Characters names
What Saint name did Bev Sellars choose for her confirmation and what was her reason for picking it ?
Bev chose the name Yvonne for her confirmation because it was the name of her sister Dolly’s best friend, who was very special to her, so she wanted to keep a part of her close. Bev was happy to learn that Saint Yvonne actually existed. Her full Catholic name became Beverly Ann Yvonne Sellars.
What is the home base where all of the family members, including Bev, stayed at some point in their childhood ?
Its a log house in Deep Creek were Bev and all her relatives, including her uncles, brothers and sister, lived for many years. Eventually, most of them left and went their own way.
How were children, including Bev, identified at residential school instead of by their names ?
They were assigned by numbers, which the nuns and priests used instead of their real names. Bev Sellars was called Number 1 throughout her time at residential school.
How old was Bev Sellars when she met her husband ?
Bev Sellars was sixteen years old when she met her husband
Which Indigenous Nation is Bev Sellars a member of ?
Xat’sull(Soda Creek) First Nation.
How did gram named Bev‘s mother, and after whom she named her ?
Gram named Bev’s mother, Evelyn Marguerite, after the place were she was born in.
Where did Bev stay for the next twenty months after the nurse diagnosed her with tuberculosis at the age of five, and how did she feel while she was there?
Bev stayed for the next twenty months at the Coqualeetza Hospital in Sardis, outside Vancouver, more than two hundred miles south of Bev’s home. She felt very lonely during that time because she lost her connection with her entire family and wondered if she would stay in the hospital forever.
How was Bev Sellars grandmother punished for refusing to eat spoiled food during her years at residential school ?
Bev Sellars grandmother was locked in the attic for two weeks because she refused to eat rotten meat. Another girl who was also punished, gave in after week, but Gram held out longer. She survived on a small pieces of bread and water brought to her daily. In the end, she had no choice but to give in.
How did Bev’s experience at the Residential school affected her connection to her homeland ?
By abuse and assimilation.
Which religious institution ran the residential school Sellars attended ?
The Catholic Church
What is the name of the man from a different Aboriginal tribe whom Bev’s Gram married at eighteen years old?
The man gram married was named Walter Sam.
After Bev was chosen to play drums in the girls pipe band, she had to go with her band to a certain place to perform. However, Bev was later told by Cyril Aucoin(one of the band instructors), that she wasn’t going because she wasn’t strong enough to cover a long distance. What was the place that Bev had to visit and were exactly was it ?
It was an Expo 67 at Montreal that Bev had to visit for her band audition.
Why was Pat Joyce considered a hero by the kids at the mission in 1966 ?
As a head cook, he refused to follow the rule that gave children worse food than staff. He made sure they ate the same good meals as the priests and the nuns, finally making mealtimes something to look forward to.
What challenge did Bev face when reintegrating to her community after leaving the residential school ?
Bev struggled with the shame of losing her language and feeling like an outsider in her own community.
What major issues in Indigenous communities was worsened by residential schools ?
Substance abuse and mental health struggles.
What was the name of gram’s grandfather on her fathers side ?
Gram’s grandfather on her fathers side was named François Guy.
During the summer of 1967, Xpe’7e, Bev and grandma took the greyhound bus to a certain event that occurs on the Canada Day weekend in early July.What is the name of this event, and were does it take place ?
Bev, her grandma and Xpe’7e went to the Williams Lake stampede, were people came from all over for the famous event.In 1967, it was still a fairly small rodeo were everyone could visit and enjoy the bronco-riding and calf-tying competitions.
How exactly did Bev Sellars deal with bullying at the mission ?
Bev faced the bullying by relying on her protector, Doreen Johnson. While Doreen was away one weekend, another older girl attacked Bev, but once Doreen returned, she confronted the bully and ensured Bev was safe.
How did Bev’s understanding of her indigenous identity evolve after leaving the residential school ?
Initially fractured by forced assimilation, she gradually reclaimed her Secwepemc identity through activism, language revival and cultural relearning.
What Profession did Bev Sellars later pursue ?
Bev Sellars became a leader and advocate for Indigenous rights.
What is the name of Bev’s moms first child that was born in Oakalla Prison(the provincial penitent in New Westminster)and who is Bev‘s older Brother ?
The name of Bev’s older brother who was born in prison is Ray.
Bev was invited by her older sister Dolly to come visit her for a while. During the next two weeks, she explored the place on her own, taking a sheet of paper with her when she went out and make her own map whenever Bev went. What is the name of the place that she was inivited to visit ?
Vancouver is the large city that Bev was invited to visit by her older sister.
What did Bev Sellars discover in the National Archives about the letters her grandmother and aunt wrote as children while in residential school?
Bev discovered letters in the archives that claimed that her grandmother and aunt were happy at the residential school, but her grandmother was upset by them, saying she hated that place. The letters were all in the same handwriting and used phrases they wouldn’t have chosen. Bev believed the letters were written to create the illusion of happiness and were never sent home.
In what ways did Bev’s physical environment shape her resilience and activism ?
Returning to her ancestral land reignited her cultural pride fueling her advocacy for indigenous rights and environmental justice tied to her people territory.
What organisation investigated the legacy of residential schools in Canada ?
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC).