Magazines 2021 Jul - Aug A national reckoning

A national reckoning

25 June 2021 By Bruce Clemenger

A time to lament, a time to heal

Two hundred and fifteen. This number is now marked on the minds of many Canadians. The knowledge 215 children lay buried in unmarked graves at a former residential school impacts us all. And we are told there are more unmarked graves.

We can’t claim to be unaware or avoid collective responsibility. Together we must come to the place of grief.

Residential schools have a long history, dating back more than 150 years. In the 1880s the federal government began funding them and by 1920 attendance for Treaty-status children aged 7–15 was made compulsory. Some 130 schools were operated by various denominations. Many generations turned a blind eye to what was happening – politicians, governments, churches, media, historians, educators.

It is not that we were not warned about this mistreatment. There have been those who sought to warn us, to nourish a different legacy.

In 1922 the former chief medical officer for the (then) Indian Department published a brief document titled The Story of a National Crime in which he appealed for justice. He lamented the lack of medical care offered Indigenous Peoples, including children at residential schools who were suffering from high rates of tuberculosis and the failure to provide the level of care afforded to other communities.

He asked whether the government minister responsible was "counting upon the ignorance and indifference of the public to the fate of Indians?" This ignorance and indifference persists to this day even in the face of more truth-telling moments.

In 1996 the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples reported on it.

In 2015 the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) devoted one volume to Missing Children and Unmarked Burials. The TRC heard testimonies in listening circles held across Canada, the stories of residential school survivors and their families. I attended one and it was heart wrenching.

In 2019 the report on murdered and missing Indigenous women and girls reinforced the relationship between the legacy of the schools, traumas and persistent racism.

Suspended grief is not knowing or being able to resolve the fate of a loved one. It is a life sentence of excruciating pain. Willful blindness fuels decisive unfairness and injustice about children being forcibly removed, mistreated, disappearing, missing – murdered. These take us to a realm of poisonous pedagogies enforced by governments and run by churches – and to our national shame.

Some say, "I was not directly involved" or "It was before my time." But this does not absolve us from the legacy of crimes committed nor the need for national lament.

Lament is an expression of sorrow. A lament issued by the EFC stated, "We lament the devastating loss of children taken from and lost to their families and communities. We lament the atrocities committed in the name of Jesus and yet wholly contrary to the teachings of Jesus."

The TRC found evidence of 3,201 deaths, and it is estimated more than 6,000 died in the care of the schools. There are more unmarked graves. My hope is the discovery of the 215 bodies of children prompts a national reckoning. Ignorance and indifference replaced by lament and justice.

This is not simply a past event. It is part of living memories, and we see the ongoing impact. That is in part what the Truth and Reconciliation Commission tells us.

And what does a reckoning look like personally? Reading the reports and particularly the testimonies of the survivors. Hearing, absorbing to learn – to be transformed. It is challenging, often difficult to fathom, especially as a Christian trying to come to terms with what was done in the name of the Christian faith and rationalized within the public square.

To come alongside Indigenous sisters and brothers is to listen and ask questions. When we own the shame of what was done in this land to our neighbours and their ancestors, we will be motivated to pray and seek healing for our country (2 Chronicles 7:14). To diligently pursue right relationships.

A full reckoning leads to collaborative action. The EFC’s lament put it this way, "We’ve heard clearly from Indigenous sisters and brothers that reconciliation will not come by words alone, but with action. The EFC is recommitting to the long work of true reconciliation. We do this essential work in collaboration with Indigenous leaders to fulfill the commitments the EFC has made toward tangible reconciliation goals."

Following the TRC report, the EFC began gathering Indigenous and non-Indigenous Evangelicals together to explore how we might journey to right relationships. In 2020 a path of seven commitments (www.TheEFC.ca/SevenCommitments) was proposed and embraced, and is now being stewarded by a working group.

Lament, listen, learn, reckon, grieve and seek to collaborate – to become transformed. We can strive to do no less. This is the path of neighbourly love we can walk together.

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