YORKTON, Sask. — As communities across Canada mark the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on Sept. 30, Yorkton elder and educator Grandma Sherry is encouraging people to learn and share their family stories while reflecting on both the lasting impacts of residential schools and the resilience of those who survived them.
Drawing on her family's experiences, Grandma Sherry said the day provides an opportunity to better understand the truth of Canada's history while recognizing the strength that helped many Indigenous families persevere.
“My grandmother was taken when she was three years old and put into a residential school,” she said.
Although her grandmother rarely spoke about her experiences, Grandma Sherry said the effects of that trauma were evident throughout her life.
“She was such a gentle, kind woman,” she said. “I could see, even as a child, that my grandmother lived with a lot of fear.”
Grandma Sherry said discussions about residential schools have become more common in recent decades, but for many Indigenous families, those experiences were rarely discussed openly.
“Our people didn't speak of the horrors of what happened,” she said. “That didn't start happening until much later.”
Her mother was also taken to residential school at the age of four.
“Being ripped away from your home alone is abuse,” she said.
While her mother did not speak of physical abuse, Grandma Sherry said the separation itself caused lasting pain. She often spoke about missing her family and being separated from her siblings while attending school.
Despite those years of separation, her mother never forgot the moments that connected her to home. One of her strongest memories involved her grandfather walking long distances to visit the children and bring food from home.
“He'd come around Christmas,” she said. “He brought them goodies, and he brought them news from home.”
Those visits became moments the children looked forward to during long periods away from their families.
When her mother and other relatives returned home at age 16, Grandma Sherry said many carried the loneliness and trauma of their experiences with them. The impacts extended beyond individuals and affected families and communities for generations.
Yet while the effects of residential schools were felt across generations, Grandma Sherry said they did not define her family's story.
Grandma Sherry said her memories of her grandmother are not defined by the trauma she endured, but by the way she carried herself throughout her life.
“When I think of my grandmother, what made her beautiful was her resilience, her love, her kindness and her resourcefulness,” she said.
Grandma Sherry believes reconciliation begins with honesty and understanding. She encourages families to talk openly about their histories, including difficult experiences, while also highlighting stories of perseverance and healing.
“Face your truth,” she said. “Face the truth of your family. Our children want those stories.”
That belief in sharing knowledge is one reason Grandma Sherry regularly visits schools, where she speaks with students about Indigenous history and her own experiences growing up. She said young people are eager to learn and often ask thoughtful questions about life in previous generations.
“Tell the children,” she said. “They want to know.”
While much of the public conversation focuses on residential schools, Grandma Sherry said it is also important to understand the broader history Indigenous Peoples experienced before and after those institutions.
At the same time, she believes stories of hardship should be balanced with stories of hope.
“You have to let them understand the hardship of it and the pain of it,” she said. “But then come out of that with love.”
Grandma Sherry believes understanding the past is essential to strengthening future generations.
“Here I sit, and I'm healthy, and I'm happy, and my children are happy,” she said. “I've got eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.”
For Grandma Sherry, those generations represent both the resilience of her family and the importance of ensuring their stories endure.
