Ga's / The Train

8 3/4 x 8 3/4 x 3/8 in

Ashley meets her great-uncle by the old train tracks near their community in Nova Scotia. When she sees his sadness, he shares with her the history of those tracks. Her uncle tells her that during his childhood, the train would bring their community supplies, but there came a day when the train took away with it something much more important. One day, he and the other children from the reserve were taken aboard and transported to residential schools, where their lives were changed forever. They weren't allowed to speak Mi'gmaq and were punished if they did. Her uncle tells her he tried not to be noticed and how hard it was not to have the love and comfort of his family. Ashley promises to wait with her uncle as he sits by the tracks, waiting for what was taken from their people to come back to them.

Translated in both English and Mi'gmaq.

Jodie Callaghan is a Mi'gmaq woman from the Listuguj First Nation in Gespegewa’gi near Quebec. Becoming inspired after connecting with community members regarding their experiences at residential schools, she wrote The Train.