KAMSACK – For the first time in Canadian history, on Thursday, September 30, 2021, Canada will officially observe the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. The nation’s newest federal statutory holiday will coincide with “Orange Shirt Day” – a grassroots movement that began in 2013, where the intentional act of wearing an orange shirt became symbolic of recognizing the devastating trauma that the residential school system had on children, and as an affirmation of the commitment to ensure that every child matters. The annual event has been embraced by many schools, students, and educational staff across the country.
The origin of Orange Shirt Day stems from the story of Phyllis (Jack) Webstad who was only six years old when she attended her first day at St. Joseph’s Mission residential school in British Columbia.
Webstad’s story was shared in her own words on the website: orangeshirtday.org.
“I went to the Mission for one school year in 1973/1974. I had just turned six years old. I lived with my grandmother on the Dog Creek reserve. We never had very much money, but somehow my granny managed to buy me a new outfit to go to the Mission school. I remember going to Robinson’s store and picking out a shiny orange shirt. It had string laced up in front and was so bright and exciting – just like I felt to be going to school!
“When I got to the Mission, they stripped me, and took away my clothes, including the orange shirt! I never wore it again. I didn’t understand why they wouldn’t give it back to me, it was mine! The color orange has always reminded me of that and how my feelings didn’t matter, how no one cared and how I felt like I was worth nothing. All of us little children were crying and no one cared.”
In the Kamsack area, Camilla Whitehawk, Interim Treatment Director at the Saulteaux Healing and Wellness Centre, says that after many years of working as an addiction counsellor, she has observed undeniable links between clients dealing with addiction and evidence of lasting trauma passed down from the residential school system.
“At this healing centre, we don’t approach addiction recovery quite the way they do in other treatment centres. Instead, we try to focus on the root of the problem, which is overwhelmingly traced back to intergenerational trauma stemming from residential schools.”
Whitehawk is the granddaughter of the late Tony Cote, a prolific and well-respected local leader. After moving to Ontario in the early 2000s and gaining experience as an addictions counsellor, Whitehawk made the decision to return to the Cote First Nation homeland with the intention to give back to her people. She said the same is true for the other staff at the healing centre who love their jobs and take great pride in being of service to their nation.
“My dad went to residential school at St. Phillips. Throughout his healing journey from that experience, people kept saying ‘When are you going to get over it?’ But it’s not something you can just get over. It will be with you forever, and you have to learn how to live with it. When people first arrive at the Healing Centre, they have the opinion that nothing in the world can help them. They feel totally hopeless. Then, after completing the six-week in-house treatment program, on the last day, which is their graduation day, they get to deliver a speech on what they achieved in the six weeks here. We take pictures of our clients on the first and last day of their residency, and the difference is always amazing.”
Whitehawk explained how sharing circles and group discussions have moved many clients to feel emotions like sadness, pain, and anger, with the ability to express them in a healthy and safe environment. Week Three of the six-week resident intake, ‘Trauma Week,’ is considered the toughest phase of the treatment program.
“Some of our clients have never cried before. These are full-grown adults. Many children were raised with the old expression; ‘I’ll give you something to cry about.’ And it taught children that crying was not an option. The result is emotions like fear, sadness, shame, and anger never being released. Those powerful feelings become bottled up, and for some, they’re only numbed with their drug of choice.”
Whitehawk is the only certified counsellor at the Healing Centre who can safely lead clients through a process of navigating powerful emotions through dramatic body work. Whitehawk committed to an intense five-year training program that consisted of two-and-a-half years of theory to earn the certification to facilitate what is known as “psychodramatic bodywork.”
“We have a soundproof room at the centre,” explained Whitehawk. “I will enter the room with the client and help them to bring up and act out repressed or buried emotions. Sometimes it will include clients feeling the need to scream, cry, or hit a punching-style bag to find that healthy release. There is padded equipment in the room to accommodate this physical expression. Although I am there as a guide, clients have complete privacy to work out emotions in whatever way they feel they need to.”
Currently, because of COVID restrictions, the potential for groups of 19 patients has been reduced to 10. The centre offers seven intakes each year, and there is a waiting list. SHWC currently has access to Bev Whitehawk, Nurse Navigator for the Kamsack area from Saskatchewan Health Region who assists with the client intakes, assessments, and health education referrals.
Throughout the 42 days of the program, in-patient clients can expect comfortable accommodation, cardio and weightlifting equipment, a recreation room with assorted games and musical instruments, karaoke, movie nights, a walking path, healthy foods, and demanding, yet balanced programs - without the clinical atmosphere that is found at many treatment centres.
SHWC clients must be over 18 years of age and must have detoxed from seven to ten days prior to arriving. At this time, priority spots are given to applicants from the three local First Nations, but will be opening up to national applicants again once the pandemic threat is over.
The last residential school closed in Saskatchewan only 24 years ago. Having been removed from their families, many students grew up without experiencing a nurturing family life and without the knowledge and skills to raise their own families or connect to their communities.
On September 30 at 10 a.m., the Cote First Nation will host a one-mile walk from the Chief Gabriel Cote Education Complex leading to a location along the highway to witness the unveiling of a monument to honour day school survivors. At 1 p.m., the Town of Kamsack will host a flag ceremony at the town office in recognition of National Truth & Reconciliation Day.
The Government of Saskatchewan has confirmed that they will not be observing the new statutory holiday.
