Résumés
Abstract
This paper addresses various forms of healing and reconciliation among Canadian Inuit and First Nations, in regards to the Indian residential school system and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC). Stemming from fieldwork at the TRC’s first national event in Winnipeg (June 2010), I present observations that are supplemented by previous studies on Aboriginal healing methods in Canada. Although Inuit and First Nations healing and reconciliation strategies are based on common themes—tradition and community—in practice they diverge notably, both in their principles and in their applications. First Nations seek healing by activating a sense of community that often transcends their specific cultural group or nation, using pan-Indian spiritual traditions and ceremonies. In contrast, the Inuit most commonly seek to preserve and promote specific Inuit traditions and identity as tools in their healing practices. This divergence could be seen in Inuit and First Nations’ participation in the TRC. The creation of the Inuit sub-commission within the TRC in March 2010, resulting from intense lobbying by Inuit leaders, was a first sign of the group’s distinctive approach to healing. But the unfolding of the TRC’s first national event in Winnipeg showed again how these differences materialise in practice and contribute to a better understanding of Inuit responses to the repercussions of their colonial past and strategies for healing from the legacy of residential schooling.
Résumé
Cet article porte sur les formes de guérison et de réconciliation des Inuit et des Premières Nations du Canada dans le contexte des pensionnats autochtones et de la Commission de témoignage et réconciliation (CTR). Générées par un travail de terrain effectué lors du premier événement national de la CTR à Winnipeg (juin 2010), mes observations sont appuyées par de récentes études sur les modes de guérison des Autochtones du Canada. Bien que les stratégies de guérison et de réconciliation des Inuit et des Premières Nations soient issues de thèmes communs — tradition et communauté — leur déploiement diffère visiblement, tant sur le plan des principes que sur celui des applications. D’une part, les stratégies de guérison des Premières Nations passent souvent par un sens de la communauté qui transcende les groupes culturels ou les nations et qui fait usage de traditions et de cérémonies pan-autochtones. De leur côté, les Inuit font davantage appel à la préservation et à la promotion des traditions et de l’identité inuit en tant qu’outils de guérison. Cette divergence s’observe également dans la participation des Premières Nations et des Inuit à la CTR. La création de la sous-commission inuit au sein de la CTR, fruit d’un lobbying intense de la part de leaders inuit, fut un premier signe de cette divergence. Mais le déploiement du premier événement national de la CTR à Winnipeg a également démontré de façon concrète comment cette distinction s’articule en pratique, contribuant ainsi à une meilleure compréhension de la réponse qu’apportent les Inuit face aux répercussions de leur passé colonial, ainsi que de leurs modes de guérison relatifs aux pensionnats autochtones.
Parties annexes
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