Content warning: This article contains information about residential schools and intergenerational trauma. Those seeking emotional support and crisis referral services can call the 24-hour National Indian Residential School Crisis Line: 1-866-925-4419.
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Parm Burgie wore a red striped sash over her left shoulder as she spoke about Métis contemporary ways of life, culture and history at a presentation with the Mawandoseg Centre.
The Mawandoseg Centre is Carleton’s student-run Indigenous service centre designed to create a safer environment for Indigenous students and provide learning opportunities for non-Indigenous students. The centre re-opened in the fall after being closed last year due to the lack of a successful applicants for the role of coordinator.
The centre hosted an hour-long Zoom presentation featuring guest speaker Burgie, an Elder and senator for the Ottawa Regional Métis Council, to teach participants about the Métis nation on Jan. 26. Anyone was welcome to attend the call.
Despite the event not drawing the attention of any students this time, Burgie hopes that in the future students can think of presentations like this as a break from school.
“It’s a time of COVID. It’s very hard. People are on Zoom calls almost all day long, especially students,” Burgie said. “But, [this presentation] is one way to escape. You’re learning, but you’re learning something totally different in a different concept.”
Aurora Ominika-Enosse is from Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory and is the coordinator at the Mawandoseg Centre. Enosse echoed Burgie’s sentiments about the benefits of learning outside of the classroom.
“I think if people were here, they would really enjoy the content because I learned so much today from Parm,” Enosse said. “There’s something just really nice about listening to your Elders talk.”
While the event was open to Indigenous and non-Indigenous folk, Enosse said bringing in Elders is especially important for Indigenous students who have traveled away from their communities to attend post-secondary education.
“I wanted to make sure that Indigenous students, no matter what your background is—Metis, First Nation, Inuk—I wanted to make sure that they still have a connection to culture while they were away for school,” she said.
Intergenerational trauma from residential schools has caused a lot of Indigenous history, language and culture to be lost. Many Elders and knowledge keepers today are the ones responsible for sharing this knowledge and keeping histories alive.
“When knowledge keepers pass on, they take that knowledge with them,” Enosse said. “Right now it’s such a critical time to stay connected to the culture and learn your languages.”
Residential schools operated in Canada from the 1870s to the 1990s. Indigenous children were separated from their communities for years in an attempt to assimilate them into settler society. Many of them died or never returned home.
In Indigenous peoples’ cultures, a lot of history and tradition is passed down orally. Residential school survivors did not get the opportunity to learn about their cultures, so they did not possess that knowledge to teach their children.
Burgie said cultural and historical education helps to build brighter futures for Indigenous peoples who have been impacted by residential school trauma.
“The more you learn, the more you can move forward,” Burgie said.
In her role with the Ottawa Regional Métis Council, Burgie organizes many similar presentations to the event hosted by the Mawandoseg Centre.
“I always feel good when I’m able to do that. Because, you know, if you’ve touched one person, then you’ve done it. It’s been successful,” she said.
The next event being held at the centre is a night of storytelling with Isaac Murdoch. It will take place on Feb. 9 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Zoom. Registration is required.
Featured image by Campbell Best.
