More importantly it utterly rips apart the notion that by
beginning to gather an account of the residential school system we are
in any way done the last bit of truth telling we need to undergo in this
country.
From the first scene to the very last, this film is absolutely
unrelenting in its brutality. Each scene was like a blow to the body,
even the more light-hearted exchanges which nonetheless all managed to evoke the horror of experiences the characters were deflecting with humour.
For me, the familiarity of the events: alcoholism leading to
accidental death, suicide, incarceration, poverty, the vulnerability of
having only illegal means to keep oneself and one’s family safe, the
brooding presence of the residential school; all of it evoked a litany
of statistics that are all too real in too many indigenous communities.
Even though it is a work of fiction, and some facts were
blended for dramatic reasons, every single event portrayed has happened,
and is happening in our communities. And this should be what haunts all
Canadians.
Real villain is the Indian agent
In this film, the residential school is merely a terrible side
concern. The real villain is the Indian agent, and though not explicitly
mentioned, the Conservative and Liberal governments that gave these
bureaucrats such wide-sweeping powers for so many generations.
Here we are given a glimpse into social dysfunction that is
directly linked to the way in which every aspect of life on reserve is
in some way governed by the Indian Act. The connection between
legislation and daily life is thrown into stark relief, and though
things have changed somewhat since then, this film may provide viewers
with their first understanding of the tangible cause and effect of
ongoing colonialism.
The fact that this film was set in the 70's,
when my parents were young adults on their way to starting our family,
affected me in a way I could have never expected. It was too close for
comfort. I was born in that decade. This is far from being ancient
history.
The absolute power of the Indian agent highlighted in this film
at first seems implausible. That is, until you learn about the history
of the Indian Act. The power of the Indian agent to withhold rations and
blankets, resulting in the deaths of indigenous people in the late 1800's, was not lessened, but merely changed form with every Indian Act amendment, well into the late 20th century.
Was there ever an Indian agent this corrupt, this vile, this
abusive? Perhaps not in exactly the same way as portrayed in this film,
but based on the stories that exist in indigenous communities, this
character is not wholly unbelievable. The system created to give power
to Indian agents created the perfect opportunity for abuse of that
power.
A glimpse of what we must face
I remember when the abuses of residential schools were
something very few people talked about. It took a long time for the
wider Canadian society to hear those stories and to believe them. Some
even suggested that these stories be taken with a grain of salt because
they were too horrific to believe.
A National Benchmark Survey in 2008 indicated that only half of
Canadians had ever read or seen something about residential schools
compared to 80% of indigenous peoples. It will take decades until this
information becomes universal knowledge in Canada.
'… it is my hope that this new form
of a very old way of telling stories will reach a wide audience and have
us looking for truths that have been ignored for far too long.'
- Chelsea Vowel
I also remember when people talking about murdered and missing
indigenous women were scoffed at. They were “exaggerating” with accounts
of up to 600. Those numbers are no longer so easily dismissed. Even the RCMP have confirmed at least 1,186 indigenous women have gone missing or been murdered
over the past three decades.
There are so many stories that have still not entered the national consciousness, even when scholarship and proof exists.
Rhymes for Young Ghouls is not just a film. It is a glimpse into something none of us really want to see but must face.
Indigenous film-making is certainly on the rise, and it is my hope
that this new form of a very old way of telling stories will reach a
wide audience and have us looking for truths that have been ignored for
far too long.
And just maybe, after we dry our eyes, we can sit down and talk about it.
