Treffery Deerfoot- I Got My Lickings After Church
I went to two residential schools I was went to the Old Sun and St. Mary’s on the Blood reserve, Old Sun on the Siksika. And when I was at Old Sun, I kind of went through quite a bit of abuse, you know, first my hair and you know and I didn’t speak any English and they were gonna throw my grandmother in jail for not letting me go to school.
So my life has turned upside down. Today I know a lot of people come by way of testimony, and by way of incidents, I don’t lessen any of that, but I come from first voice today, a voice that it happened to me. And you know I was an altar boy and you know being an altar boy, you know, you had responsibility, I had the responsibility of ringing the bell when the, the guy raised his hand up.
You know when you’re young boy and you don’t know the routine, and this is you know, young men we used to tease each other and when you oppress, you oppress each other. And I was tired in the morning, my shoes didn’t fit you know, and here’s a lot of issues at hand… and the young guys would tap me, and I would ring the bell and wasn’t the time..
And while I sure got to licking after that… It was supposed to be a ceremony of praising God, but I got my lickings after church. I learned how to hold a Bible, on both sides of my hands, when I speak in my language, and I couldn’t hold them up very long cause I was still little boy. They were those old bibles, it was supposed to be the word of God, and I had to hold those up.
It’s the first time I’m telling this in public so it’s a little difficult for me. There’s a lot of issues about for example, when somebody may be farted. You know, they would point to one guy, and I had to go sit in the bathroom, even though I didn’t need to use the bathroom. And I had to use the bathroom before they let me go to bed, so I end up sleeping in the bathroom.
– Treffery Deerfoot
Notes:
Treffery Deerfoot Testimony. SP129_part28. Shared at Calgary Hearing SP129_part28- Sharing Panel. November 4, 2013. National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation holds copyright. https://archives.nctr.ca/SP129_part28
