Once told to hide her identity, this woman wants to be a voice for Indigenous youth
‘We never went anywhere. We’re still here,’ says a relative of residential school survivors
WARNING: This story contains distressing details.
The discovery of the remains of more than 200 children on the site of a former residential school in Kamloops B.C. is having a dramatic effect across the country, including in Windsor-Essex.
Residents have been showing their support and solidarity for First Nations children who were students or related to those forced to attend residential schools, decades ago.
One Windsor-Essex resident found the discovery very difficult on herself and her family.
"I was taken aback because I never expected that it would be such an enormous amount of children and babies," said Kahentiiosta Yen, a member of the Kahnawake Mohawk First Nation Territory in Quebec.
"The hardest part was knowing that some of them were as young as three years old."
Yen is a childcare program Manager at the Ska:na Family Learning Centre in Windsor and a mother of three. She is related to a number of residential school survivors, and says her relatives remained quiet and withdrawn when they were asked to share their experiences of residential schools.
"They came back to the reservation Kahnawake and they never talked about their stories, but then they were never the same," she said.
Yen said none of her relatives that attended residential schools went on to have families.
"A lot of that generation of children, grandchildren — it was lost."
WATCH: Hear more from Yen about hiding her Indigenous background as a child:
Yen's work is dedicated to trauma—informed care. She said intergenerational trauma has continued throughout families, but her work is trying to break that and ensure the cycle of trauma does not continue into the future.
"I want to be able to be a voice for the children," she said.
"They're the ones that are going to be the effects for the future. We need to ensure that they're strong, they have a sense of belonging, they're well-being is healthy, they're supported in who they are."
'Just fit in'
Growing up, Yen recalls her older relatives insisting she keep her identity quiet because they did not want to be known as First Nations.
"We weren't really allowed to say who we were," she said. "Just fit in. Don't expect them to know you're First Nations or where you're from because we didn't want to be known."
Yen is determined her children will never feel the same way about their heritage.
"My expectation is that my kids are going to be proud of who they are," said Yen.
Support is available for anyone affected by the lingering effects of residential schools, and those who are triggered by the latest reports.
A national Indian Residential School Crisis Line has been set up to provide support for former students and those affected. People can access emotional and crisis referral services by calling the 24-hour national crisis line: 1-866-925-4419.
With files by Sanjay Maru