Running head: THE BRIDGE TO RECONCILIATION

The Bridge to Reconciliation

Educ 530: Indigenous Studies

Prepared for Dr. Lowan - Trudeau

Nusrat Premji

October 6, 2018
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Every day I drive by the Reconciliation Bridge. It goes over the

Bow River connecting areas which boast some of the most

scenic and expensive homes of Calgary, to the downtown core.

Directly on the downtown end however, is Calgary’s largest

drop in centre for those healing from life wounds, needing a safe place to stay warm and receive

a meal without judgement. As I look at the bridge and what it represents in our city, I can’t help

but think that it is the perfect metaphor for reconciliation.

The “Reconciliation Bridge” was originally named “Langevin Bridge” after Sir Hector-

Louis Langevin, who is known as one of the “Fathers of Confederation” (Calgary Aboriginal

Urban Affairs Committee [CAUAC], 2016). Tainting his efforts to confederation, is the role he

played in the Indian Residential School system and the denigration of Indigenous culture. In1883

he stated, "... the fact is that if you wish to educate the children you must separate them from
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their parents during the time they are being taught. If you leave them in the family they may

know how to read and write, but they will remain savages, whereas by separating them in the

way proposed, they acquire the habits and tastes...of civilized people," (CAUAC, 2016, p.12).

Through the Residential School system, the students had no opportunities for any meaningful

employment or advancement in society if they didn’t attend the schools, and if they did attend,

they faced exploitation, indentured labour, abuse, and having their cultural identity stripped from

them (Schissel & Wotherspoon, 2003). The re-naming and construction of the bridge are

important milestones for Calgary (and Canada) to represent how we are ready to accept and

acknowledge the system of oppression and bigotry of the past and to have a way of showing the

mutual respect that we have for each other as we move on to the future of re-building old and

new communities (CAUAC, 2016).

Teaching and learning were communal activities taken on by all members of Indigenous

society and the family played an integral role in the education of the children. Education was not

formalized, and much of it was based on learning practicality and to be able to problem solve,

rather than just be trained for a specific occupation (Schissel & Wotherspoon, 2003). Much of

this is actually espoused in the Alberta Program of Studies and has become a focus in the way we

undertake our pedagogical understanding and practices (Alberta Education, 1996). It is important

for us as educators to recognize how to incorporate Indigenous ways of learning and knowing

into our teaching. These Indigenous educational practices were erased along with their language

and culture, but they can offer us many insightful ways for students to learn in all subject areas. I

think of the Experiential and Inquiry learning that so many scholars and researchers are pointing

to now as pedagogical reforms, to inform our teaching practice, whereas this was already applied

centuries ago within the Indigenous communities (Schissel & Wotherspoon, 2003). By
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incorporating learning from community members such as Elders and those that know the land

from a different perspective allows us to understand our connectedness to the land, science,

language, history in a manner that is more unique and authentic, which is a basic tenet in the

Alberta Program of Studies (Alberta Education, 1996). I feel that also with knowing the histories

and effects on Indigenous children and families from years of oppression, can help me to be

more empathetic and take more of an active role in working with these children, to meet the

learning outcomes, while also engaging in ways of teaching and learning that are more

meaningful and authentic to them.

As I learn more about the Residential School system and what that meant to families and

the loss of their culture, I think of how important it is for Canada to embody inclusivity, not only

of the general population of newcomers and all facets of society, but to also embrace the

Indigenous people and their history, and the history that has been forgotten or painted over.

Schissel and Wotherspoon (2003, p.35-36) termed the atrocities committed against the

Indigenous people of Canada through the implementation of Residential Schools as “cultural

genocide” and moreover, the “absolute genocide” of a people. This system has perpetuated abuse

and trauma that Indigenous people are still suffering from to this day, through 7 generations for

some families, removing all control from parents in their children’s upbringing and futures

(CAUAC, 2016). Children were seen as a gift from the Creator, given love and kindness from all

relatives and friends (Little Bear, 2000). I think of my own children and how my parents and

extended family have been an integral part of my children’s lives. I would absolutely fall apart if

my children were taken away from me and if they were indoctrinated into a way of life and

thinking that was so different from my own and with the intention of removing me from having

any influence on their upbringing. It is also hard to think of a Canada which is so inclusive in
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modern times, as having such a dark past. With acceptance and acknowledgement, correct

versions of history can be learnt and taught, and we can move on a better Canada that embodies

love, respect, and empathy for all members of its society, both past and present.
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References

Alberta Education. (1996). Science (Elementary). [Programs of Study]. [Edmonton], Canada:

Alberta Learning. Retrieved from:

https://education.alberta.ca/media/159711/elemsci.pdf

Calgary Aboriginal Urban Affairs Committee. (2016). White goose flying [PDF]. Retrieved

from https://postmediacalgaryherald2.files.wordpress.com/2017/04/white-goose-

flying-calls-to-action-cauac.pdf

Little Bear, L. (2000a). Jagged worldviews colliding. In Battiste, M. (Ed.), Reclaiming

Indigenous voice and vision, (pp. 77-85). Vancouver, BC: UBC

Schissel, B. & Wotherspoon, T. (2003). Chapter 3: Legacy of Residential Schools. In The

Legacy of School for Aboriginal People. Don Mills, ON: Oxford