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Mistissini Healing
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This title expires November 30th, 2027
Subject(s): Canadian History, Canadian Social Issues, Canadian Social Studies, Canadian World Studies, Criminal Justice & Law, Documentary, First Nations Studies, Guidance, History, Indigenous Issues, Indigenous Peoples, Social Issues, Social Studies
Grade Level: 9 - 12, Post Secondary, Adult
Subject(s): Canadian History, Canadian Social Issues, Canadian Social Studies, Canadian World Studies, Criminal Justice & Law, Documentary, First Nations Studies, Guidance, History, Indigenous Issues, Indigenous Peoples, Social Issues, Social Studies
Grade Level: 9 - 12, Post Secondary, Adult
Examines the trauma experienced by the intergenerational survivors of Canada's residential school system.
Mistissini Healing tells the story of two Cree young women who are healing from the intergenerational trauma they experience living in the isolated James Bay Cree community of Mistissini, Quebec. Survivors Maryjane and Dayna rise from unfortunate circumstances and find hope, inspiring them to work to improve their community for future generations on a reserve still struggling to cope with the appalling legacy left behind by Canada’s Residential School system.
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Running Time: 23:23 Country of Origin: Canada Captions:  |
Producer: Stephanie Vizi Copyright Date: 2017 Language: English |
TRANSCRIPT
Close- [MUSIC PLAYING]
- It's just like on and off. We go in and out. Cause my parents-- they need help.
- I like the attitude. OK. So-- So, how many foster homes have you lived in?
- I don't know. Nine, I think.
- And how many-- are you in foster care until-- until when?
- Until my mom gets out of treatment. And then they're gonna see what she does until-- for like two months or three, around there. And then we'll see how she's doing. And then I can go with her.
- She says we're gonna live in Chibougamau. I hope.
- Why do you want to live in Chibougamau.
- Because there's more things to do.
- [MUSIC PLAYING]
- She drank. And she didn't come home. [INAUDIBLE] I was watching my brother. My sister was also out. I really wanted to stay with my brother. But then I couldn't. No one wanted to keep two-- like-- two kids.
- There's some foster parents that don't want you or really care about you. They don't care like, what time you go out. They just want to get that pay.
- Or they don't feed you. They don't bother with you to talk to you about things. And they don't want to get to know you.
- My foster parent came in. She was frustrated with me, I guess, the way I wasn't speaking to her. I wasn't saying anything to her at all, cause I was angry.
- She told me to bring my iPod. And I said no. And she tried to grab it. And I kicked her.
- Her husband saw me kick her. And he grabbed me by the arms, started yelling in my face, saying, this is my house.
- I was like, scared cause I never seen him like that. Then they locked me in my room. They locked my window. And I managed to find a way to unscrew it.
- I jumped out with my gym shoes, and didn't go home all night. And I was afraid.
- [MUSIC PLAYING]
- [INAUDIBLE]
- I kind of wanted to stay here because it's better. Because when I went to [INAUDIBLE], I always felt like drinking. But here it's like, different. I don't even feel like drinking. It felt like starting over. But then, again, you start to miss your family.
- They praised them. They sang praises to them.
- My generation is affected because we are children of the survivors. And some of the survivors actually still have the hurt. And it would affect their parenting styles.
- If one parent was facing physical abuse, and now he has a drinking problem, and he starts abusing his children. Because sometimes I do see people my age with drinking problems now.
- He knows how to make things grow. And he loves each and every one of us.
- [MUSIC PLAYING]
- I'm enrolled in a child and youth care worker. So my desire is to go back home and help the children and the youth. I want to be able to counsel them if they need somebody. Maybe the effects from their residential school has affected their parents' parenting. It might have caused them to get into foster care.
- [RAPPING] Mistissini 2016. [INAUDIBLE]. Let's get it done. [INAUDIBLE] I'm gonna show you that new love. Look at me without being smug. But let me show you what I do, son. I'm gonna kill that beat that I programmed.
- I'm gonna go all in, never hold back. Keep to myself and succeed. Then travel like a nomad. But now I speak that poetry.
- I hope this world will notice me. While kids are out there smoking weed, I'm vibing out a load of beats. I'm hoping that I come correct, trying to get that love respect.
- Haters be dumb enough. But you haven't seen nothing yet. Let me free the moment my people broken. I'm speaking hope against is evil growing.
- Got deep emotion. I'm gonna keep it going. I'm gonna light the fire before my dreams are broken. You want to know who I am, look me in my eyes. Until then, I'll just be here writing rhymes.
- What got me off the streets, what kept me from continuing that lifestyle, was because I believed that I would make something of myself one day. Some of the youth maybe may think that whatever-- this is it for me. You know? From where they grew up and where they were brought up, maybe they might have heard that. People judging them based on where they were brought up even, sometimes. If my parents ended up like this, then I probably will too.
- When I was pregnant with my daughter, I was terrified because I didn't even know how to handle a baby. I wasn't ready to be a mom. But I had to be.
- Well, I met him while we were out drinking with friends and stuff. We've been on and off I don't know how many times since our daughter was born.
