They had been hoping for this apology for years.
“I am saddened. I ask forgiveness”, declared Pope Francis, referring to the “suffering”, the “traumas” which struck the Amerindian populations crushed by a policy of assimilation.
Shortly after his speech, one of the chiefs presented him with his traditional headdress as a mark of respect. Suddenly a woman stood up to sing the Canadian anthem in the Cree language alone. On his weathered face, a tear runs.
“No words can describe how important this day is for our healing journey”, summarizes Vernon Saddleback, one of the chiefs of the Maskwacis reserve where the sovereign pontiff went for his first trip of a trip. dedicated to Native American peoples.
A few minutes earlier, to the sound of traditional songs, a huge red banner had pierced the crowd gathered in a collected atmosphere. On the long band, thousands of children’s names inscribed one under the other.
This is part of the thousands of children who died during their stay at the boarding school and who were often buried nearby, without any particular burial place and without their parents being informed.
Many died of illnesses (tuberculosis, pneumonia…), accidents but also as a result of abuse and neglect, and poor sanitary conditions.
The painful chapter of “residential schools” where indigenous children were forcibly placed caused at least 6,000 deaths between the end of the 19th century and the 1990s and created trauma over several generations.
– “Lost souls” –
“I waited 50 years for this apology,” says Evelyn Korkmaz, who spent four years in boarding school.
“Finally, today I finally heard them but unfortunately, many members of my family, friends… could not hear them because they committed suicide”, adds this woman who now wishes that the Church provides access to the archives of the boarding schools.
“These documents are our history”, and bear in particular the names of the children killed “these lost souls and their burial place”.
In the crowd, many indigenous people donned their traditional outfits or orange t-shirts symbolizing the tragic fate of indigenous children sent to residential schools.
“Every child matters” and “We stand with our survivors” posters have been displayed, while a psychological support cell is offered under a tepee for survivors and their families.
Coming with her children from the neighboring province, Irene Liening Muskowekwan, who wears an orange T-shirt, hopes that this day can “bring a little peace” to many survivors.
“When I was at boarding school, I didn’t even have a name but a number,” recalls this woman who spent eight years in an institution. “It remains a very painful memory,” she slips again, referring to her aunt who never returned from boarding school.
“I will never forget, we must never forget”, insists George Arcand Jr, Grand Chief of the Confederacy of Treaty 6 First Nations.
Among the participants, many feel confused. Like Emily Thomas, a Métis from Winnipeg in the center of the country who traveled 12 hours to be there and confides that she is torn between “sadness and joy”.
Before leaving the premises, participants are invited to deposit their “tears” in a paper bag which will then be burned, a spiritual ritual specific to the First Nations.