend in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) who warned them about what was going to happen. It resulted in them being able to hide away, but it also resulted in the breakup of their family. He was raised by his grandparents in Manitoba near the Ebb & Flow reserves. Due to being Indigenous, my dad faced a lot of racism throughout his childhood. He attended what was believed to be an Indian day school. He says the only difference that and the residential schools was that he got to go home every night. There was one nun—I believe her name was also Teresa—who was kind to him, but the others were not. He was hit in the back with a meter stick, his hands were wrapped for being left-handed, and was called “savage” in French. There is so much more, but the ultimate impact was that there was great shame in being Indigenous. This shame ripples into my childhood so much so that I never mentioned I was Métis, even though I always knew I was. It’s so heartbreaking. It’s not his fault—I believe he was trying to protect us. 

I started to ask more questions around the time I was in university. I had friends that were taking Indigenous Studies in Education and it was the first time I felt like it was okay to say that I was, in fact, Métis. It was so powerful to me to meet other Indigenous women who were so proud of who they were, their roots, their heritage, and their survival. It was then that I started to really begin to learn about our own heritage. 

It’s so funny looking back how I never connected the dots. When the information came out, it finally clicked—why my dad went to schools with the nuns and why he was treated horribly there. It was a school for Indigenous children and it was terrible. We never discussed what it actually was. When it was finally being discussed, he started to open up about his experience. His particular day school didn’t have enough “evidence” of wrongdoings, so he will not be compensated in any way either. 

My dad continued to face racism in his workplace and in public. A couple of years ago, he was accused of shoplifting at Superstore and, thankfully, a woman stepped in and stood up for him or the police would have been called. It was utterly shocking to me that this happened to my own parent—you hear about it in the news, but it shocked me that my amazing dad has faced this in this day and age. 

“What was your reaction when the Truth and Reconciliation documents were released?” 

It explained how our society has been raised in a way that this racism became acceptable. It was definitely self-preservation to try to hide that part of myself. It has helped me understand that the shame I felt was passed on to me and now I feel by I can help to heal it by embracing my heritage and that part of who I am. I feel proud when I think of how much my dad overcame despite his hardships.  

Many still do not believe it or believe that it wasn’t that bad—and that comes from within our own community as well. 

For me, this is a chance to embrace my roots. I grew up feeling so much shame about being half-Indigenous. It has taken me years to really feel like I could be allowed to say that this is a part of who I am. To be a part of this is another step toward feeling proud of all of the things that make me, me. 

“What is your advice to those beginning their healing journey?” 

It’s okay to feel a multitude of feelings—deep sadness, shame, anger, humiliation, pride, joy, and more. There is no one right way to feel—healing is not linear. For me, finding someone I could share and be vulnerable with has been so helpful in my own journey. It’s also helped seeking out groups and classes to learn as much as I can for myself and my own children. 

It’s so important to me that my children understand that this is part of their history because, even though they are very fair-skinned and light-haired, they are a quarter Indigenous. They are part of this history and it’s so important that what their own family experienced is documented. 

As a teacher, my culture has helped me feel connected to my Indigenous students. I remember years ago being called “Auntie” by some of them. It made me feel so connected that this term of endearment was being used towards me. I knew around that it was important for me to embrace my heritage so that these children and my own children never felt the sense of shame that so many of us did growing up. It helps me to make sure that any child who is diverse in any way is always included, not just Indigenous children. It has helped frame what inclusion means to me. 

There is so much more I can’t wait to explore. I had been invited to a sweat lodge, but didn’t go because I felt like a fraud and like I didn’t really belong. I hope to do that one day when I’m ready. I have always embraced my intuition and “knowing”. Knowing my roots, this makes sense and helps answer a lot of why I am the way I am. 

Wishing Beads

Created by Teresa’s students for National Truth & Reconciliation Day.

“For those who would like to continue to learn, what are some resources you recommend?” 

I am still deep in the learning stages and think I will be for a long time. That said, some resources I follow include: 

• Megan Tipler (IG: @tiplerteches) 

• Inclusive Canada (IG: @inclusivecanada) 

• The University of Alberta offers a free 12-lesson online course about Indigenous Canada 

Books: 

• “The North-West Is Our Mother: The Story of Louis Riel’s People The Métis Nation” by Jean Teillet 

• “With Our Orange Hearts” by Phyllis Webstad, the founder of Orange Shirt Day—I am currently sharing this with my class of younger children 

Teresa Sanders
Epicure Senior Leader