LITTLE CURRENT—Led by Rosemary Lavallee, the eldest of the former residential school students to be honoured with a star blanket during a ceremony held on the Goat Island side of the iconic swing bridge at Little Current, a group of more than 50 residential school warriors crossed onto the Island. The crossing was a symbolic retaking of their collective history, language and culture that the colonial system of repression represented by the residential school system was unable to destroy. The crossing was a collective repudiation of the label of victim and a recognition of the elders’ status as cultural “warriors.”
That transition from hapless victim to honoured victor was a recurring theme throughout the two-day series of workshops and presentations leading into the eighth annual Weengushk International Film Festival. It was a central underpinning of the keynote speech by former Assembly of First Nations national chief, Order of Canada recipient and dogged Indigenous rights activist Matthew Coon Come.
“This was excellent, a real surprise,” said Ms. Lavallee. “It’s wonderful to see what Anshinaabe can accomplish together. I read The Expositor just the other day and they said they were having a resilient celebration of some sort and then my daughter Karen (Pheasant) called me and said ‘they want you there. So, here I am.”
Ms. Lavallee’s daughter Karen Pheasant is currently a university professor in Alberta and both she and Ms. Lavallee’s grandchildren are staunch Indigenous rights activists and carriers of Indigenous knowledge in their own right.
Weengushk Film Institute founder and Order of Canada recipient Shirley Cheechoo noted that Star Blankets hold an important place in Indigenous culture in honouring individuals for their accomplishments and
Ms. Lavallee, as a 92-year-old former residential school student, led the procession of Star Blanket clad residential school warriors all the way from Goat Island, across the swing bridge and into the parking lot of the Manitoulin Hotel and Conference Centre.
“This was very moving,” said Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing MP Carol Hughes, who along with Algoma-Manitoulin MPP Mike Mantha were credited with ensuring that the celebration and bridge crossing took place with the blessing of the Ministry of Transportation and arranged for a police escort. “The resilience, the strength and the determination that is out there, not only for the residential school survivors, but for those who support and want to ensure that their stories continue.” Ms. Hughes praised Ms. Lavallee for her determination to cross the bridge on foot, despite having to use a walker. “I am so glad I was able to play a very small part in helping to put the blankets on and assisting in getting things ironed out.”
Ms. Hughes read a letter from federal NDP leader Jagmeet Singh during the reception held in the Manitoulin Hotel and Conference Centre following the walk.
‘As you gather for the Blanket of Stars: a tribute to resilience event, know that the New Democrats stand in solidarity with you and all residential school warriors,” wrote Mr. Singh. “We are committed to continue fighting for justice alongside Indigenous communities across the country. We understand that amplifying the voices of Indigenous peoples also means respecting their rights, title, history and present. Your event embodies the spirit of reconciliation and unity, values that we hold dear as we strive to walk the path towards meaningful reconciliation.”
The crossing of the swing bridge itself went smoothly and traffic on both sides was swiftly cleared following the 10-minute delay that resulted from more than 50 star blanket clad elders walk across the venerable structure.
During the Thursday evening reception and feast celebrating the residential school warriors, four awards were presented to distinguished Indigenous activists including Justice Harry Laforme, the the first appellate court judge in Canadian history with a First Nations background; Billy Diamond, founder of Air Creebec and a former grand chief of the Grand Council of the Crees; Barbara Noland, Anishinaabemowin advocate and teacher; Daisy Bearskin, a respected Cree elder and storyteller and knowledge keeper Gordon Wiskeyjack.
