This is part two in a special series prepared by Black Press Media. You can find more of the series and other articles on truth and reconciliation online here.
This article contains descriptions of abuse that may be triggering. Support for survivors and their families is available. Call the Indian Residential School Survivors Society at 1-800-721-0066, or 1-866-925-4419 for the 24-7 crisis line.
From a distance, a young Rob Sam watched on as his grandfather worked away, whether it was harvesting every piece of a deer or crafting a new drum from scratch.
Around the age of seven, he asked what his grandpa was doing and the elder took SamB次元官网网址檚 hand and pressed it against a deer hoof being worked on.
B次元官网网址淚 started to get that feeling of belonging and then permission, permission to continue carrying on what heB次元官网网址檚 doing,B次元官网网址� Sam, whose traditional name is qw B次元官网网址榓 la tthB次元官网网址檜t, said of the introduction to his culture.
He now serves as the Indigenous liaison of the Pacific Centre Family Services Association, which offers a range of counselling and social services to those on south Vancouver Island.
With Canada again set to reckon with its treatment of Indigenous Peoples this National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Sam is one who isnB次元官网网址檛 heard from as much, one who doesnB次元官网网址檛 have many personal stories from the harms.
The WSANEC territory member instead sees himself on one side, as one of the few who were protected. The other end hosts those who were exposed to the trauma of residential and day schools, including multiple generations of his family.
B次元官网网址淪ometimes I wonder, how did that happen? Why did that happen?B次元官网网址�
Sam had to attend the Tsartlip Indian Day School for kindergarten and part of Grade 1 before his grandparents helped pull him out and enrol him in the Brentwood Bay public school.
B次元官网网址淎fter that, I grew up with very strong teachings from my grandfathers, my aunts, my uncles and my parents.B次元官网网址�
Those teachings included grandfathers showing him how to make deer-hide drums or how to honour all living things. His aunt always told him to keep his mind strong, while uncles would call him over during cultural events to explain what was going on or would show him how to use the HulB次元官网网址檘B次元官网网址檜miB次元官网网址檔um language, whether he was addressing a filled longhouse or consoling a grief-torn friend.
When he was young, Sam didnB次元官网网址檛 realize what those family members were instilling in him. Those bits of traditional knowledge were seeds being planted, ones that would see him grow into a healer of hurt souls all across Coast Salish territory. Whether itB次元官网网址檚 answering the call of any ceremony that needs his presence or his role at the Pacific Centre, his ancestorsB次元官网网址� knowledge guides everything Sam does.
He sees now what his family saw during his childhood B次元官网网址� that by shielding him from the horrors others experienced at residential and day schools, Sam could become someone who would be greatly needed, someone who could help.
The Canadian government- and church-run day schools differed from residential schools as students got to go home in the evenings, but the children were still subjected to anti-Indigenous assimilation along with physical, mental and sexual abuse.
A federal court this year approved a $2.8-billion settlement agreement between the Canadian government and plaintiffs representing members from 325 First Nations. The settlement stemmed from a 2009 class action lawsuit brought on by day school survivors. The lawsuit said some of the abuse was severe while students were also mocked, denigrated and humiliated by day school staff and officials over their Indigenous culture and language.
Throughout his life, Sam has seen the pain caused by the institutions B次元官网网址� both directly inflicted and intergenerational B次元官网网址� and how those impacts have surfaced in the way of anger, sadness or survivors closing themselves off from others. Kids he knew would come home showing physical scars of the abuse from the day school.
Sometimes at the lacrosse box or soccer field, heB次元官网网址檇 notice his friends holding one side of their head and when he asked if they were OK, the response would be a swift B次元官网网址測ep.B次元官网网址� Later on, he learned kids would have their ears pulled at the day school.
B次元官网网址淚t was tough. In the back of your mind, you know thereB次元官网网址檚 something going on. I always tried to find a way to help them.B次元官网网址�
He travelled the province for sports in his teens, with one basketball tournament in Mission seeing his team housed in the communityB次元官网网址檚 residential school. The overnight stay coincided with several teammates having nightmares, while he also recalls the unease of locals when he played soccer at a field just down the hill from the Kuper Island residential school.
Sam worked in construction for many years until his dad said he didnB次元官网网址檛 want him doing that job forever. That led to him joining his father, who had become involved in ceremonial brushings for people working at archeological sites. His dad passed away not long after and thatB次元官网网址檚 when SamB次元官网网址檚 mother called on him to finish what his dad started.