- One of the reasons why I mainly broke up with him is because unresolved wounds. It was always just, oh, the past is in the past. And I already said I'm sorry. But you know, the old wounds weren't healed yet. That's why I left him.
- Nobody likes it when someone drinks, especially their family members, cause they're different when they're drunk. They're like, really different.
- And at the same time, they're getting further away from us cause of alcohol. I didn't really feel like they cared. So I started drinking. We all started drinking [INAUDIBLE].
- [SINGING] She was born a child of God and needed in their heart. But something was lost a true history never taught. Cause survival is rare. For one and every nation. And though the odds are stacked against her, she will lead a generation.
- This is an ugly truth. She's fighting for her dream. She wants to break the cycle, be likely to succeed, and find the hope and guidance her people really need. But on the inside, site it's harder than it seems.
- She's carrying the weight, the struggles that it whispers, so many missing people, her brothers and her sisters. So do what it takes, not be another victim. Leave a mark on the world. Will anybody listen? Cause
- We are outsiders looking in. But deep down we know how our stories will always end inside of our soul. And through these eyes we can--
- I had too many foster homes. And like, my social worker was telling me that nobody wants to keep you anymore. And that's why she put me here. It's a group home.
- I don't know. We have to stay-- there's a bunch of clients, and we have to stay as a group. We have to get along.
- But sometimes we don't get along. My dad needs to stop drinking. And my mom already quit. And she just needs her own place. I'm gonna live with my mom and my brothers when she gets her place.
- Do you know why they drink?
- Maybe because they've seen their parents drink too when they were younger. Cause I remember them telling me that my grandparents used to drink too. But now they don't.
- Did your grandparents go to residential school?
- I know that my mom's side did.
- Sh. Keep smiling!
- Keep smiling [INAUDIBLE].
- You have to wait for it. You have to wait for it to turn off.
- Why?
- Because that's when you know the picture's taken.
- Neh. Picture.
- Go like this.
- [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]
- She would often tell us how she felt, especially in the evenings, how lonely she felt, and how lonely it was in the community when the community was still small. Where you would hear children, you didn't hear them anymore, only dogs howling. Missing the children, is what they said.
- Where do you want to be?
- With my mom.
- But if you can't be with your mom, where do you want to be?
- I don't know.
- What are you doing?
- She's cuddling, Mom. Come on, get with the program.
- Yeah, Mom. She's cuddling.
- Sh.
- My favorite part about being a mom is just being Emma's mom, because she's so sweet. She's just the best thing that's ever happened to me. I just think about all the times where it was hard in my life. Like, for example, school. Sometimes I just felt like giving up.
- I think that if I hadn't had my daughter, I probably would have given up once it was hard for me. She's done so much without her knowing. She's my strength. She makes me want to be just a better person.
- [INAUDIBLE]
- We've been through so many things that were meant to break us apart permanently. But for some reason, we always end up back together. There were times where he would just leave us to go and drink with his friends. But now he doesn't do that. He's always wanting to be with me and Emma.
- What do you want to be for Halloween?
- A cop.
- Why?
- Because my dad's a cop.
- What do you think of his job?
- He protects children and [INAUDIBLE].
- Recently, her father graduated from the police academy. Throughout the whole day of the graduation, she would out of nowhere say, I'm so proud of my dad. You know, I saw her dad. His face was just-- it just lit up.
- When I told him what my dreams were, when I told him that I wanted to go to university and study psychology and just overall my big dream, he told me, he said, you can do it. Go for it. I'll be there to support you.
- And so whenever I'm on duty and when there's a commotion going on, and when I have to be at that call, then if this person starts threatening to kill themselves, then I'll just send this person to you. We'll just be like a little tag team on these. And I thought that was funny. And I thought that was cool.
- And it would be great that one day we could do something like that.
- Num, num, num.
- How do you like living in Ottawa?
- Because it's fun. It's more funner. I'm just joking.
- It's more fun than what?
- Mistissini. [INAUDIBLE]
- Where do you like living better?
- Mistissini.
- Why?
- Because my family lives there.
- I do want her to know where she came from. It's kind of difficult right now because she only speaks English. She understands when I talk to her in Cree. And I do try to remind myself to only speak to her in Cree, just so she can know her language.
- It's difficult to try to keep our culture alive when you're living in the city, because I can't just maybe do an open fire in our yard, and cook geese just right there. I can't just do that. Or I can't go kill the goose at the park. Although it's very, very tempting sometimes.
- You know, I'm just trying come here and get educated and help my people. And I do really like my program. I do really like what they're teaching us.
- And I'm so excited to put that into practice in Mistissini, all the while trying to hold on to my culture as well.
- Do you know what you want to be when you grow up?
- I don't know. I have a lot of things.
- Tell me.
- There's-- I want to be a doctor. But I'm not sure. I want to help people like those workers-- those people in school that talk to me. I think they're counselors or something.
- And maybe a teacher, because it looks fun to me.
- Those are all like helping professions.
- Yeah.
- Why would you want to help people?
- Because so they don't feel alone. Like, they know they can talk-- they have someone to talk to, I mean.
- [MUSIC PLAYING]
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