Broken Circle : The Dark Legacy of Indian Residential Schools - A Memoir

by Fontaine, Theodore

• ISBN13: 9781926613666
• ISBN10: 192661366X
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-09-01
• Publisher: Heritage Group Dist

Summary

Theodore Fontaine lost his family and freedom just after his seventh birthday, when his parents were forced to leave him at an Indian residential school by order of the Roman Catholic Church and the Government of Canada. Twelve years later, he left school frozen at the emotional age of seven. He was confused, angry and conflicted, on a path of self-destruction. At age 29, he emerged from this blackness. By age 32, he had graduated from the Civil Engineering Program at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology and begun a journey of self-exploration and healing.In this powerful and poignant memoir, Theodore examines the impact of his psychological, emotional and sexual abuse, the loss of his language and culture, and, most important, the loss of his family and community. He goes beyond details of the abuses of Native children to relate a unique understanding of why most residential school survivors have post-traumatic stress disorders and why succeeding generations of First Nations children suffer from this dark chapter in history. Told as remembrances described with insights that have evolved through his healing, his story resonates with his resolve to help himself and other residential school survivors and to share his enduring belief that one can pick up the shattered pieces and use them for good.

Table of Contents

Map	p. 10
Preface	p. 11
The Ménage	p. 13
Broken Circle	p. 21
The Morning Routine	p. 38
Family Gatherings at the Point	p. 50
Older Siblings	p. 62
Early Mornings with Alfred Mann	p. 66
My Dad, My Hero	p. 71
Blueberry Days	p. 76
Wild Rice/Life Lessons	p. 82
Bush-Camp Adventures	p. 86
On Whose Authority?	p. 92
Lessons in Fear	p. 96
My Language is Ojibway	p. 106
Friday Fruits	p. 113
Mind, Body and Soul	p. 119
Killing the Indian in the Child	p. 128
Struggling to Succeed	p. 137
Chubby	p. 160
From Dachau to Newfoundland to Fort Alexander	p. 170
Apologies	p. 176
"Come In, Tci-ga"	p. 183
Acknowledgements	p. 189
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