Marcel Muskego- It Wasn’t Easy Being There
Hello. I want to thank my little brother, Felix, for sharing. This is the first time we’ve been together here in a circle, and there’s been a few triggers, bringing tears to my eyes. Thank you Felix.
My name is Marcel Muskego, I am a 65 year old. I attended Blue Quills school. My institution started at Charles Camsell Hospital at 1952-1954, and that’s when I was brought to Blue Quills, where I remained until 1965. It wasn’t easy being there, went through to a lot of rough times in there.
At a young age, I was one of those people that, I was a bed wetter, from, well, when I got in there. Every day they make me wash my clothes, that went on most my years in school. The thing about it is they make me wash my own, my own bedding. Ring it out by hand, stand on a chair… They used to make me go on a girl side and go hang my bedding out. The sisters, girls, over there would be laughing at me, some of them.
And like Felix said, I learned to be hard person, not caring person. fight all the time. Blue Quills was predominately Cree, about 80%. I’m Dene, we only made up about 20% at that school.
Yeah, I remember the strappings I used to get for being bad. My first recollection is grade three. I don’t know why I got a strap, but I got a strap. Not in public but they had the classroom doors open, they had a stool they’re out in the hallway and they put me there and they gave it to me. They had the doors open so other students can hear me cry out.
Things like that happened all… just anytime I was bad I got a strap, and I remember one strap I got by the principle. And that was when I was in grade seven. Just we were fooling around, poking a student with a pencil, and that pencil broke on her arm. Sent me to the principal’s office and I got a strap with a combine belt, with the clasp still on there. I have scars on my wrist from that strap. Yesterday I saw a picture of a person that did not to me, first time ever seen those pictures.
– Marcel Muskego
Notes:
Marcel Muskego Testimony. SC149_part06. Shared at Alberta National Event (ABNE) Sharing Circle. March 28, 2014. National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation holds copyright. https://archives.nctr.ca/SC149_part06
