A short story written by Mary Teegee-Gray
It is a hot, sticky day — dust from the unpaved roads seems to linger in the stagnant air — this doesn’t dissuade the children from playing in the open fields by the dusty street. Even the birds are too hot to sing so the only noise on Wells Street is the sound of laughing and shrieking coming from the wild and free children unencumbered from worry and hurt; even for just a few happy moments.
An older child comes running into the field yelling “the welfare is coming — the welfare is coming!” All children stop what they are doing and run to hide in the trees, some jump into the muddy ditches. Only a scant few minutes later, a blue slow moving sedan with government stickers comes lumbering down the road, seemingly heavy with the weight of its mission. I run so fast through the bushes to take the long way back home.
My heart is going to burst but I don’t stop for fear they will catch me. I rush into my house where my father is watching the 1976 Olympics and my mother is beading at the table, all is good, I am safe. That evening I hear my parents saying that the Jones children were taken away, my mother crying as she knew we would probably never see them again.
Sarah's Story represents an experience known all too well by Carrier and Sekani families. The removal of children from communities is one of the darkest stains of colonization that continues to impact families. While these stories are painful, they are important to keep close to our hearts as they remind us why jurisdiction is vital for the future of Nations and for children.
Carrier and Sekani people have always looked after children. Pre-contact, children were surrounded by culture, clan and community. Traditional child rearing practices saw children raised by a community of care where everyone had a role and responsibility in raising a child. Every child knew and experienced love.
On February 9, 2024 the Supreme Court of Canada made a landmark decision when they upheld C-92, An Act respecting First Nations, Inuit and Metis children, youth and families. With the Act being recognized as constitutional, the pathway under C-92 for Indigenous Laws to have priority over provincial child and family service laws is reaffirmed. This decision by the Supreme Court confirms the way for Nations to focus their time and resources to the work that matters: caring for children.
In co-creating child and family law with Nations, CSFS and member Nations are breathing life into Carrier and Sekani laws that have existed since time immemorial. This Carrier and Sekani child and family law, this law of love, will not be new to Carrier and Sekani people; however, it is now in 2024 that Carrier and Sekani people are able to stand on the shoulders of those who came before and witness the Bah’lats, the knowledge and traditions passed down by the ancestors, be recognized by the Courts of Canada as the rightful law of the land.
Together with Nations, CSFS is working toward a future where Carrier and Sekani children are surrounded by their culture, where families continue to be heard and supported; where Nations continue to be guided by traditional wisdom and practices. The future is Carrier and Sekani children living up to their fullest potential.
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