Her escape
Wayne Delormier and his friend Joe Marion went to Charles Garnier Residential School (left) which was where the boys resided while Joe’s sister went to the girls’ St. Joseph Residential School (right). Photo was taken in 1953. (Courtesy: Shingwauk Residential Schools Centre, Algoma University)
Story told by Wayne Delormier
The girls and the boys were split up between two buildings but they were only about 150 feet apart. We were at the Garnier Residential School and the girls were at the St. Joseph Residential School.
We would sometimes send messages to the girls’ school by paper planes if the wind was right.
We were separated, but we would hear what was going on.
One day, we heard that an Ojibwe girl had disappeared. No one could find her. They looked everywhere.
It turned out that my friend, Joe Marion, who was her older brother, had helped her escape. He had arranged all of it and did the research before.
He talked to some guys who had run away and been brought back. All of them had floated down the river on a boat or on a log to the farthest town they could get. From there, they’d access a train or hitchhike. As far away as they could get. That was the only way they could successfully escape.
In close proximity to the two schools, there were mounted police to bring us back. But if you got far enough away, the expense was too much to look for you so you were free.
Sudbury was one of those towns people would run away to. From there, they’ve got roads and trains that could get them away.
So Joe and some other senior boys had snuck his sister over to the boys’ school at night. She hid in the laundry cart that was making its way over from the girls’ to the boys’ side. Her brother was waiting for her. They brought her up to the attic.
The senior boys were helping her hide - they brought her some food, blankets, a shit pale and other necessities.
She hid there for a month, until they stopped searching for her. Then she escaped the school by sliding down a fire escape pole in the night.
Joe got a letter from her later on saying she had made it to Chicago and was safe. She was staying with people she knew over there who had just legitimately graduated residential school the year before. She got a job and was working there now.
When he read that she was safe, that’s when he was happy.
Tsi iako’niakèn:’en
St. Joseph Residential School classroom pictured in the 1920s. (Courtesy: Shingwauk Residential Schools Centre, Algoma University)
Wayne Delormier roká:raton
Wa’thatinenhrakháhsi’ ne rotisken’rakéhte’ tánon’ ne tsonathonwí:sen tha’tekanónhsate’ ahati’terón:take’ nek tsi 150 niwahsì:take khok tsi na’tetiatenonhsátere’. Garnier tsi ionterihwaienstáhkhwa’ tiakwaterihwaiénsthahkwe’ ne ionkwasken’rakéhte’ nok tsonathonwí:sen St. Joseph tsi ionterihwaiénstahkhwa’ tkonterihwaiénsthahkwe’.
Sewatié:rens ieniakhihiá:tonhse’ ne tsonathonwí:sen kahiatónhsera’ teká:tens eniatiónnia’te’ tánon’ tóka’ tkaié:ri tsi ní:ioht tsi iówerare’ ienakhiiatenniéhten’ tánon’ ién:wawe’.
Teionkhinenhrakháhsion, nek tsi eniakwarihwà:ronke’ oh niiawen’hátie’.
Sewenhnísera, wa’akwarihwà:ronke’ tsi tseià:ta Tewa’káhnha na’eia’tò:ten’ wa’ontia’táhton’ . Iah ónhka teiakokwénion aiontatia’tatshén:ri’. Tsik nón:we wa’ontatia’tí:sake’.
Tsi na’á:wen’ kí: ontiatén:ro, Joe Marion, né:ne ronwahtsì:’a, wahshakohsnié:nen’ naie’niá:ken’ne’. Akwé:kon raónha rorihwahserón:ni tánon’ ohén:ton rorihwisákhon.
Wahshakohtháhrhahse’ tsi nihá:ti ronatè:kwen tánon’ tethonwatiia’ténha. Akwé:kon wahonhná:wenhte’ ne kahán:wakon, tóka’ ni’ karontà:ke ne iahón:newe’ tsi niió:re ne aonhà:’a í:non tkaná:taien. Tho ki’ nón:we, ohthiio’kéha enhontíta’ tóka’ ni’ enhonthahíta’. Tsi niió:re’ tsi enhatikwé:ni’ iahón:newe’. Thok thí:tsi enwá:ton’ enhatirihwaié:rite’ tsi enhati’niá:ken’ne’.
Aktóntie’ ne tekanónhsake tsi ionterihwaienhstahkwaniónhkhwa’, tehniiáhse’ iatenatanónhnha’ tho íthne’skwe’ taontaionkhiia’ténhawe’. Nek tsi tóka’ enhskwé:ni’ ia’tekaié:ri tsi niioháhes iáhsewe’, só:tsi iokarowá:nen ne aiesaia’tisákha’, né: ká:ti’ wáhi satatewenní:io.
Sudbury tkaná:taien nón:we thonte’kwahtáhkhwa’ nonkwe’shòn:’a. Tho ki’ nón:we, iohaténion tánon’ karistaténion nohthiio’kéha enwá:ton’ enhontíta’ é:ren ahotiia’tenhá:wihte’ ne tho.
Né: ká:ti’ Joe tánon’ ne ronátia’ke rotisken’rakéhte’ tsi niwahsón:tes atahsehton’kéha tahshakotiia’ténhawe ’ ne shakokèn:’a tsi nonkwá:ti ne rotisken’rakéhte tsi thonterihwaienstáhkhwa’. Ienentstakwararáhkhwa’ ka’seréhtakon wa’ontahséhte’ sok iahatíhawe’ tsi nonkwá:ti ne rotisken'rakéhte’ thonterihwaienstáhkhwa’. Rohtsì:’a shakohrhá:rehkwe’. Tsi ka’nonhkwakèn:tore’ iahshakotiia’ténhawe’.
Ne sénha thotí:ien’s rotisken’rakéhte’ wahshakotiié:nawa’se’ aiontáhsehte’ - washakotihawíhten’ ne atennà:tshera’, ahsire’shòn:’a, bathiám, tánon’ ó:ia’ nahò:ten’ teiakotonhwentsó:ni.
Sewenhnì:ta nikarì:wes tho tiakotahséhton, tsi niió:re wahóntka’we’ tsi shakotiia’tí:saks. Sok wa’e’niá:ken’ne’ ne tsi ionterihwaienhstáhkhwa’ ohonro’tà:ke wa’ontiá:nenhte’ tsi niwahsón:tes.
Wahohiatonhseró:ta’se’ Joe tahonwahiá:tonhse’ tsi skén:nen iahà:’onwe’ ne Chicago. Tehatiiáhse’ ne onkwe’shòn:’a thonwatiienté:ri ne tho. Òn:wa’k tehonatohétston ne tsi iontientáhkhwa’ tsi ionterihwaienstáhkhwa’ shitióhsera. Wa’akoio’tenhseraién:ta’ne’ tánon’ tho ki’ ó:nen tiakoió’te’.
Tsi ó:nen wahawennahnó:ten’ tsi skén:nen iahà:’onwe’, wahatshennón:ni’.
Translation by Katsenhaién:ton Lazare
On Saturdays, the school would take students to town by bus and drop them off in Spanish, instructing them to walk five miles back in order to return to school. This image is taken on one of these trips, in downtown Spanish. (Courtesy: Shingwauk Residential Schools Centre, Algoma University)