'They took us': Metis elder's residential school experience on display at CMHR
A respected Metis elder is reflecting on her residential school experiences at an exhibit depicting them at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights (CMHR).
In 1947, at just eight years old Angie Crerar was taken to the St. Joseph's Residential School in Fort Resolution in the Northwest Territories with her two younger sisters.
"See the RCMP there? They took us. They took me from the school," said Crerar. "My little sisters were crying and screaming 'I want to go home,' and I couldn’t help them."
That experience, along with many others, is now the focus of "Metis Memories of Residential Schools," an exhibit currently running in the CMHR's Community Corridor.
The art installation is a series of 24 panels telling stories of strength, survival, resistance and healing.
Crerar said being taken away from her parents was a traumatic experience.
"I didn't know anybody there. We didn’t know where we were going, what we were doing, where is everybody?" she said.
"We had nobody, we were absolutely alone. No mail, nothing. We didn’t know what happened to our families, they didn't even speak our language," she added.
Crerar, now 84, said her youngest sister won't talk about her time at the residential school.
"She will never ever speak about residential school. No, we tried," she said.
"Metis Memories of Residential Schools" is on display at the CMHR until January 13, 2023.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
Two killed after collision with truck on Hwy. 417 near Limoges, Ont.
Ontario Provincial Police say two people were killed after a car and a transport truck collided in the westbound lanes of Highway 417 near Limoges, Ont. on Tuesday afternoon.
Quebec man who threatened Trudeau, Legault online sentenced to 20 months in jail
A Quebec man who pleaded guilty to threatening Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier François Legault has been sentenced to 20 months in jail.
Explosion at train station leads to discovery of stolen car on Montreal's South Shore: police
Police are investigating after a BMW exploded in the St-Lambert Exo train station parking lot on Montreal's South Shore.
The pros and cons of discussing mental health issues in the workplace
A group of lawyers has written what they call a groundbreaking book about how mental health is perceived in the legal profession.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.