Documentary about Sask. residential school fire premieres at First Peoples' Festival in Montreal
A documentary that tells the story of a fire that destroyed a Saskatchewan residential school is premiering at the Montreal First Peoples Festival this week.
“Ashes and Embers” tells the story of the fire in January 1948 that burned down Delmas Indian Residential School. Witnesses say a group of boys who attended the school deliberately burnt it down, but warned students and relatives ahead of time.
“I was always interested in the fire of Delmas because my deceased father, he was present that night, along with most of the people of this generation from our community in Poundmaker (First Nation),” said producer and writer of the film Floyd Favel.
“We pass by that town every time we go to North Battleford so it’s always been there and last year I thought I’d like to interview people, the last remaining survivors of the fire in 1948.”
(Courtesy Miyawata Culture Inc.)(Courtesy Miyawata Culture Inc.)
Floyd says the school was built by Father Delmas, a priest from France, who wanted a French Catholic community in the area.
He says the main reason the boys wanted to burn the school down, according to oral stories, was because they “had enough” of the treatment at the school.
“It was known for lack of food, abuse of the students and that’s why many students were running away. They would always get caught so it had resembled almost like a prison, some of the former students had said,” Floyd told CTV News.
The identities of the boys who burned down the school have remained anonymous as to prevent repercussions, many are also already dead.
Favel says he’s honoured his film is being featured at the First Peoples Festival and happy fragments of the story are living on.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
Mother assaulted by stranger while breastfeeding baby in her car: Vancouver police
A person was arrested in East Vancouver Thursday after allegedly entering a car while a mother was breastfeeding her four-month-old boy.
More than half the Canadians once detained in Syrian camps for suspected ISIS family members have returned home
A total of 29 Canadians have been freed from detention camps in northeast Syria and brought back to Canada since human rights advocates began lobbying for their release years ago.
Rare severe solar storm Friday could bring spectacular aurora light show across Canada
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Canada abstains from Palestinian UN membership vote but supports two-state solution
Canada was one of 25 countries that abstained from a United Nations vote on Palestinian membership that passed with overwhelming support on Friday.
Amish youth experience a rite of passage called Rumspringa. It’s not what you might think
The idea of “Rumspringa” has a specific spot in the American imagination. A rite of passage for young people in some Amish communities, Rumspringa is seen by most outsiders as a wild time away from strict Amish rules, when teenagers can experiment with the modern vices of the world.
Djokovic needs medical attention after getting knocked on the head by a water bottle at Italian Open
Novak Djokovic needed medical attention after apparently getting knocked on the head by a water bottle after a win at the Italian Open on Friday.