ESCAPE FROM THE WHITE WITCHES
The Graduation of Eli
This is the story of my Grandfathers time in Residential School and sale into indentured servitude.
Grandad didn’t talk about his time in there, other than to say “The Nuns weren’t very nice”.
The only real anecdote I have is more of a family legend. The story goes that when Grandad finished his schooling, rather than being sent home, he was sent to work at a neighboring farm. This was not a paid position, simply room and board. The owners thought Grandad stupid because he was soft spoken and shy and they mistreated him.
One day, the farmer awoke to find his barn on fire. When asked if he was to blame for the fire, Grandad just shrugged his shoulders and said “I don’t know”.
He was summarily dismissed that same day.
Grandad went to on to homestead in Northern Alberta, where he met my Grandmother and had six children.
The nuns have been appropriated from various ‘Nunsploitation’ films. Grandad is depicted as both a cowboy and indigenous, reflecting his Métis heritage. The title of ‘Barn Burning’ comes from one of my favorite stories by William Faulkner.