Aboriginal people, resilience and the residential school legacy

At the same time, one must also acknowledge the absence in mainstream discourse of the ways in which Aboriginal children and youth have kept well and safe despite the tremendous odds imposed by the residential school experience. [...] While it is common in the popular media to explain such resilience purely in terms of individual character traits, it is, in fact, the result of an interplay between risk on the one hand and a variety of protective factors on the other (Fraser and Richman, 2001). [...] What is important to remember, however, is that resilience only operates in response to the presence of risk conditions and that possession of appropriate personal and social assets is not sufficient in and of itself to guarantee a positive outcome. [...] This is seen in any number of traditional practices adhered to in Aboriginal communities across the country, such as the preservation of umbilical cords in amulets or the mounting of willow switches on the wall as a constant reminder for children to behave. [...] From this perspective, the sayings related above can be reinterpreted so as to emphasize their underlying messages, such as the inter-dependence of people and animals; the importance of consciousness, knowledge and love; and the need for children to be safe and injury-free, just like the fearsome bear.… (more)