Laws of Matriarch

Many Aboriginal people have stepped forward to apply for the Indian Residential School Independent Settlement. In my family, I stand alone as the only one who was not taken against my will. I can only imagine the horror of a child being dragged into a car, abducted and violated. It makes me wonder, why is this behavior so accepted in Canadian society when the child is Aboriginal? It seems to me that it’s rooted in that “as long as it’s them and not me” mentality. For many in my family, talking about what happened in the Indian Residential Schools is a painful process. It doesn’t feel real until you know someone who has lived through that experience, until you see the tears of pain and shame in their eyes. Some have survived and have worked hard to share their traditional knowledge, while others have been consumed by their pain, some even lost to death. If you love someone who has been taken against their will, raped, beaten, or starved, you might begin to grasp the depth of the sufferi...

Last year, I sat in a class and listened to a woman speak about something heavy on her heart—a reporter, much like herself. She shared the story of the missing women, especially those taken from our communities. There was a man in Nanaimo, accused of harming Aboriginal women, and she was set to interview him.  As she approached his home, fear crept in. She stood at the door, her heart racing, hearing noises from inside. When the door finally opened, she felt a chill but pushed through, starting her questions. He answered her, and for a moment, it seemed okay. But then, she caught sight of a young Aboriginal girl in the background, and she breathed a sigh of relief. In her mind, she thought, “He only targets our women, so I am safe.”  This woman’s feelings reflect many in society. She is a public figure, but I am one of those women at risk—my daughter and granddaughter are too. Just thinking about the possibility of my child facing violence from someone who hates Aboriginal wom...