Oh, Canada: Reconciliation via Indigenous storytelling, dignity, and ‘dark tourism’
Can tourism — ‘dark tourism’ — and the storytelling that it facilitates help Canada and Canadians reconcile their past and look forward to a brighter, more united future?
Kelley A McClinchey and Frédéric Dimanche explore these themes in this “Good Tourism” Insight. [You too can write a “GT” Insight.]
Contents
- A revelation of truth
- A journey towards reconciliation
- Storytelling and ‘dark tourism’
- Through darkness comes healing and hope
- A 95th Call to Action: Work together
- What do you think?
- About the authors
A revelation of truth
For more than 150 years, Canada’s Indigenous children were isolated from their families and sent to residential schools to remove their cultural identity and assimilate them into Canadian society.
But it wasn’t until 2015 that the world heard their stories, when the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) report was published.
With 94 Calls to Action, the report detailed the account of what happened to Indigenous children who were physically and sexually abused in government schools, and where an estimated 3,200 children died from malnutrition and diseases resulting from poor living conditions.
To date, hundreds of confirmed or suspected unmarked graves have been identified at sites of former residential schools in Canada. Of 139 residential schools, only 11 have been investigated so far.
Many survivors say the investigation is moving too slowly.
The religious institutions that managed those sites remain largely silent about their devastating legacy.
Continue reading at The “Good Tourism” Blog.
