In this interview, Eve Abel and her daughter Krystine discuss the effects that Eve’s time in a residential school has had on each of them.

Eve mentions the physical abuse that she suffered and noted that she was made to feel ashamed of her Indigenous culture and beliefs. She was beaten whenever she spoke her Indigenous language. As a result, Eve can speak a few words today of her Indigenous language, her daughter cannot speak any.

Krystine notes that until she was in university she had very little understanding of or connection to her Indigenous culture and history. It wasn’t until she began attending Aboriginal studies classes that she learned about residential schools and she began to speak with her mother about her experiences.

It is quite poignant to know that Eve attended residential school from ages 7-11, and the impact of those four years is felt long after, into the next generation.