He was then scouted into positions at the Ministry of Child and Family Services, where heB次元官网网址檇 hold coordinator roles dealing with Indigenous culture and elders. Word of his work eventually found Liz Nelson, who heads the Pacific Centre. The executive director remembers SamB次元官网网址檚 excitement about the liaison role in their first meetings, and how he would say, B次元官网网址淲e can help so many people.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淭hatB次元官网网址檚 why IB次元官网网址檓 here today B次元官网网址� IB次元官网网址檓 here to help,B次元官网网址� Sam said. B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檝e seen all the different emotions we can see and there are different ways of dealing with those emotions.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淔or someone like me, trying to understand what theyB次元官网网址檙e going through, itB次元官网网址檚 hard, itB次元官网网址檚 hard to understand what (survivors and their families) are working with, dealing with and trying to live with.B次元官网网址�
While still in construction, he started to get called to more and more ceremonies around the south Island or in Washington state. Some of those included ceremonies held with the community in longhouses that would aim to rid the hurt felt by many inside.
B次元官网网址淎ll the hurt feelings that people have when theyB次元官网网址檙e coming in, sometimes it magnifies, and you have to be strong to clear it out of that house.B次元官网网址�
The ceremony Sam spoke of was one of the cultural events that Indigenous communities were banned from holding during the 1900s.
HeB次元官网网址檚 also regularly called on to help steer individuals as they are initiated in longhouses. Many of those heB次元官网网址檚 guided through the spiritual process feel like children to him and will still greet him with a B次元官网网址楬ey popsB次元官网网址� even though their initiation was decades ago.
Those tight bonds with a widespread community also mean Sam can tell when people are struggling. He can gauge whether those hurting need his support or some space, and when all he can do is ask how theyB次元官网网址檙e doing.
Some kids today donB次元官网网址檛 always understand what their older family members went through in the residential institutions, he said.
Sam points to a story told by his uncle, where the ripple of a pebble tossed into a still pond turns into a crushing wave by the time it reaches the far shore. The story has manifested in his community with younger generations still impacted by residential and day schools. Sam has seen folks hide when people come to the door, just as their relatives would.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 because of that fear that theyB次元官网网址檙e going to get taken, thatB次元官网网址檚 from way back but it still affects our children today.B次元官网网址�
The intergenerational impact on todayB次元官网网址檚 youth comes in several forms. Some are scared of medical appointments B次元官网网址� which Sam can relate to as he recalls the fear of lining up with other kids for harshly done dental work at the day school. Other kids heB次元官网网址檚 worked with have talked about being excited about school, but then they become afraid to go.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 one of those things that have carried on from residential and day school. ItB次元官网网址檚 still there and we need to find a way to break that cycle,B次元官网网址� Sam said, noting people today are also dealing with harder varieties of substances, which complicates their healing journey.
B次元官网网址淭here are ones that just canB次元官网网址檛 get away from that harmful stuff and itB次元官网网址檚 not their fault, theyB次元官网网址檙e dealing with all the trauma that their family went through and is still going through.B次元官网网址�
He feels fortunate to receive the teachings he did, which can make a huge impact on those still struggling. People light up when he infuses culture into their care and itB次元官网网址檚 been rewarding for him to pass down teachings to his children, grandchildren and the Coast Salish community.
From his Orange-walled Pacific Centre office, Sam picks up a drum from the corner as he talks of the first time his grandfather placed his hand on the deer hoof. Those walking through his door are seeking a safe place, something Sam knows the drums can help provide.
B次元官网网址淭his drum carries a lot and there was a few that came in and said, B次元官网网址業B次元官网网址檝e always wanted to drum,B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址� Sam said, noting some seem almost shocked when he offers to teach them a beat or a song, and they commonly remark on how good it feels after just a few hits to the hide.
SamB次元官网网址檚 arms wrap around the drum, pressing it tight to his chest so that B次元官网网址� with the light of the mid-day sun shining through his office windows B次元官网网址� the design of his Orange Shirt Day T-shirt appears through the deer hide. At any Indigenous gathering, he said youB次元官网网址檒l see others holding their drums close just as he does.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 protecting them,B次元官网网址� Sam says. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a big part of who we are and itB次元官网网址檚 a big part of healing.B次元官网网址�
READ MORE: Stories about truth and reconciliation
