Residential school experience still very difficult to talk about says former student
Uko Akpanuko
Daily Herald
In a solemn and emotion laden ceremony held at the Saskatchewan Polytechnic Saskatoon Campus Gymnasium on Feb. 6, a group of James Smith Cree Nation women handed over quilt that symbolizes healing and truth telling.
Representatives from Saskatchewan Polytechnic accepted The Talking Quilt for safe keeping after it was kept for about 20 years by the women who made it. Saskatchewan Polytechnic President and CEO Larry Rosia said they were honoured to receive it.
“The courage of this group of matriarchs is a true gift,” Rosia said in his opening remarks. “The women sharing their stories of healing and resilience, sharing their truths and turning over the care of this special creation that grew out of their healing to us for safe keeping is a gift, is not only a gift, it is an inspiration.”
Rosia said he appreciated how the James Smith Cree Nation Women trusted the Polytechnic to take care of the quilt.
“It will remind us each day of the importance of truth in our reconciliation efforts,” Rosia said during the ceremony. “It will inform and strengthen our commitment to … good relationships. It will symbolize and signify the resilience of indigenous communities and our indigenous students, faculty and staff who choose Saskatchewan Polytechnic.”
Founder Ruby Head started working on the quilt in 2000. Soon, other women gathered to sew quilt squares while sharing stories of hardships, including residential school experiences and abuse they have experienced over the course of their lives.
Each square tells a unique story about their own personal journey, or their family’s journey. The quilt became known as the Talking Quilt, since the women shared their experiences while sewing squares together.
Saskatchewan Polytechnic researchers first became aware of the quilt while interviewing James Smith Cree Nation residents for a research project looking at possible interventions and gaps in services following the mass stabbing that took place in the community in 2022.
Elder Sandra Head shared the story of the Talking Quilt with
Eileen Zaba, a Sask Polytech Psychiatric Nursing faculty member and researcher, and Lindsey Boechler, Sask Polytech Centre for Health Research, Innovation and Scholarship (CHRIS) researcher, met Elder Sandra Head at a gas station one day, and after chatting, Head agreed to be interviewed as part of the project.
During follow-up discussions, Head told researchers about The Talking Quilt, and how it helped women recover from past trauma. Head said the previous keeper of the quilt had died, and they needed someone to take care of it. Zaba then suggested Sask Polytechnic may be interested in filling the role.
Zaba said keeping the quilt would allow students and faculty to learn about the history of the residential school experience. Zaba added that many of the women who helped create the quilt were Saskatchewan Polytechnic graduates.
“The Saskatchewan Polytechnic journey … had become a part of their healing journey, which was amazing to me,” Zaba said during the ceremony. “I thought, ‘yes, the quilt does belong here.’”
Head told those in attendance the quilt creators first met in Melfort to begin their work. She said it was very difficult at times.
“When we were making this quilt we shared many stories with the women that were involved—even talking about the residential schools back then, it was difficult for a lot of us,” Head explained. “We had to talk about our experiences in the residential (schools) and how it affected all of us women. When we were making this quilt we cried, we laughed, we shared stories. I don’t know how many months it took us. We did a few presentations with the quilt and it’s very difficult to talk about just because it still affects us today. It affects me, and I had to learn to move on.”
After finishing the quilt, Head said the group of women wen their separate ways and put the quilt away for 20 years. When the keeper passed away, the women began looking for a new home.
“When I bumped into Eileen, she offered this place because I didn’t know what to do with it,” Head said. “I’m glad that the quilt will be here.
Head said The Talking Quilt is a vessel of healing. She said the creation process was the first time some women had talked about their hurt and pain. She hoped it would now become a learning resource for Saskatchewan Polytechnic students.
Three of the original creators, Ruby Head, Albertine Moostoos, and Sophia (Tarry) Whitehead have passed away since the blanket was created. Head said they were “very vocal” and a big part of the blanket’s creation.
Head also acknowledged the rest of the group who were present for the ceremony.
Rhonda Sanderson was one of those creators. She attended residential school as her parents and grandparents did before her. Her grandparents and parents talked very little about their experience, although she noticed her father would get very angry and upset when his old school, Gordon’s Residential School, was in the news.
Sanderson said it was common for older generations to not talk about their experience. Once she opened up and started talking about the abuse she suffered, her parents did too.
“I know my parents blamed themselves for the abuse that I went through,” Sanderson said. “They kept telling me that they were sorry and (asking) why didn’t I say anything or why didn’t I tell? I was like, ‘I was too scared.’”
Sanderson and a group of other women eventually took their residential school abuser to court. She said she wasn’t prepared for the anger or rage that swelled during the proceedings. The experience was hard, and on the advice of her father, she entered treatment. She’s been sober for nearly 30 years since.
“It’s not easy to talk about stuff, but I’ve had great mentors,” Sanderson said. “When I first started talking about residential school abuse I was 20 and nobody was talking about it. It wasn’t something that was talked about, and given the opportunity to share my story with other women—the memories we have—it was fun. Like Sandra said, it was healing.”
In a press release, Saskatchewan Polytechnic said that by displaying The Talking Quilt, students and staff can share in the James Smith Cree women’s oral history.
“This project helps educate students, employees and leadership about Indigenous experiences and resilience,” she said. “It also supports several Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Calls to Action (CTA) including CTA 62 which focuses on incorporating Indigenous history, knowledge and perspectives into post-secondary education.”
