Gathering to Listen

This post talks about residential and day schools. Please take care as you read. If you

are a Survivor or intergenerational Survivor of residential or day school and need help,

there's a free 24-hour support line. Call 1-800-925-4419. You can find information about

other supports here.

The How I Survived project team made a podcast because we wanted people to be able

to hear about the histories and legacies of residential and day school directly from

Survivors. Podcasts are wonderful because they are free and easily accessed on

smartphones and through web browsers. But nothing replaces gathering together in

person and sharing stories.

We hosted two pilot community listening events of the How I Survived Podcast while we

were in the Mackenzie Delta for the NWTRPA conference in October, the first in Teetł’it

Zheh (Fort McPherson), the second in Inuuvik (Inuvik).

Listening events weave together clips from the podcast and conversation. At the Inuuvik

event, we shared excerpts from episode six, which features an interview with the late

Agnes Kuptana from Uluksaqtuuq (Ulukhaktok). In addition to being interviewed, Agnes

made the beautiful wall hanging that is featured in the cover art for the How I Survived

Podcast.

We were fortunate to have two Survivor members of the advisory committee with us in

the Delta—Sharon Anne Firth and Lorna Storr—who spoke about their experiences at

residential and day school and reflected on what they were hearing in the podcast clips.

Community participants also shared their stories and asked questions of the project

team.

These are difficult histories. They involve abuse, loneliness, and disconnection. Many of

the participants at community listening events are Survivors or intergenerational

Survivors. Hearing these stories can be painful and re-traumatizing. In response, we are

trying out a “busy hands, open heart” approach to the community listening events. Event

participants received beading kits made by local artists (Joanne Francis in Teetł’it Zheh

and Bambi Amos in Inuuvik) and colouring pages made by Tłı̨chǫ art students at Chief

Jimmy Bruneau High School in Behchokǫ̀ to keep their hands busy while they listened.

Manual tasks like colouring and beading can reduce stress, increase focus, and support

emotional regulation. Culturally grounded art-making practices like beading are more

than craft, though: they are embodied acts of knowledge transmission, healing, and

resurgence. This is just one way in which the How I Survived project is supporting

Indigenous cultural revitalization, healing, and Nation-building.

In addition to the two community listening events, we also hosted school learning events

in at Chief Paul Niditchie School in Tsiigehtchic and East Three Secondary School in

Inuuvik. The student participants were in grades 7-11. These events were a testament

to youth interest in these histories and also the need for more education about

residential and day school.

Hąįį’/quyanainni/thank you to everyone who attended the listening and learning events

and to Vince Ret for the beautiful photos of the Inuuvik event.

We are currently preparing funding applications to host more community listening and

school learning events. Please reach out to the project manager if you are interested in

hosting a community listening event or school learning event (Jess Dunkin,

jdunkin@nwtrpa.org).

You can listen to How I Survived Podcast on:

• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/how-i-survived-

podcast/id1774961156

• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5raoLvn2Uv857FkPzmnHlA

• Podcast website: https://www.howisurvived.ca