When residential school students returned to their communities they would share stories of what they witnessed.
“Maybe 30 per cent of our kids went to residential school. The kids that did come back (from residential school) would tell us stories. It was very fearful for us to go to residential school because of what they were saying was going on and what was happening to them.”
Bird attended the Montreal Lake Indian Day School in the 1970s before going on to attend the Prince Albert Indian Residential School. He since went on to work as a residential school support worker, listening to the stories of survivors. He said the titles of day scholar and day school attendee can cause some confusion.
“The ones that people get confused about (are) Muscowequan, you stayed home but you went to residential school in the day time. Duck Lake, their residential school was right there, so it was the only school that was there,” Bird said. “The day scholars, those are the ones who should be compensated if there was any abuse. As far as Indian day school, it was basically part of our education.”
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