Article 2: Poetry and Reconciliation

Madison Gurniak

1

Louise Erdrich’s “Indian Boarding School: The Runaways” and Marilyn Dumont’s “Helen Betty Osborne” and Calls to Action

            Indigenous communities in Canada have endured decades of oppression marked by racial discrimination, relative deprivation, socioeconomic marginalization, and victimization, among other forms of social injustices. The oppression subjected to these Indigenous communities has adversely affected their quality of life and overall well-being for a long time. Before the Calls to Actions by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, Indigenous communities underwent immense suffering at the hands of the non-native oppressors. From unequal laws and government policies to artificial barriers to accessing basic needs such as quality healthcare services and education, the natives have stomached unimaginable atrocities. Early poets, affected greatly by this unprecedented suffering, documented the Indigenous experiences, hoping to influence transformative change in society. Louise Erdrich’s “Indian Boarding School: The Runaways” and Marilyn Dumont’s “Helen Betty Osborne” are two poems that lay bare the tribulations of being Indian in Canada just before the Calls to Action were made. In light of these Calls to Action, this reflective essay examines the structure and intent of the poems and how they communicate the Indigenous experiences and paved the way for the Calls to Action to be in force.

            First, before delving deeper into the two poems, it is fundamental to contextualize the Calls to Action and obtain a general view of their purpose. As mentioned in the introductory paragraph, Indigenous communities in Canada have suffered historical, social injustices that continue to haunt them even today. Despite being the natives, Indigenous communities are treated as strangers in their ancestral lands. Since the colonials landed on their territories, these communities have endured immense suffering, including inequality, discrimination, racism, socioeconomic marginalization, and unwarranted victimization. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada was formed in 2008 to look back at these atrocities and find a mechanism of reconciliation, leading to the creation of the Calls to Action. Through these Calls to Action, it is vital to recognize the historical and ongoing injustices against Indigenous communities, including the monstrous legacy of colonialism on them.

It is fundamental to mention that the legacy of the suppression and separation of the culture profoundly and adversely affected the Indigenous communities, families, and individuals throughout generations. Cultural heritages and connections have suffered immensely due to the monstrous legacy of colonialism. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada was founded on the notion that social injustices perpetrated against the Indigenous communities were ongoing, despite Canada having attained independence a long time ago. Therefore, through these Calls to Action, there was an urgent need to create a strategic plan for non-natives, natives, and the government to create a joint vision for reconciliation. All stakeholders must take meaningful actions and remain committed to achieving a balanced, fair, and equal society.

Remarkably, it has taken the Canadian government long enough to recognize the need for reconciliation and create a balanced society where all citizens feel included and their rights respected. However, before this realization, Indigenous poets had utilized their creativity and imagination to document their communities’ families’ and individual experiences of the social injustices against them. Louise Erdrich’s “Indian Boarding School: The Runaways” and Marilyn Dumont’s “Helen Betty Osborne” are two poems that detail these social injustices, calling for speedy interventions to create a just and balanced society where the natives feel welcome. The Indian Boarding School is a poem about the identity of native children forced into a boarding school in an attempt by the government to slowly but ultimately eradicate the Indigenous culture and traditions. On the other hand, “Helen Betty Osborne” tells the story of a native woman who was abducted and brutally murdered due to racism, indifference, and sexism.

These two poets’ motivation is drawn from two viewpoints. First, the poets were inspired to document the experiences of Indigenous communities in their native land. The goal was to let the world know how they were suffering at the hands of non-natives, extending the heinous legacy of the colonialists at a time when the country had long attained independence. Second, the poets are inspired by the fact that no action was being taken to address Indigenous communities’ issues. The government was at the forefront of enacting oppressive laws and policies to eradicate the Indian traditional culture and heritage while leaving the natives to suffer. Therefore, in this case, poetry acts as a mirror through which society could look back and reflect on the experiences of the natives. The two poems pass a strong yet depressing message about these experiences. Perhaps detailing the social injustices perpetrated against the natives would call stakeholders to action for transformative social change. Gladly, the establishment of Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission, leading to the creation of Calls to Action, was a positive step towards redressing these injustices.

