In the previous activity, you read and reflected upon some of the history of Indigenous peoples in Canada.

The earlier Canadian governments held the belief that Indigenous peoples should be absorbed into Canadian society. For this reason, Indian Residential Schools were created to ‘teach’ children how to assimilate and leave behind the languages and cultures of their ancestors. Residential schools existed in Canada for well over 100 years, the last one finally closing in 1996 in Saskatchewan. Assimilation harmed many children and resulted in family breakdowns, loss of traditional knowledge and languages and caused children to feel a sense of inferiority as they had no voice to speak about their treatment. These traumas have been passed down through families who experienced them, now referred to as intergenerational trauma. Healing in Indigenous communities has become a priority to bring back identity and prosperity. Many Indigenous communities focus on reclaiming languages, beginning in the early years.

The Sixties Scoop is a term that refers to the child welfare system where Indigenous children were taken into foster care or adopted outside of their communities. It became a common practice as the residential schools began to close in the early 1960s.  Families continued to be separated when a mother was deemed by social workers as not being able to care for her children. Today there are many Indigenous adults who were disconnected from their birth families and communities and are seeking to renew relationships. In your community, there may be people who appear to be Indigenous but have little knowledge of their heritage. We must not assume that everyone knows about their identity. We are all learners

For this activity, you are asked to view a film about Indigenous siblings who were removed from their mother’s care in early life. This film documents their journey as adults in finding each other and going on a short trip to spend time together and reconnect. It is a graphic story of the complexities of the Sixties Scoop and how a group of siblings learned to understand their family history.

*NOTE: For this activity, you will be asked to watch a documentary that discusses graphic content; you may wish to watch the documentary with another supportive adult to be able to discuss emotional reactions.

When ready, navigate to the National Film Board website to watch Birth of a Family (Hubbard, 2017) - Running time = 1hr:22min

Reflect

After watching Birth of a Family, take some time to write in your journal and reflect on your understanding of the Sixties Scoop. Consider sharing your reflections and learning with a trusted colleague or mentor. 

Reference

National Film Board of Canada (2017). Birth of a Family. Edited by Tanya Hubbard. https://www.nfb.ca/film/birth_of_a_family/