Children of God

CHILDREN OF GOD

ENRICHMENT GUIDE

A musical written and directed by COREY PAYETTE

Produced in association with Western Canada Theatre An Urban Ink (Vancouver) production In collaboration with Canada’s National Arts Centre In association with Raven Theatre and The Cultch (Vancouver)

Play Guides sponsored by

CHILDREN OF GOD TABLE OF CONTENTS

THEATRE ETIQUETTE 3 WHO’S INVOLVED 4 SPONSORS 5 CONTENT ADVISORY 6 ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT 7 ABOUT THE PRODUCTION 8 DIRECTOR’S NOTES 9 SYNOPSIS 10 RESIDENTIAL SCHOOLS IN CANADA 11-12 KEY TERMS/DEFINITIONS 13-14 UNITED NATIONS DECLARATION ON 15-20 THE RIGHTS OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES (UNDRIP) PRODUCTION ELEMENTS 21 DISCUSSION QUESTIONS 22-24 FURTHER READING/REFERENCES 25 CURRICULUM ALIGNMENT 26-27

CHILDREN OF GOD THEATRE ETIQUETTE

Going to the theatre is an engaging and interactive experience. We want you to be an active participant when you see our shows; laugh when it’s funny, cry when it’s sad, gasp when it’s shocking, and enjoy the experience as much as possible. But we want you to do this in the most respectful way possible, for both the performers and your fellow audience members. To ensure the most positive experience, please review the following information prior to arriving at the theatre. The following items are not allowed in the theatre: •Food and drink (except that which is sold during intermission and/or permitted by the Citadel Theatre, such as bottled water and ice cream). •Cameras and other recording devices (please note that taking photographs or other recordings in the theatre is strictly prohibited by law). Basic courtesy: •Turn OFF and put away all electronic devices such as cell phones, iPods, video game systems, etc. prior to entering the theatre. •Do not place your feet on the seat in front of you. •The actors onstage can see and hear the audience during the performance – it is important that audience members not talk, move around, or fidget during the performance, as this can be distracting for the actors, as well as fellow audience members. •There is no dress code at the Citadel Theatre, but we respectfully request that patrons refrain from wearing hats in the theatre. •For the safety of those with allergies, please refrain from using perfumes or scented products before coming to the theatre. •Please do not place backpacks or other bags in the aisle in front of your feet, as this may impair the ability of persons to exit the row in an emergency. Inappropriate behaviour: Citadel Theatre representatives watch carefully during performances for inappropriate behaviour, especially behaviour that could endanger an actor or audience member. Inappropriate behaviour includes, but is not limited to: •Talking in the audience •The use of laser pointers or other light or sound-emitting devices •Interfering with an actor or the performance (tripping, throwing items on or near the stage, etc.)

Audience members identified as engaging in this type of behaviour will be removed from the theatre during the performance or at intermission.

CHILDREN OF GOD CAST, CREATIVE TEAM AND CHARACTERS

CAST MICHELLE BARDACH Joanna/Secretary RAES CALVERT Wilson/Movement SARAH CARLE Sister Bernadette DYLAN CHIBLOW Tom/Tommy DAVID KEELEY Father Christopher SANDY SCOFIELD Rita CHEYENNE SCOTT Julia AARON M. WELLS Vincent/Fight Captain KAITLYN YOTT Elizabeth

CREATIVE TEAM Book/Music/Lyrics/Director COREY PAYETTE Production Designer MARSHALL McMAHEN Musical Director ALLEN COLE Orchestrator ELLIOT VAUGHAN Associate Director JULIE McISSAC Lighting Designer JEFF HARRISON Jewelry Designer HELEN ORO Original Sound Designer KRIS BOYD Sound Designer KYRA SOKO Fight Director RYAN McNEIL BOLTON Associate Musical Director STEVEN GREENFIELD Stage Manager SAMIRA ROSE Assistant Stage Manager MOLLY PEARSON

MUSICIANS STEVEN GREENFIELD Keys AMY NICHOLSON Cello BRIAN RAINE Guitar MARTINA SMAZAL Viola

CHILDREN OF GOD SPONSORS

Season Sponsor A-Level Seats Sponsor

MEDIA SPONSORS

CHILDREN OF GOD

CONTENT ADVISORY AND SELF CARE

Please be advised that this play contains explicit descriptions and depictions of physical abuse, sexual abuse, and suicide. The play also deals with the history of residential schools in Canada. This is a recent history, as the last school did not close until 1996.

