鈥�The first day I walked into that residential school is when the anger started,鈥� said Sarah Jerome, a Gwich鈥檌n elder from Fort McPherson who was taken from her home at the age of seven to attend residential school in Aklavik.
鈥�When I left at the end of 12 years, I left residential school in a rage. I was ready to kill somebody.鈥�
She recalls the experience of being removed from her parents vividly.
鈥�Fort McPherson to Aklavik was a 40-minute flight, but to me it was halfway around the world, because I wasn鈥檛 able to see my parents for 10 months of the year,鈥� said Jerome.
She was speaking to the Inuvik Drum following a celebration for the 25th anniversary of the Gwich鈥檌n Comprehensive Land Claims Agreement.
The topic of what it means to be proud to be Gwich鈥檌n was a theme during the event.
Jerome took years to figure that out and reconcile her experience at residential school.
鈥�Over the years I鈥檝e come to realize that there were some benefits to being in the residential school, for example getting an education, and I eventually became a teacher so that was a benefit to me,鈥� she said.
She used that education to work for her people in language and culture.
鈥�I eventually became very proud of who I was by taking back my power, taking back my power and saying no more, I鈥檓 not going to bow down to any of the non-aboriginal people anymore, I鈥檓 going to take back my power and I鈥檓 going to work for my people and I鈥檓 going to take back my language and culture,鈥� said Jerome. 鈥淎nd that鈥檚 what I鈥檝e done, as an educator and now as an elder.鈥�
She now teaches a life skills course to youth, during which she poses the question of what it means to be proud to be Gwich鈥檌n.
鈥�A lot of them really don鈥檛 know because of the intergenerational effects of residential school,鈥� she said.
After her experience, Jerome had to work on forgiveness and becoming colourblind.
鈥�That was the most traumatic experience I鈥檝e ever experienced in my life,鈥� she said about being taken from her home to attend school in Aklavik.
鈥�I鈥檝e generally dealt with (issues stemming from residential school) but I have not yet to deal with those two years where I was taken away from my loving, caring family, speaking my first language and living on the land.鈥�
She gives youth a history lesson on what resilient people their ancestors were and how proud they were to be hunters, trappers, fishermen and more.
鈥�Then I say to them, 鈥榃hat are you doing now?鈥欌�� said Jerome.
鈥�A lot of them live in town, they鈥檙e into drugs and alcohol, so I tell them how are you going to change that, how are you going to be proud to be Gwich鈥檌n? It鈥檚 not only one thing. Eventually you鈥檙e going to have a lot of experiences where you鈥檙e going to be proud to do certain things in your life, and eventually you鈥檒l be proud to be Gwich鈥檌n.鈥�
For Jerome, pride has come in ticking things off her bucket list lately. She made a speech at Harvard last year and also acted in the Gwich鈥檌n film The Sun At Midnight.
鈥�I鈥檓 very proud of my accomplishments as an educator and all the different thing I鈥檝e done in my life,鈥� said Jerome.
鈥�I think I鈥檝e come around full circle and I鈥檝e learned to look back now and say thank you to the residential school for providing an education for me so that I was able to pursue all these things that I did.鈥�
Her challenge now is hearing impairment.
鈥�I refuse to give up on account of my hearing,鈥� she said.
She hopes to help youth discover their identity and help her people move on from the lasting effects from events of the past.
鈥�That residential school intergenerational effect has to stop with them now,鈥� she said.
