Evelyn Lariviere's Story
Storyboard Text
- I never said you could come out, get back in there!
- You name in english is Evelyn, you better not forget it or else ! You are no longer allowed to speak your language and be called by your real name.
- Evelyn - Evelyn-Evelyn-- Evelyn Evelyn - Evelyn
- Evelyn recalled a memory where she had to share a tiny bed with her little sister. They both were giggling, and she remembers the nun pushing her into the bathroom as punishment for giggling. Eventually, Evelyn tries to come out the washroom and the nun pushed her back in telling her that she never said to come out yet. It still haunts her today.
- English:
- Evelyn (age 65 remembering a memory from the past): Evelyn could not remember a lot of the abusive things that happened to her at residential school. Yet, somehow she remembers all the way back to when she was four years old when her mom had her little baby brother. Evelyn's mother delivered all of her kids from home, and her grandmother was the midwife. Many First Nations tried to block out all of the nightmare memories, to the point where many of them would forget some of the horrific details.
- Smile!
- Evelyn had to say her name over and over and over again so she wouldn't forget what her "white" name was.
- Why can't you tell me about my dad's experience in residential school?
- But my dad never hugged us kids or told us he loves us.
- It is too painful right now, one day I will tell you.
- All I can tell you is that it did make him bitter, but your dad loved you.
- Evelyn felt guilty, her experience from residential schools was not all bad, as they did teach her how to read and write. She felt guilty because not everyone teaching in the residential school was abusive, there were some kind nuns.
- Evelyn recalls her sister telling her that there was a nice priest that would come to visit her mom all the time and take photos of the family. She felt hatred towards Residential Schools for all of the terrible things that they did, at the same time she guilt because there were some good things that came out of it. She also felt guilty because not all of the nuns and priests were bad, there were some kind ones.
- Evelyn promised her youngest brother that sadly passed away at age 49 that she would tell his kids what his experience of Residential School was like. She still to do this day can't bring herself to tell her nieces and nephews what Residential School was like for their dad because it is too painful of a memory. In order for Evelyn and thousands of other First Nation people to move on in their life from all of the physical, mental and emotional trauma that Residential Schools caused (getting physically beaten, culture and language taken away, not being allowed to see family etc). we need to have reconciliation.
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