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Community Elder Perspective

Albina Cardinal is a community elder and a residential school survivor and enjoys the opportunity to present first hand experience of attending residential school to students and teachers She presents to students at the Kindergarten – Grade 3 level to discuss her past experience of residential school. She enjoys interacting with the students which is […]

Albina Cardinal is a community elder and a residential school survivor and enjoys the opportunity to present first hand experience of attending residential school to students and teachers She presents to students at the Kindergarten – Grade 3 level to discuss her past experience of residential school. She enjoys interacting with the students which is also a great experience for her. Mrs. Cardinal has been invited to present to teachers on Professional Development days which are held at the school in High Level to talk and answer questions of being a residential school survivor. This provides Educators another means of passing on to their students about what attending a residential school was like as part of the Indigenous peoples history. She explains the relevance of presenting first hand experience since it is easier to listen to a person rather than reading a book as another means to learning. Mrs. Cardinal feels that it is important to learn of Indigenous history and language and work towards bringing back Indigenous languages. She shared a story of when she was young and the many things she learned from her parents when she was home in the summer, fall and sometimes winter. She fondly remembers her mom making her brothers and sisters a pair of moccasins to wear at residential school when they had to return.