Residents of Mistissini took part in a commemorative walk from Voyageur Memorial Elementary School to the shores of Mistissini Lake, where children were once flown out to residential schools, wearing orange in recognition of survivors and those who never came back.Plaque unveiled where children once departed for residential schools decades agoVanna Blacksmith · CBC News · Posted: Oct 08, 2025 2:49 PM EDT | Last Updated: 2 hours agoMistissini residential school survivors, community members and children gather to unveil a memorial plaque on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in Mistissini. (Cree Nation of Mistissini/Facebook)Residents of Mistissini took part in a commemorative walk from Voyageur Memorial Elementary School to the shores of Mistissini Lake, where children were once flown out to residential schools, wearing orange in recognition of survivors and those who never came back.On the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, the Cree Nation of Mistissini unveiled a memorial plaque to honour residential school survivors and to remember the children who lost their lives while attending the institutions.”The monument is a way of honouring the residential school survivors. The shoreline is where a lot of our children were taken out to residential schools by float planes,” said John S. Matoush, the current chief of Mistissini. Between the 1930s and the 1970s, hundreds of Cree children were forcibly removed from their home communities and sent to residential schools across Quebec and Ontario, according to the inscription on the monument.”The monument is a symbol of resilience, strength, and spirit where our children surpassed a lot of challenges they faced and how strong our people were and still are today,” said Matoush. Shiishiikun, a traditional rattle, along with a message about the impacts of residential schools inscribed on the memorial plaque. (Cree Nation of Mistissini/Facebook)Residential school survivors overcame challenges, including the loss of language, culture and connections to family and community. Many experienced abuse, neglect and poor living conditions, according to Matoush. “One of the things that was brought up was making sure that there was a rattle within this sign,” said Matoush. The shiishiikun — traditional rattle made of rawhide, wood and small stones or pellets — was used to soothe babies to sleep, Matoush explained. Including it in the monument serves as a reminder of the children lost to residential schools.”Parents would use the rattle as a sound of getting our babies ready for bed and they would sing to their babies as they went to sleep,” said Matoush. The unveiling brought together elders, community members and younger generations and included more than 20 residential school survivors.Voyageur Memorial Elementary School students holding hands. (Cree Nation of Mistissini/Facebook)For Helen Petawabano, a speaker during the event, the gathering was a moment to acknowledge change. “As we walked together to the shore, I thought to myself, at one time children would cry when they were taken for residential school,” said Petawabano. She spoke about some history of residential schools and how it had intergenerational effects on their family, as her older sister was a residential school survivor. She added that Every Child Matters Day should be a reminder to care for and respect Indigenous children. “Now, children are laughing together instead. I loved seeing them that way. It’s different now,” said Petawabano. For Matoush, the gathering was a reflection of the Cree Nation’s strength and perseverance through loss, language suppression and cultural erasure.”We still maintain our Cree identity, our language, we know who we are. This monument is a reflection of what we went through over the decades That’s part of our story,” said Matoush.LISTEN | John S. Matoush describes the monument for residential school survivors in Mistissini:Winschgaoug (Cree)18:42John S. Matoush describes the monument for residential school survivors in MistissiniOn September 30, 2025, Mistissini unveiled a monument down by the lake to honour residential school survivors and the children who never returned home. We spoke with Deputy Chief John S. Matoush about the importance of this memorial.ABOUT THE AUTHORVanna Blacksmith is an Eenou-Anishinaabe award winning journalist from the Cree Nation of Mistissini, works with CBC Cree in Montreal. They share stories from across Eeyou Istchee and northern Quebec, with a passion for covering sports, community, Cree culture, health, and the arts. Story ideas can be sent vanna.blacksmith@cbc.ca with files from Cheryl Wapachee
Mistissini unveils memorial for residential school survivors and lost children
