Presented by Arlene Vrtar-Huot, BSW, at the Coming Full CircleConference, in Ottawa, Ontario, June 12, 2003. A Metis-Cree woman, Arlene is originally from Saskatchewan and a second-generation survivor of the residential school system.

* Editor’s Note: The following article offers the highlights of a presentation about residential schools and their historical effects on the Elders of today.

This presentation was intended to illustrate the link between the deteriorated health of many Aboriginal seniors and their experience of being forced to leave their homes and families to attend residential school. A correlation was drawn between the historical experiences of Indian children being forcibly removed from their homes and that of adoptions today. The following statements are basic facts about adoption and describe what we know to be true about the effects of adoption.

Adoption is a lifelong process.
Heredity and environmental influences are the foundations of identity in the adoptee and for the adoptive family.
Separation from birth parents regardless of age is a trauma—a separation trauma.
Loss is a universal experience in adoption for all members of the adoption triangle: birth parents, adopted children and
adoptive parents.
If children do not have the facts (e.g. about their origins), they will create their own realities—from partial truths, perceptions of themselves, and observations of how others react to them.
Grief is never resolved—it is reconciled at each developmental stage.

A brief review of the traditional Indian life cycle helps us understand the detrimental impact of residential school on the lifestyles of Aboriginal people. The parents were robbed of the opportunity to nurture the child in the early stages of childhood and young adulthood. Indian people were devoted to their children and teaching took place all the time, thus when children were sent to residential school, a smooth transition into subsequent stages was severely disrupted.

Arlene’s First Communion

Birth and Early Childhood – At birth, basic needs were met. As babies grew into children, they were given emotional and spiritual nourishment, love, bonding, laughter, joy, and the freedom of childhood up to approximately age twelve. Children were the future existence that the people strove for. Children were considered closest to the Creator, and were greatly cherished and viewed as a gift.

Young Adulthood – In this stage, rites of
passage began. There was much ceremony and celebration as the young person moved into the next phase of his/her life. Virtue was taught at this stage. Young people were taught responsibility, what it meant to take a life partner, and they learned how to take care of younger children.

Adulthood – The adults knew it was their duty to uphold the standards. Care of the children was the undisputed responsibility of the adults. There was marriage, ceremony and protocol. It was accepted that this was also the stage of much hard work.

Old Age – Old age was the sign of wisdom. The Elders were the keepers of the customs and traditions. They were companions, storytellers and teachers of the young. They were also respected for their wisdom, and their guidance and counseling were sought to ensure good relationships were maintained within the family.

Within this Circle of Life, everyone was valued and contributed to the harmony of the family and community. Boundaries were clear and rites of passage always marked growth and forward
movement towards the next developmental stage.

Arlene on her Cree Grandpa’s knee
”somewhere in the Saskatchewan bush”

We know that if an adopted child is not nurtured, the child will not integrate successfully into a new family. Consider the forcible removal of Aboriginal children from their homes. How traumatized these children must have been! We now know many atrocities and crimes against children happened in the dormitories of the residential schools. Indian children were taught they were savages and that the Creator they prayed to was evil. Such was the environment that influenced Aboriginal people to think of themselves as inherently worthless. Sadly, this became “the foundation of their identity.” Many Aboriginal people experienced separation trauma and its effects are multi-generational. The residential school experience left survivors with a loss of culture and spirituality, a legacy of abuse, a lack of self-esteem, as well as an inferior education.

The children were away at school sometimes years at a time. The people at home lost not only their young people, but also their own vital roles as storytellers, teachers and guides. The adults no longer had children to care for and lost the meaning in their lives, the social system broke down and Indian people just existed.

This negative history continues to affect many Aboriginal individuals, families and communities. The historical forced
removal of children from their homes is doubtless a contributing factor to the frail health of many Aboriginal seniors today. Consider the childhood experiences of many seniors in light of Hans Selye’s “General Adaptation Syndrome” or GAS theory of stress:

A-Alarm Reaction – This stage is illustrated by an increase in stress hormones and the activation of the body’s defense mechanisms. At this time, resistance is diminished and if the stress is too great, death may occur.
B-Stage of Resistance – This stage is when the body tries to adapt to restore balance. For example, blood pressure and body temperature are indications of the body trying to get back to normal. As time goes on, the body begins to adapt to the continued exposure to the stressor and these bodily signs disappear.
C-Stage of Exhaustion – This is when the body is exhausted from too much continued exposure to stress. This overabundance of stress causes an increase in stress hormones and a reactivation of the body defenses as in the Alarm Reaction stage. The body’s energy is exhausted, signs of the first stage reappear but are now irreversible and the person dies.

Arlene closed with a special message to Canadian Community Health Representatives and others compelled to help Aboriginal Elders:

At the Elder stage of life, one must come to terms with the unresolved life journey. Unfinished emotional business must be completed. There is a mind and body connection and we know that the bodies of many Aboriginal seniors are battered with the pain of the past. We must do what we can to help our Elders heal their mind, body and spirit. CHRs should recognize this as valued work for generations to come.