Wii Gamkx’ sweat lodge is about one click from the Gitanmaax Gas Bar on the Kispiox Road, left side.
10:49 AM, Sunday. The sweat lodge area is clean, clear of empty Pur Life plastic water bottles, cigarette butts, abandoned towels, men’s shorts, and garbage. Phil can now sit quietly in his nine dollar Wal-Mart canvas lawn chair while the thirty-three Grandfather Stones fire up to red-hot. Talking to himself, “I wonder why the Gitxsan are always on Indian-time? The rocks will be ready by one as usual. Hope we start on time for a change.”
11:29 AM. Wii Gamkx, a Gitxsan hereditary chief, drives in. As the Fire Man and Door Man, Phil moves quickly to the parking area to help Keith with his sacred bundle and sweat-comforts. “Thirty-two plus one. They’ll be ready by one. You think we’ll start on time?” Wii Gamkx smiles and just to bug Bill a little, he answers, “Oh. We’ll see.” Phil hauls Wii Gamkx’s 5 gallon plastic bottle of sweat water medicine, lawn chair, and a flat of Pur Life water from the 2007 Ford 250 pick up. The chief follows with his bundle and tote bag with the Gitxsan Chief’s logo on it. The simogyat really appreciating Bill’s hard work ethic says to himself “Phil’s a good man. Too bad he’s white.”
Phil plants the jug of water by the sweat lodge door, ready, the flat of water to the corner table under the shelter. Wii Gamkx notices the sweat lodge area is raked and clear of any garbage. “Good work, Bill.” “Yeah, I was taught to keep the sweat lodge area clean by my Cherokee elder in the states.” “Oh yeah. That’s good eh?” Phil, as a ceremonial helper, hovers around Wii Gamkx, ready to be of any assistance. After placing his sacred bundle beside the alter, ready, the simogyat moves to sit by the fire. Rummaging through his tote bag, he pulls out his thermos bottle to pour himself some Mercedes Beans coffee. “Have some coffee, Phil” “Naw. I’m fasting for the sweat. Thanks anyway.” Like a good attentive fireman, Phil moves to pick up the pitch fork to reposition a log that fell out of alignment from the fire.
A 2007 Dodge Caravan bounces through the sawdust-filled access road and parking lot. Saba drives as close to the sweat lodge area as possible. “Hey uncle Keith. Hey Phil. Dad asked me to drop of his stuff.” Jule, George’s Nisga’a grandson, effortlessly slides out from the van.
Saba: “You remember Jule. He’s rooming with us while he’s going to school. Jule, you remember my Uncle.” Keith stands up. Jule offers his hand. Keith grabs and pulls Jule for a hug. Turns to Saba, pulls her into his use bear-hug.
“You guys coming in?” Jule nods. Saba: “Dad asked me to make his favourite stew to feast after the sweat. I better get going. Pick up stuff at Johnny’s. Have a good sweat.” Keith stops Saba, “How’s your mom?” Saba: “The same. Good days, bad days. She gained a little bit of weight again.” Saba’s cell phone buzzes; she steps away to answer. “Kay. Gotta go. See you, uncle.” And, off Saba goes. Keith turns to settle in his chair again, pours another cup of coffee wondering when Saba will go into the lodge.
Jule, far from home and a little lonely, stares into the fire. Keith: “Phil, this is Julian, George’s grandson.” Phil lifts his chin up in acknowledgement, “Hey.” Jule nods. Quiet sets in. Everybody giving each other a respectful space by the fire. Uncomfortable with the silence, Phil pampers the fire.
Keith at Jule: “How’s your mom and dad? Okay?” Jule: “Yeah.” Quiet continues.
Finally, coming out of his trance-like stare into the fire, “I checked out my ye’e’s blog about the residential school thing. Did that really happen?”
Prompted out of his staring-in-the-fire moment, Keith finally answers, “Yeah. It did.”
“Did you go?”
“No. Not me. But five of my brothers and sisters did.”
“2,600 is a lot of kids in 40 years.” Jule’s uncle nods. “And, my ye’ was 6 years old when he was grabbed?” Keith nods, “Yeah. I guess.”
“Why did that happen, Uncle?” Keith gathers himself, stares into the fire.