Louise Erdrich’s “Indian Boarding School: The Runaways”is the first poem whose message resonated well with Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission, leading to the Calls to Action. A considerable section of the Calls to Action is devoted to redressing social injustices in the education sector that Erdrich speaks about. While most of the calls to action under the education section seek to enhance equality and fairness of educational opportunity, an underlying aspect that catches any reader’s eye is the respect for culture. Calls to Action Number 12 states, “We call upon the federal, provincial, territorial, and Aboriginal governments to develop culturally appropriate early childhood education programs for Aboriginal families.” This call to action recognizes that the current educational system is not culturally appropriate as it aims at demeaning and eventually eradicating the Indigenous culture. In her poem, Erdrich explains how the government’s mandatory requirements for Indians to be taken to boarding schools was deliberately aimed at destroying the Indigenous cultural heritage and identity. Children in these boarding schools were abused, and most were forced to run away. Those who went through the school system left not knowing who they were or where they were supposed to live. Besides losing their native identities, most of their ancestral lands had been forcefully grabbed by the dominant non-natives. One exciting aspect of Erdrich’s poem is tone and imagery, which the poet used to depict the tribulations of these young natives in boarding schools. The poem’s overall tone is hopeful, but the underlying streak of fateful reality cannot escape a reader’s mind. Despite some hope in the poet’s tone, there is a sense of inevitable loss characterized by a dark past full of suffering throughout the poem. The lines “The worn-down welts of ancient punishments lead back and forth” and “remembering delicate old injuries, the spines of names and leaves” speak of a disdained past where the natives have been subjected to immense suffering beyond comprehension. Juxtaposing the fateful reality with some hope makes the poem deliver a strong message to the intended audience. Another noticeable style by the poet is imagery throughout the poem. A reader can quickly get a visual presentation of the native children’s trials and tribulations within the Indian boarding schools. For instance, the poet says, “We scrub the sidewalks down because it’s shameful work” (Stanza 3, Lines 3-4). Scrubbing sidewalks is not a child’s job. Moreover, from the characterization of the journey to the terrain and characters involved, such as the sheriff and his car, the poet relies heavily on imagery to create a mental picture of the tribulations facing the children. The tone and imagery help describe the natives’ suffering and the desperate attempts by the government to eradicate the Indigenous culture.

Marilyn Dumont’s “Helen Betty Osborne” does not shy away from documenting the atrocities committed against the Indigenous communities. Using one case of Helen Betty Osborne, who was abducted and brutally killed because of her race and gender, the poem delivers a sorrowful yet scathing attack on the perpetrators of this heinous act. A reader can easily view the poem as a dedication to the slain woman. However, reading between the lines, this poem delivers a strong message about the brutality, violence, and victimization that Indigenous communities were forced to endure. The poem is not about Betty alone. Instead, it is for every female native Indian who is forced to endure horror, anxiety, and loneliness due to the experiences they are forced to undergo.  It is also about Anna Mae Aquash, Donald Marshall or Richard Cardinal. Sorrow and grief seem to be the order of the day as the non-natives exploit their dominance to victimize and brutalize the natives. In the poem’s second stanza, the poet bears it all, characterizing her grandmothers as “beasts of burden” to explain how their white counterparts have exploited them. Dumont’s careful choice of words such as “skinning, scraping, pounding, and packing,” all the verbs express the innocence of the native Indians and the mistreatment they are subjected to in a country they call “their own.”

This baseless mistreatment of the natives was a key point of focus by Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission. The natives, like everyone else, have universal rights and freedoms that are protected by the Canadian constitution and international bodies such as the UN. Thus, the Calls to Action respond to the atrocities against native communities whose members have lost lives, and others brutalized for not being white. Call to Action Number 43 states, “We call upon federal, provincial, territorial, and municipal governments to fully adopt and implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as the framework for reconciliation.” This framework of reconciliation focused solely on ensuring that the rights, freedoms, and privileges of the natives were respected and upheld unconditionally. From this perspective, natives, primarily women, would not live in fear, anxiety, and sorrow, as described by Dumont. The poet does not shy away from highlighting the sexual abuses and violence committed against native women. She notes that people in town, who were primarily white, “believed native girls were easy’ and ‘less likely to complain if a sexual proposition led to violence'” (Stanza 3, Lines 10-11). These issues must have been the rallying call for appropriate action, affirming the significance of using poetry to address the suffering subjected to native Indians.

Therefore, in summary, reading these poems affirms the need for truth and reconciliation. Truth is the realization and acceptance of the mistreatment of Indigenous communities by the dominant whites. Moreover, the truth is admitting that these social injustices against the communities were uncalled for and demeaning to the natives. Erdrich and Dumont use poetry to lay bare these atrocities, affirming their relentless pursuit for justice and equality regardless of what it takes. Thus, after accepting the truth, reconciliation is the process of redressing all injustices by establishing systems, policies, plans, programs, and laws that would create a more equal, balanced, and just society. Furthermore, from a personal perspective, reconciliation also involves giving native Indians back what is rightfully theirs, such as their ancestral land. Natives value land because it is priceless. They can only be reimbursed for these injustices by receiving back their lands. Therefore, the Calls to Action by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada are highly welcome as a positive step towards the transformative chance that would make society more balanced and equal despite racial and ethnic differences. Above all, it is essential to reiterate the significance of poetry in passing a strong message about the native experiences and the need for action.

Works Cited

Dumont, Marilyn. “Helen Betty Osborne.” Poetry Foundation, 2015. https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/147310/helen-betty-osborne. Accessed Feb. 10, 2022.

Erdrich, Louise. “Indian Boarding School: The Runaways.” Poetry Foundation, 2003. https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43079/indian-boarding-school-the-runaways. Accessed Feb. 10, 2022.

Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. Calls to Action. Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, 2015.