These topics can be distressing, traumatic, and/or triggering for members of the audience, especially those who have had firsthand experiences with these issues, or who know someone who has. With regards to residential school, some audience members may have Elders or other family members who went to residential school, or even may have gone to residential school themselves. Trauma is an overwhelming reaction to stressful and distressing situations. It can occur from a direct experience of trauma or from witnessing or listening to stories that are traumatic. Even if we don’t experience a trauma reaction, it is important to acknowledge when a situation is overwhelming so that we can take care of ourselves.

The caring professions have found that witnessing trauma and becoming invested in overwhelming emotionally stories can impact our health, well-being, and energy, if we don’t engage in self- care. Self-care is important after experiencing or witnessing a traumatic situation; it can help us reduce the stress of processing the event.

Some self care strategies include: Exercise Adequate sleep Eating healthy Mindfulness techniques (meditation or yoga) Speak with a counselor or someone you trust Our communities also play a role in our self-care. Having people around us that we trust to help us debrief, laugh, and give us comfort - these are important parts of self care. It is also possible that witnessing and understanding the injustices in our communities and societies can lead to overwhelming emotions. Self-care can also be found in taking action on the issues that are causing us stress. Working towards a better world can inspire hope within us when trauma events leave us feeling hopeless.

Resources 24 Hour National Survivors Crisis Line: 1-866-925-4419

How clinicians practice self care: https://psychcentral.com/lib/how-clinicians-practice-self-care- 9-tips-for-readers/

A list of resources on self care for activists and people invested in social change: http:// www.guerrillafeminism.org/guerrilla-feminist-digital-activist-resource-center/radical-self-care/

Special thanks to the UBC School of Social Work who kindly offered guidance in the writing of this section.

CHILDREN OF GOD ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT

Corey Payette. Photo by Mique’l Dangeli. Corey Payette is proud of his Oji-Cree heritage from Northern Ontario, and has worked as a playwright, actor, composer, and director across Canada. He is the Artistic Director of Urban Ink Productions (Vancouver, B.C.), past Artist-in-Residence with English Theatre at Canada’s National Arts Centre, and the founder of Raven Theatre (Vancouver, B.C.), focusing on new works by Indigenous artists. Payette has worked as an Artistic Associate with Full Circle: First Nations Performance and The Indigenous Cycle at the National Arts Centre, an investigation into the broad spectrum of the Indigenous body of work being created within Canada’s borders. This cycle resulted in the creation of a new department of Indigenous Theatre at the National Arts Centre to begin in 2019.

As a playwright, Payette’s work has been developed at the National Arts Centre, Vancouver Playhouse, Firehall Arts Centre, Western Canada Theatre, Arts Club Theatre, Urban Ink Productions, Full Circle: First Nations Performance, Fugue Theatre, Bard on the Beach, and Raven Theatre. His original musical Children of God has been developed in collaboration with English Theatre at the National Arts Centre and had its world premiere in May 2017 at the York Theatre (The Cultch) in Vancouver and in June 2017 on the Mainstage at the National Arts Centre.

Payette’s acting credits include the world premiere of the musical The Road Forward by Marie Clements at the PuSh Festival and docu-feature produced by the National Film Board of Canada; Beyond Eden at Theatre Calgary/Vancouver Playhouse Theatre Company; La Cage Aux Folles at the Vancouver Playhouse; three summers at the Chemainus Theatre Festival; and he toured the Yukon with Gwaandak Theatre as the lead in their world premiere production Justice at the Yukon Arts Centre and was also presented at the NAC's Northern Scene Festival.

He holds a B.F.A. in music composition from York University, composed the film score to the documentary AMIN AMIR (OMNI TV), and was the past Grand Chief of the Board of Directors of the Indigenous Performing Arts Alliance (IPAA) and board member of Vancouver Native Health Society providing mental, physical, and spiritual relief to Aboriginal people on the DTES, Vancouver, B.C.

As a musical theatre creator, he’s currently writing a new musical Les Filles du Roi (music and direction, co-book/lyrics with Julie McIsaac) in English, French, and Kanien’kéha (Mohawk), commissioned by Fugue Theatre. Children of God will tour in the 2017/18 season to the Citadel Theatre in Edmonton and Western Canada Theatre in Kamloops.

