The Days That Changed the Indigenous Landscape

Imagine, one day you wake up like it’s every other day. You have a shower, get the coffee brewing and get your kids ready for school. Then you hear a knock knock knock at the door. At this hour? Who could it be? You open the door and you are confronted with two RCMP officers and a social worker demanding you hand over your kids or you will be arrested.

You panic. What the hell is happening? They can’t do this. I’m their mother! You’re a good mom. You provide the needs of your happy kids, but it doesn’t matter. The government has decided you are not fit to raise your kids. You have no rights anymore. You fight back, desperate to hold onto your kids, and are immediately pinned to the ground, face down, and handcuffed like a common criminal. You watch helplessly as they take your kids away, kicking and screaming, their little arms outstretched desperately trying to grab hold of their mamma.

How do you feel? How do you cope?  How do you live?

The house is empty now, painfully quiet, and full of daily reminders of your stolen kids. You don’t even know where they are and if they are okay. There are no supports for you. In fact, you are shamed and stigmatized for being you and what you believe in. You are left alone, unsupported to navigate the worst time of your life. 

This was the plight of our Indigenous population for 165 years. This was the worst day for over 150 000 parents who had children ripped from their arms. How did they cope? The only way they knew how with the tools they had. Whether it was healthy or not, they tried to cope with the unimaginable. This changed the landscape of the Indigenous population for many generations in a very negative way.  

Before judging what we see today, consider reframing your thinking: what happened to you?

 

Becky Morrison is a Nurse Practitioner based out of Calgary who has specialized in mental health for over a decade. She is finally, after years of infertility, a mother of two busy little boys, and doting fur mom of her gentle giant, Stella. She is, and always will be, a strong advocate for mental wellness at all ages.