never be daunted in public

In Unsettling the Settler Within  Paulette Regan writes, “Reconnecting reason and emotion – head and heart – is integral to an unsettling pedagogy” (12).  For me, walking into the “Speaking to Memory: Images and Voices from St. Michael’s Residential School” exhibit was an unsettling experience.  It was unsettling emotionally.  It was also a reminder of the importance of including multiple narratives, particularly those that highlight the resilience and agency of Indigenous people, in order to unsettle the colonial legacy and narrative of Canada.

As a history student, I have encountered the stories of the IRS system multiple times.  However, the way that the exhibit was set up in the Museum of Anthropology forced me to confront the testimonies of survivors in a new way.  Walking through the Great Hall past the totem polls, carvings and other pieces of Indigenous visual culture raised many thoughts and emotions that reminded me of the ways in which IRS sought to destroy the culture of Indigenous groups in Canada.  The 1920 quote from Deputy Minister of Indian Affairs Duncan Campbell Scott of the objective of the IRS “to continue until there is not a single Indian in Canada that has not been absorbed into the body politic” was particularly jarring in how it was presented.  For me, it was emotional because of having walked through the Great Hall.  The vastness of the physical representations of Indigenous culture was in stark contrast with the sparse IRS exhibit.  This contrast was continued by the way the quote was displayed on a canvas.  The image of the desolate interior of a room at St. Michael’s looking out onto the beauty of nature outside the window highlighted the way in which IRS isolated Indigenous children from their families, culture, and a land that was their home.  This image spoke to me about the destruction of identity for individuals and for a society.  However, I do question if the exhibit’s presence on a university campus should also raise questions in regards to privilege and accessibility.  Who is the exhibit intended for?  Will it mostly be seen by academics, university students, and children brought in on field trips?  If so, what role does this exhibit play in the process of Truth and Reconciliation?  Does it even need to play a role or is it important just that it exists?

I believe this exhibit is important in the ways that it seeks to reframe the testimonies of IRS survivors.  The way the exhibit was laid out with Beverly Brown’s images on one side of the room and the quotes from survivor’s testimonies on the other side highlighted the resilience of IRS survivors.  For me, this layout significantly worked to return humanity and agency to the children of St. Michael’s.  It explored their self-made communities.  Many of the images reminded me of photographs that I have seen of my own family, depicting every day life.  It reminded me of both individuals and communities.  The plaque at the beginning of the photo section stated, “This photo collection is not meant to extol the virtues of St. Mike’s or justify the wrongdoing that have been publically documented.  Rather, it pays tribute to the resilience, spirit and strength of these students.”  I think it succeeds in doing this and that is important work in ensuring that the testimonies of survivors are not insensitively consumed by audiences hungry for tragedy.  Additionally, as a student studying life narratives, I think it’s important to note that this exhibit reveals the ways in which images and language can work together and against each other to share life narratives in a moving way.

The exhibit raised many more questions in regards to truth and reconciliation and the importance of remembrance on a national level.  How can we “unsettle the settler,” like Regan suggests is needed?  If the opportunity to visit this exhibit is limited and privileged, where can Canadians encounter not only the tragedy and horror in the testimonies of IRS survivors, but also their resilience and strength?  Further, what role do the apologies play?  Does the framing of apologies by the Christian churches in Canada contribute to or disrupt the act of colonization?  By framing the apologies in Christian language are the churches continuing to impose their beliefs on Indigenous cultures, even if their intentions are not to do so?  In the government’s apology, the second last in the exhibition, Harper states that “there is no place in Canada for the attitudes that inspired the Indian Residential Schools system to ever prevail again.”  I find myself echoing another thought from Regan.  She questions: “What would it mean in concrete terms for the settler majority to shoulder the collective burden of the history and legacy of the residential school system” (2).  I don’t have an answer.  I see the importance of exhibits like “Speaking to Memory”, but I also believe that the audience for this exhibit and those like it must be increased if Canadians are actually to shoulder that burden.