Jule looks to Keith for answers. Very attentive, waiting, Phil leans on the pitch fork, ears cocked.
Keith sips on his coffee, buying some time. The fire crackles and a burning pine block whistles. Just then, the Grandfather Stones fall, like a signal for Keith to be begin.
“You should talk to your ye’. He knows more. He was there.” Silence
Jule rocks back and forth, left to right, then back, still staring into the fire.
“You know, your ye’e came out of it pretty good, not like some of his buddies.” Pause. “I think it was the first six years at home that got him through.” Jule eyes Keith, also Jule’s ye’e, in accordance to Gitxsan understanding. Jule nods signalling acknowledgement.
“What about my ye’e’s mom and dad? How did they cope when they were taken away?”
“That’s a good question. Mom, your agwii ts’eets, has never talked about it. I really don’t know why. I know your ye’ has made peace with her and dad.” Seconds tick off, stretching. Jule waits for more. “I don’t know about my other brothers and sisters though. Maybe they’ve made their peace in their own way. They seem to have coped real well.”
“You know, I really love my mom and dad. I just don’t know what I’d do without them. I can’t imagine how lonely my ye’ was so far away from home. He was so little. He prolly didn’t have a clue what was happening when he was taken away.” Pause. “He prolly just followed along, clinging to his older brothers and sisters eh?”
Staring into the fire, Keith nods allowing Jule lots of room. Although the fire doesn’t need tending to, Phil makes busy away, a little uncomfortable being privy to this very private conversation. Unconsciously shaking his head, Phil says to himself, “I just didn’t know. And I thought I knew all there was to know about the Gitxsan and my sweat lodge buddies.”
Turning directly towards and facing his Ye’e Keith, Jule demands “What happened there, Ye’e?” Keith knew that this was an awakening moment for Jule. He’d seen this a few times, handling young peoples questions.
“I really don’t know, Jule. I wasn’t there.”
“But, you must know something; they were your brothers and sisters.”
“Yeah.” Long pause. “But, they’ve never really shared what happened behind those brick walls of the residential schools. I really don’t understand why they won’t. Come to think of it, survivors haven’t really talked about it. Their parents haven’t talked about it neither.” Pause. “I know the children of survivors probably wonder why their parents behaved the way they did. A deep sadness. A deep grief. A different aloneness, like they created walls around themselves for protection. I see it but I give them lots of room, respecting their privacy. I don’t know. I have a real hard time understanding it myself. Yeah, there’s a deep loneliness about them. And it seems, hugs, counselling, sweat lodge ceremonies don’t seem to help. And I wonder if there is anything that will help. Probably not.”
Jule shifts his weight, very attentive, waiting, hoping for more from his ye’ Keith.
“I just don’t know, Jule. I just don’t know. I guess nobody really knows. Talk to your ye’e George. He’s given it a lot of thought and done a lot of research on it. He’s pretty smart. But, not as smart as me.” Jule lifts his chin, grinning at Keith, appreciating his ye’ Keith’s sense of humour and signal to lighten up.
Quiet. Whiteman Phil, sweat lodge helper, thinking to himself, “Oh man, I can’t stand these long Gitxsan silences. I wonder why they do it?”
Jule to his ye’ Keith “Is it okay to pray for my ye’ George and what he and others went through at the residential school? Like … you know … I want to do something. But, I don’t know what to do.”
Keith: “Yeah. It’s always correct to do an Intense Asking to the Creator for your circle of loved ones. I think your ye’ will really appreciate that. Not many young people seem to even care about what happened in those schools. Come to think about it, a lot of Gitxsan are indifferent. Prolly make a difference to your ye’.”
Jule smiles, finally pronouncing “Yeah, I’ll do it then!” Ye’ Keith says “Okay. I’ll call on you in the third round. I’ll help you.” Jule: “Thanks ye’.”
The Gradual Civilization Act and Assimilation Policy
During Canada’s early formative years, the great white fathers arrogantly determined that “Indians” were a problem. The problem: How could Canada settle and develop the lands if the “Indians” had rights, notions of sui generis title to property including land, sophistication, and governance? According to ‘British justice’, it is illegal to steal lands and immoral to treat aboriginals a less than human beings.
