Saskatchewan Indigenous community reacts to Anglican Archbishop’s apology
Global News
Archbishop Welby met with Indigenous people at the James Smith Cree Nation and the Prince Albert Exhibition in an effort to reconcile the actions of residential schools.
This past weekend, the Archbishop of Canterbury was at James Smith Cree Nation and in Prince Albert to apologize for the atrocities committed by the Anglican Church against Indigenous people and to hear their stories.
“I remember what you did to me. I remember when I first came to the school. I remember you cutting my hair. My mother made those braids,” said Teresa Hockett, a residential school survivor.
“I feel ashamed of what the church colluded in. I feel horrified. I feel a profound sense of grief for the people who shared and the many who were not here to share,” said Rev. Justin Welby.
However, as the Archbishop acknowledged, the words can never undo the actions that have scarred Indigenous culture for decades.
“To me the apologies don’t carry much weight. I think some of the things we’ve been looking for are some concrete action and so the apologies are just words and we’ve had a long list of apologies over the last number of years,” said Lori Campbell, the associate vice-president of Indigenous Engagement at the University of Regina.
The responses to the apology have been mixed and emotional. Campbell was quick to recognize that the reaction will be different for each individual.
“For any survivor, having the organization or individuals who perpetuated the abuse take accountability for that or acknowledge that it happened is a piece of assisting in the healing,” said Campbell.
“We’ve all been impacted by residential schools in different ways. Where we are on our healing path determines how we are going to react to the apology,” said Kerry Benjoe, the managing editor at Eagle Feather News who is a residential school survivor herself.