2

“The Song of Peace”: A Parody of “My Heart Soars” by Chief Dan George

Notes from the Author:

            “The Song of Peace” is a celebratory poem by a student who imagines the joys of being treated equally and fairly, with respect and dignity as a member of the First Nations communities. This poem preaches a message of reconciliation and peace, identifying happiness that comes when these communities do not have to worry about anything else expect for their well-being and prosperity. Emulating the message in “My Heart Soars” by Chief Dan George, “The Song of Peace” affirms the need for love, forgiveness, and clemency in kindness towards the Indigenous communities, which resonates well with the idea of truth and reconciliation.

Truth will lay the ground for justice and reconciliation to be done, creating an atmosphere and policies that recognize, appreciate, and respect the First Nations. From this perspective, the speaker envisions a moment of love and unity that will be celebrated across the nation, where everyone will be accorded an equal opportunity to prosper.

My Heart Soars by Chief Dan George	The Song of Peace: Madison’s Wish
The beauty of the trees, the softness of the air, the fragrance of the grass, speaks to me.	The splendid sun Phoenix, the allure of the morning dew, the sounds of the birds chirping, sing to me.
The summit of the mountain, the thunder of the sky, the rhythm of the sea, speaks to me.	The cool ocean breeze, the melodious wind in the trees, the soft drizzling rain, sing to me.
The faintness of the stars, the freshness of the morning, the dew drop on the flower, speaks to me.	The calmness of the night sky, the shyness of the stars, the brightness of the moon, sing to me.
The strength of fire, the taste of salmon, the trail of the sun, And the life that never goes away, They speak to me. And my heart soars	The message of hope and love, a reminder of peace and harmony, forgiveness and clemency, The sweetness of unity, This song is sweet, The song of peace.

3

“Residential Schools: Survivors” by Madison Gurniak: A Parody of “Indian Boarding School: The Runaways” by Louise Erdrich

Indian Boarding School: The Runaways   Louise Erdrich	Residential Schools: Survivors          Madison Gurniak
Home’s the place we head for in our sleep.    Boxcars stumbling north in dreams don’t wait for us. We catch them on the run.    The rails, old lacerations that we love,    shoot parallel across the face and break    just under Turtle Mountains. Riding scars you can’t get lost. Home is the place they cross.	Home’s the place we long for comfort. Going back is beyond our dreams don’t give up hopes. We continue to dream. The airplanes and the trains that we love They let us down and carry us far from home We can’t get back home. Home is the place we look forward to.
The lame guard strikes a match and makes the dark    less tolerant. We watch through cracks in boards    as the land starts rolling, rolling till it hurts    to be here, cold in regulation clothes. We know the sheriff’s waiting at midrun to take us back. His car is dumb and warm. The highway doesn’t rock, it only hums like a wing of long insults. The worn-down welts    of ancient punishments lead back and forth.	The master stroke hard with his whip shouting orders shamelessly. We stood firm tolerating the abuses and toiling hard till it pained to be alive, being forced to forget our culture. We know the masters are planning to assimilate us to make us forget our ways. They were shameless. We still held on tight to the little faith, like a child clinging on to the mother. We could not despair as the glimmer of hope remains within reach.
All runaways wear dresses, long green ones, the color you would think shame was. We scrub    the sidewalks down because it’s shameful work.    Our brushes cut the stone in watered arcs    and in the soak frail outlines shiver clear a moment, things us kids pressed on the dark    face before it hardened, pale, remembering delicate old injuries, the spines of names and leaves.	All survivors remain bitter with their experiences, the thought of abuse and torment. Nobody wants to reminisce this when we finally get free. We cover our bruises with forgiveness and mercy knowing the place of peace and harmony in our society, the place of love and unity in our families, the spirit of understanding and reconciliation, and the power to coexist as brothers and sisters unified.

The Author’s Bio:

Madison Gurniak was born and raised in Thompson, Manitoba. She graduated from the University College of the North with her Bachelors of Arts degree. She will be continuing her education and going to Red River College to study to become a Radiology Technician. 

Instructor’s Remarks:

“UCN is committed to enlivening the principles and Calls to Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. UCN recognizes that truth must precede reconciliation” (https://ucn.ca/). The course, Contemporary Canadian Aboriginal Literature, explores poetry and plays by Aboriginal writers from various regions of Canada (ENG 2001 or ANS 2010). This course is a genre-based introduction to poetry and drama in Contemporary Canadian Aboriginal Literature. Students are not only familiarized with the forms and elements of poetry and drama by examining the works by Aboriginal people but are also exposed to the narrative and voices of the Aboriginal authors. Madison was inspired by the Aboriginal poets she read in this class. In her “Reflective Paper on Poetry and Reconciliation,” she revisits the truth of Residential School and the missing Indigenous women through reading Louise Erdrich’s “Indian Boarding School: The Runaways” and Marilyn Dumont’s “Helen Betty Osborne,” and recognizes the necessity of Calls to Action. Madison is also encouraged by the Indigenous poets to express her hope in the reconciliation process in her poem, “The Song of Peace”. As a non-Indigenous student, Madison shares her pain and sorrow with the poets and also envisions the future of reconciliation. Her parody “Residential Schools: Survivors” provides us a reflection of residential school survivors’ childhood experiences with humiliation and degradation as well as their bitter experiences in the healing process. (Dr. Ying Kong)