Ensuring History won’t repeat itself

The residential school in Kamloops has had a dark twisted past that I have only began to scratch the surface on. Although there is a more that can be discover through the school and what actually went on there, it is important that people at least have some understanding of what happened in Kamloops and how it is still effecting the Indigenous peoples in present time. This is why I decided to interview my roommate Isabella Pridemore, who is a first year student at TRU and been hearing all the information and reading all the stories I have been doing this semester on the residential school. She has found it very interesting and knowledgable about a topic that is not learned about enough in earlier education. Having only living two hours away he whole life in Chilliwack, she was surprise of how little she learned until taking an interest in the stories this semester. Isabel is a great example of how people do not know their own history anymore and are clueless to their country’s dark pasts, leaving history to repeating itself open. Isbel shares openly how learning about the residential school has changed her perspective not only on Kamloops, but Canada as a whole, she also advocates about everyone one should learn about the dark pasts that no one talks about as it educates people into not making the same mistakes, but instead learning and growing from it.

The Everlasting Trauma: How Kamloops Residential Schools Leave Their Mark Years Later.

Residential schools have been a glanced over past of Canada’s past that it not talked about due to the tragedies that took place during the era. It is important to know what happened at the residential schools and Indigenous effected by it, but it is almost important to learn about how residential schools affect multiple generations of a family. With Indigenous culture being lost through residential schools, it brings on trauma for not only those affected by schools personally but also their family members of different generations. In the interview conducted I speak with Douglas, my neighbour who attends TRU to be a mechanic, and who’s parent were directly affected by the residential school as they did attend one. Being apart of the Kamloops residential school the story is relevant to hear since he explains how the school trauma his parents faced has affected Douglas into adult hood. Douglas believes that it is important to learn about how trauma doesn’t just effect the people that were directly exposed to it, but instead passed down generations with long lasting effects. The interview is a casual setting where Douglas talks about how his childhood was growing up with parents who were a residential school and how it may have influenced his life differently from regular people. He also talks about how his cultured is lost but he and his family still try to connect with it as much as they can.

About Rayne

Hello, I am Rayne Dallas a second-year transfer student at TRU in the Communications and Digital Journalism degree. I am excited to write informational stories about Kamloops Residential School not only for this course load but also because I believe that this is a time in Kamloops past that should be known and talked about in the present. I believe it is important that the community of TRU knows about the events that have helped shape this town good or bad, and knowing the history of not only the city but Canada as a whole is always good for its citizens. Throughout the course, I am excited to take a deeper dive into the residential school with its history and facts to bring to you truly compelling stories. Every town has its version of “tragic truths” but learning from them is the way that generations can grow from the past.