At the age of six years old, Martha boarded a floatplane all alone and left for the residential school. Frightened and traumatized by the floatplane, her journey was just beginning, her screams were heard by no one. The moment she arrives at the residential school- sincere affection would no longer be shown to her. Children were to obey. Her language was no longer to be spoken or severe consequences would ensue. Stripped of all her clothes, she was showered by the nuns and sprayed with lice powder. Martha was to assimilate, and she would have no say in the matter. She soon began to understand that she was powerless. When the priest took a liking to Martha, she was summoned by the nuns and forced to visit the priest for her “special lessons.” This continued until Martha became a teenager, and he lost interest. Martha would attend residential school for ten years. Over the course of her education, Martha had moments of laughter and joy, and she forgave the nuns when she realized that they were victims too, doing what they were told and taught not to question their chain of command. In her final years of school, Martha appeared calm and resigned. She returned home and would be scolded for not trying to hang on to her language. Years of estrangement would take a toll on mother and daughter and Martha had a lot of resentment for her mother who refused to hear her stories. Her father had passed on, and he remained a memory. Martha left school with a high school education, and emotional wounds so deep they would never fully heal. When the school closed its doors for good, the trauma had already been done.
As Long as the Rivers Flow is a poignant, powerful read. Novels about the Indigenous experience is lacking from literature, and I jumped at the chance to read this one. Over the years, I've seen more and more Indigenous authors release books and I love encouraging others to read them. As a Native American, and someone who has had family attend residential schools this book is close to my heart, and one that I’ve already begun to circle around my family. Many times stories are meant to help preserve historical facts and teach lessons. Bartleman does an amazing job portraying the Native experience in a straight forward literary manner. The book is not filled with many descriptions, it is more about storytelling. It reminds readers that this atrocity is not as far back as some are led to believe. The residential schools hurt more than just the children, many parents were left behind and didn’t know how to interact with their children when they came home for the summer months or when school was complete. Communication between the school and parents were lacking. Many times parents would learn that their child passed away when all the other children returned and their child did not. Children were forced to assimilate and leave behind their language, further distancing themselves from their parents. Many parents couldn’t bear to hear about the abuse in schools because they were powerless to stop it.
The aftermath of residential schools has impacted generations of people and it is still a very relevant topic today. Children who were never shown affection have a hard time being affectionate towards their own children. Many students had no idea how to be parents themselves when the time came. Teenagers were sent home with an education, but no jobs on the reserve leaving them to feel useless. Many parents who sent their children to the residential schools honestly thought that they were helping their children, the government promised better lives for the children and poor parents were given monetary compensation. Parents didn’t have much choice, and the monetary compensations were needed.
I was very happy to read that James Bartleman was Ontario’s first Native Lieutenant-governor. His debut novel will remain on my list of recommendations. The theme is always the same, the idea of survival.
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You have to wonder why anyone would think treating a child like that would be acceptable. This sounds like a powerful book.
ReplyDeleteWhat a sad plot however so important to be spoken about as we can change history The sad part of it is that we can not save these children from their past thanks for sharing darling I will check this book xoxo Cris
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