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The addition of new interpretative panels at the Saskatchewan Residential School Memorial is being welcomed by those who lived the experience.
“It’s a great thing to see, we need more visuals,” said Jeff Cappo, a survivor who attended Gordon’s Residential School in Punnichy.
“We hear a lot of stories, but the more visuals we have the better,” he said.
The panels were unveiled on Monday at the Saskatchewan Residential School Memorial on the grounds of Government House in Regina.
Two new elements were added to the memorial, with the installation of interpretative panels as well as metal silhouettes of children made by the Indigenous-owned company Pro Metal Industries in Saskatoon.
The memorial was dedicated on June 21, 2022 in response a Call for Action Number 82 of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
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Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan Russ Mirasty said in a speech the memorial was “really a place that was meant to be a place of many things.”
” …There’s certainly a spiritual side to this site that we always respected and still do to this day. We also believe it’s a place where people come to learn.”
The one element missing in the memorial, Mirasty said, was a “representation of children.”
He said it was Government House which reached out to Pro Metal Industries to create the images.
Residential school survivor Jeff Cappo brought his wife and daughter to the unveiling. (Nicole Garn/980 CJME)
Cappo was accompanied by his family to the unveiling.
“We … remember we were children at one time. The visual of having those children’s silhouettes is an awakening call for everybody. And myself, too.” Cappo said. “My daughter was attending with us today, so it kind of woke me up. I said, ‘look, baby, that’s where daddy was at one time’.”
Chad Debert, manager of Government House, said it was “always the intention to have a bit more visual interpretation for the site to give it context and give a little bit of the history … something that specifically calls out to the children that were lost and the children that survived,” Debert said.
The panels were installed in a pavilion near the memorial, and Debert said it was an important important addition.
Chad Debert, Manager of Government House, hopes the installation will make people feel encouraged to learn and ask questions. (Nicole Garn/980 CJME)
“There’s a historical connection. This was the site of government from 1891 right up until the province was born. And it’s an accessible place, anybody can come here at any time of day. ”
Debert said the new panels provided a glimpse of history.
“There’s the briefest of history of residential schools … There’s a few stats on there. But what we’ve given people is the opportunity to take the first step. We hope that people walk away from it encouraged to ask questions, encouraged to explore for their own knowledge, their own understanding, and share what they learn and move forward in a positive way.”
Cappo also hopes people walk away with better understanding.
“You can’t just look at a person and know their story,” he said. “I tell my wife I can walk into a store dressed like this and (people will) watch me. But I’ll go in dressed up with a dress shirt and pants and they don’t seem to follow you. They look at you totally different. So it’s creating that awareness.”
One of the two new panels installed at Government House. (Nicole Garn/980 CJME)
Of his own experience in residential school, Cappo said for him it was “very different” from anything he had experienced before.
“Going from having a family to not having anybody there,” he said. “I grew up fast in that residential school because we had to.
“We are supposed to nourish and guide our children … It was very traumatic experience but I changed that around for my children.”
When asked if there way anything else the government needs to do for residential schools and survivors, Cappo said was.
“It’s called action,” he said. “We need to see more action, especially regarding residential schools, especially education and language.”
Cappo is a language speaker.
“If it wasn’t for my culture, my language and my identity, I don’t know where I would be,” he said. “I think more action is needed from the government, not just provincial but the federal government, to be able to create a better understanding.
“To quote (past chairman of the Indian Residential Schools Truth and Reconciliation Commission) Murray Sinclair, ‘education is what got us into it, education will get us out.’ That education part is very important.”
With files from Nicole Garn
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