Nevertheless, Canada’s fix:
1. Assume that the indigenous people were savages and unsophisticated. Therefore, they need the protection from unscrupulous white-men.
2. And, because they are savages, they are without religion; therefore, they will be the subjects for Christian missions and missonaries.
3. Under the sponsorship of churches, the Gradual Civilization Act and its attending assimilation policy evolved and enacted with the Indian Residential School system as its flagship program to remake the Indian.
4. As well, the Indian Act evolved and enacted creating ‘Indian bands, Indian band membership list, and Indian lands reserved for Indians.’ Thus, aboriginal peoples were enumerated and listed. Those that were listed became legal Indians. Each legal Indian were entitled to privileges determined by Canada.
5. The enforcement of the assimilation policy meant that Indian children of school-age, as young as five, were apprehended and interned in an Indian Residential School for up to thirteen years usually at locations far from home to physically separate the children from the essential tribal influences of parents and family.
6. Theoretically, the ‘Indian problem’ was fixed; thus, the pioneers can now settle and develop lands under Canada’s jurisdiction.
The Gitxsan and the Indian Residential School Experience
Up to 2,600 school-aged children were apprehended from 65 Gitxsan extended families between 1940 and 1980 and interned in an Indian Residential School. For up to thirteen years, the Gitxsan children were denied:
1. a Gitxsan familial environment,
2. a Gitxsan rearing,
3. Gitxsan gwalx ye’inst (the inherency),
4. the expression of Gitxsan daxgyat (the authority, strength, and confidence), and
5. Gitxsanimax, the Gitxsan language.
As well, many were physically and sexually abused. All were psychologically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually abused.
The impact of the IRS experience on the Gitxsan is not documented. And, the Gitxsan still have not formally responded to the IRS experience. The current state of the Gitxsan communities is dismal and not improving.
According to BC Stats: Of 77 local health areas in BC, the Upper Skeena ranks:
1. Worst for Human Economic Hardship Index;
2. 14th worst for Crime Index;
3. 14th worst for Health Index;
4. 3rd worst for Education Index;
5. 2nd worst for Children-at-risk Index;
6. Worst for Youth-at-risk Index; and
7. Worst for Regional Socio-Economic Index
1,000 or 7.7% of the 13,000 Gitxsan are fluent. But, only 7 of Wilps Dawa Muux are fluent. If this is typical, then perhaps only 455 or 3.5% of the Gitxsan are fluent, on the verge of extinction.
Although ‘cultural and language loss’ is not a legal cause of action, it is assumed and understood that commercialized modern mainstream Canada now dominate; most certainly at the expense of mainstream Gitxsan. If Duncan Campbell Scott, the recognized civil servant and architect of the IRS system, is alive today, he would be celebrating because the Gradual Civilization Act, its attending assimilation policy, and its flagship program for implementation, the Indian Residential School system, has come to fruition. But, alas, the ‘Indian problem’ remain but more exasperated.
The Indian Residential School Settlement Agreement
On the eve of the certification of the $40 billion Indian Residential School class-action, the $2 billion agreement-in-principle was announced, saving the Canadian taxpayer $38 billion. The 2007 court-approved settlement agreement included:
1. the Common Experience Payment to living survivors only,
2. the Independent Assessment Program,
3. the Commemoration program,
4. additional funding to the Aboriginal Healing Foundation, and
5. a Truth & Reconciliation Commission.
Canada’s Historic June 11, 2008 Apology
On June 11, 2008, Prime Minister Stephen Harper, on behalf of the government, and the leaders of the Liberal, NDP, and Parti Quebecois rose to apology to the survivors of Indian Residential Schools. PM Harper admitted that Canada was wrong. But, for whatever reason, perhaps a lasting residual effect of the residential school experience, the Gitxsan remain apathetic on the significance of Canada’s admission of wrong-doing.
Truth and Reconciliation Commission
The TRC’s mandate to document the IRS experience, promote authentic reconciliation, and raise awareness. It will host seven high-profile national events within two years; it will also hold community-events. The TRC will also administer the commemoration program. Its term ends around 2014.
Question: What should the Gitxsan do?
