'My generation is really just trying to heal': Indigenous youth turn to elders to honour past, move forward

The next generation of Indigenous leaders Billy Shields speaks with the next generation of Indigenous leaders about their hope for the future.

MONTREAL, QUEBEC — The next generation of leaders are looking to the past to move reconciliation forward in Quebec.

For the first time ever, Concordia University's Indigenous Otsenhákta Student Centre held a pow-wow.

“It's a way of showing our resilience as a people and to say we're still singing our songs, still speaking our language, still cooking our food,” Interim Director Tsisto Jacco said.

The centre has been around for 30 years, marking the anniversary with a pow-wow.

“I just hope that as they come here and get involved, they also start learning about our cultures and how diverse and different we are,” pow-wow student organizer Morningstar Fayard said.

The pow-wow brings together nations from all over Quebec, including Inuit, Mohawk, and Cree nations.

“What I hope for our future is that our youth will become more educated.”

In Chisasibi, 1,500 kilometres from Montreal, Chief Daisy House says almost two thirds of the community of 5,000 people is under the age of 30.

Helping her community move forward is at the forefront of her goals. Part of that involves bringing up some painful memories.

They plan to use ground-penetrating radar to see if there any unmarked graves where the community's residential schools were located nearby Fort George Island.

“These are firsthand accounts. It's not hearsay,” House said. “A lot of people are still alive we have 80- and 90-year-olds telling us stories and we find the majority wanted to find out the truth.

This summer, the pope came to Quebec City where he issued an apology. One of the people who travelled to hear it was Carleton University Student Allison Macleod, a member of the Cree community of Mistissini.

“I found that the worst part was that the apology wasn't directed at the survivors, but the people in the room,” Macleod said.

Her grandmother is a residential school Survivor.

“The atrocities that happened in the residential schools, they may not ever be forgiven, but at least there needs to be accountability and justice to move forward for reconciliation.”

Kahnawake's complicated legacy looms over the town. Grand Chief Kahsennenhawe Sky-Deer says she's also determined to take steps to move ahead.

“We could all dwell on the negative history that Indigenous people have had in this region and this country we call Turtle Island, or we could say all right, what does the future look like going forward,” Sky-deer said.

She says change is starting to happen.

“We're seeing now, land acknowledgements, things we didn't hear about 20 years ago. We have the ability now to have our footprint, and have our voices loud and proud. Yeah, I do see a shift, and a change in people who want to be our allies.”

House say she has hope, despite obstacles, saying it rests with the younger generation.

“My generation is really just trying to heal what has happened, and uphold also all the important values that our elders carried on to our life,” Fayard said.

They are hoping to take the next steps on a path forward that also respects their past.