We Were Children

Canada's Indian Residential School System removed children of aboriginal families from their homes to be placed in religious-operated boarding schools designed to foster assimilation into what was legally defined as superior Anglo-French culture. Originating in the mid-19th century and continuing until 1996, the practice has come to be condemned as a form of cultural genocide, which ultimately resulted in a public apology from Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the Canadian House of Commons in 2008. As this documentary by Tim Wolochatiuk also manifestly shows, the system involved horrendous mistreatment of youngsters. We Were Children is based primarily on the recollections of Lyna Hart and Glen Anaquod, who recount their experiences as children, enduring not just harsh treatment in the classroom—where they were compelled to converse in French or English rather than their native languages—but also instances of severe psychological oppression and corporal punishment, as well as sexual abuse. Their poignant reminiscences—accompanied by dramatic re-creations—also include occasional kindnesses on the part of staff that served to briefly alleviate suffering (along with one instance of organized rebellion, quickly suppressed), together with reflections on the terrible long-term effects of their ordeal (Anaquod mentions the alcoholism prevalent among many of his co-survivors, and discusses an occasion when his own suicide was prevented only by his children's intervention). This powerful indictment of one nation's cruelly misguided policies carries a broader message about the damage caused by narrow-mindedness and intolerance, regardless of intentions. Highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)