Interview with three Deaf Indigenous persons

Renca Dunn, Daily Moth Reporter: For the past few months, there were important events related to Indigenous peoples and their community: Pope Francis’s apology to Indigenous people in Canada in July, Orange Shirt Day on September 30th, and the recent celebration of Indigenous Peoples Day. So, we have a few Indigenous Deaf people who will share some information.

The first one is that if you remember, in July, Pope Francis visited Canada. He traveled there to apologize on behalf of the Catholic Church’s role of causing harm to the Indigenous people and for the unmarked graves of Indigenous children that were found at residential schools in Canada. Pope Francis asked for forgiveness from the Indigenous survivors and the Indigenous community.

There were a few Indigenous Deaf people who went to that gathering to see the Pope’s apology. Marsha Ireland of the Oneida tribe, Turtle Clan, was one of them who went and she will share their thoughts and perspectives on how they felt.

Marsha Ireland: It didn’t sit right with me. The pope was speaking Spanish. There was an Indigenous Deaf interpreter and two additional interpreters. But those two interpreters sat passively, they didn’t know Spanish so they couldn’t interpret. That was one negative. But on a positive note, I was grateful for the acknowledgment of the Indigenous Deaf interpreter. That was worth celebrating.

Now when it comes to the Pope himself, I expected a sincere apology, maybe some contributions or something uplifting, but that didn’t happen. He just apologized in his own way. I felt it wasn’t enough. People are like “star-struck” by the Pope, but they didn’t think about spotlighting the children. There isn’t enough awareness.

Renca Dunn: Also, Marsha herself is one of the survivors of the residential school. We asked her if she could share some of her experiences. This is her story.

Marsha Ireland: My skin would become dry and irritated during the winter. There were brown spots. They thought my skin was dirty. They would scrub so hard and it hurt badly. So I decided not to say anything about the spots. If I ever made a mistake or challenged them, I would be punished. I would have to go to a trunk, a storage room, and it was cold inside. I remember opening it up and the lights would come on. There were rows of bicycles or tricycles. I would have to sit in there, and the doors would be shut. I would sit there in the dark. I would stare at the little strip of light under the door. I’d just stare at it. I’d sit there for maybe 30 minutes and then the doors would open again for someone to come get me. I remember we would all line up for bathtime, and I would be the last to go after everyone else was finished. I would bathe all alone by myself. I didn’t get enough education because they used oral, fingerspelling, and SEE approaches. Those in charge were hearing. Yes, I am unquestionably traumatized by that.

Renca Dunn: We want to thank Marsha for being willing to share some of her personal experiences. In response to the impact of the harm that Indigenous children went through at residential schools in Canada, the discovery of unmarked graves of Indigenous children, and wanting to raise awareness about the topic, the “Orange Shirt Day” was set up on September 30th. The emphasis on the Orange Shirt Day is “every child matters.” Miranda Ireland-Kennedy of the Oneida tribe, Turtle Clan, will share about the Orange Shirt Day.

Miranda Ireland-Kennedy:

(Shows an orange t-shirt that has Indigenous designs with the words, “Every. Child. Matters.”)

Why am I showing you this orange shirt? Every year, September 30th is Orange Shirt Day. A person named Phyllis Webstad wrote a book called The Orange Shirt Story. This refers to boarding schools, which are residential schools. Indigenous people, Native Americans, First Nations including Deaf people were made to attend these schools. But they would never come back. Now, the bodies are being recovered of students who were buried en masse. It started with recovering over 215 bodies and now 17,000 have been recovered and there are still more in North America, Canada & the U.S. The motto used for September 30th is “Every Child Matters.”

We also have another shirt. (Shows t-shirt) It is illustrated using Oneida signs: Indigenous Peoples Day. Another way to show acknowledgment without a shirt is by wearing an orange pin over your heart. We were in contact with an Indigenous Deaf person who created the design for Every Child Matters.

Renca Dunn: We want to thank Miranda for sharing. Recently was Indigenous Peoples Day on October 10th so Sarah Young Bear-Brown of the Meskwaki Tribe, Fish Clan, will share some information on this.

Sarah Young Bear-Brown: Around 1992, Indigenous Peoples Day was first recognized in Berkeley, California, near San Francisco. It continued to grow from that point, slowly but surely. Now in 2022, over 10 states officially recognize Indigenous Peoples Day, as well as over 100 cities that also recognize this day. We want to keep going until all 50 states and well over 100 cities recognize this day! Indigenous Peoples Day should be acknowledged over Columbus Day because in truth, what Christopher Columbus did to us was horrific. It’s sad to see the government continue to hail Columbus. Enough is enough, the whitewashing of our history needs to end. Just last week, I went to my bank, and there was a sign that said it would be closed for Columbus Day. I am like… oh my goodness... Does the bank even realize our tribe owns that bank branch? So, I called them, and they changed it to Indigenous Peoples Day. That feels much better! That constant education is so important. When it comes to Indigenous Peoples Day, of course, we celebrated it this past Monday (October 10th), but you should be celebrating it every day regardless.

Renca Dunn: We want to thank Sarah for sharing.

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The last thing that we asked them was what tip or advice they have for the Deaf community on how we can continue to learn more about Indigenous Deaf people and support them. This is what they shared.

Marsha: A tip for the Deaf community. To Gallaudet University, other universities, and schools for the Deaf, invite Indigenous Deaf people to present their culture, their language, and true reconciliation. We want you all to learn.

Sarah: I want to encourage you all to research and go to Indigenous events like the pow-wow, go to workshops, go to conferences, etc. There are so many opportunities out there if you look them up. There are free events, activities, and hands-on experiences. It’s important to keep an eye out for these events.

Miranda: Identify and be aware of the area you live in, so you can acknowledge whose land you are on. Research, do the work. Start taking the time to ask questions and work toward reconciliation with Indigenous Deaf people. Sit with them, have an open heart and an open mind. Open eyes as well. Learn. And be kind. We all walk on the same land. Reconcile. Yaw^ko.

Renca Dunn: We appreciate and thank the three of them for giving their time to share their experiences and information. If you are interested in purchasing an Orange Shirt, you can contact Miranda directly for now as they are in the process of setting up a website link. We included a link to her Facebook and it is in the transcript.

Miranda Ireland-Kennedy Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/keywesska.kennedy.5