CHILDREN OF GOD ABOUT THE PRODUCTION

Children of God started the workshop phase in 2011 when a week-long development workshop was held in partnership with the Vancouver Playhouse. In 2012, another week-long development workshop was held in partnership with the Firehall Arts Centre, Western Canada Theatre, and Raven Theatre. In November 2014, a development workshop was held in partnership with the Arts Club Theatre Company, with a staged reading at the Arts Club Theatre Company’s ReAct Festival. In February 2015, a workshop was held in partnership with Full Circle: First Nations Performance, with a workshop performance at Full Circle: First Nations Performance Talking Stick Festival. In October 2015, there were several workshop productions at the Pavilion Theatre at Western Canada Theatre in Kamloops, B.C. Children of God celebrated its World Premiere in Vancouver, B.C. at the York Theatre from May 17 to June 3, 2017. After a very successful run in Vancouver, the production travelled to Ottawa, O.N. and was mounted on the mainstage Theatre at the National Arts Centre from June 7 to 28, 2017. Children of God will run at the Citadel Theatre in Edmonton, A.B. March 3 to 24, 2018, then go on to Western Canada Theatre in Kamploops, B.C. from March 29 to April 7, 2018.

Cheyenne Scott and Trish Lindström. Photo by Emily Cooper.

CHILDREN OF GOD DIRECTOR’S NOTES

Welcome, Growing up in Northern Ontario, we were never taught the history of residential schools. It wasn’t something people talked about. When I learned of this history, I felt I needed to do something about it and make sure that people knew what happened here. Children of God was born out of anger and frustration that this horrible history had happened and yet was hidden from the narrative of our country. The journey started through years of research, speaking with survivors on the back of their pick-up trucks in rural B.C., visiting abandoned school sites, and holding a workshop production at the Chief Louis Cultural Centre, a reclaimed former residential school on the Tk’emlúps te Secwèpemc in Kamloops, B.C. Every step of this journey changed my outlook as a person, allowed me to have a deeper understanding of the history, and led me to recognize my responsibility in acknowledging the strength and resilience of residential school survivors and their descendants. Over the past seven years, I have witnessed the whole country expand their awareness through a similar transition. Through the work of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Canadians now have a better understanding of this history; it has gone from something that wasn’t talked about to something that we discuss regularly. I believe that for true reconciliation it can’t just be Indigenous peoples who bear the burden of this work. It needs to be everyone, in every community, investing in this process and continuing the journey forward together. Through this work, we honour and acknowledge the strength of survivors and their descendants. We are proud of Indigenous peoples’ resilience in reclaiming our culture, language, and rightful place at the heart of our Canadian identity. Stories are powerful. They connect us, shape our understanding of ourselves and our relationship to one another, so that the true history of this country can be fully understood. Miigwetch (Thank you) to all the people who have believed in this work over the years, to everyone at the National Arts Centre-English Theatre, The Cultch, Urban Ink, and Raven Theatre, and to this remarkable company of artists for bringing Children of God to life. And to You, the audience, for being here, and including this work as a step on our journey to reconciliation. All my relations, Corey Payette

CHILDREN OF GOD

Play Synopsis

Children of God is a gorgeous, powerful musical about an Oji-Cree family whose children were taken away to a residential school in Northern Ontario. The story of Rita, a mother who was never let past the school’s gate, and her kids, Tom and Julia, who never knew she came, pushes toward redemption. Children of God offers a thrilling blend of ancient traditions and contemporary realities, celebrating resilience and the power of the Indigenous cultural spirit. Inspired by First Nations music, Payette’s profoundly moving score also includes echoes of provocative Broadway masterpieces such as Fun Home and Next to Normal.

Herbie Barnes and Cheyenne Scott. Photo by Emily Cooper. 10

CHILDREN OF GOD RESIDENTIAL SCHOOLS IN CANADA

Residential Schools In Canada (Background)

The residential school system in Canada was designed to steal Aboriginal children from their home communities and forcibly turn them into Euro-Christian citizens of Canadian society. As former Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s famous epithet from his 2008 apology to residential school survivors goes, the residential schools were meant “to kill the Indian in the child.”

Set up by the federal government, and primarily run by the church, the residential schools sprawled across the nation throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. The last one did not close until 1996. The system was rooted in the idea that European civilization was superior to the diverse civilizations of the Indigenous peoples, and that it was thus Canada’s moral, and God-given, responsibility to save Aboriginal children from themselves. By isolating the children from their lands, their languages, their relations, and their traditions and simultaneously immersing them in European customs, primarily rigid gender roles, Anglo-monolingualism, and industrial vocational training, it was thought that Aboriginal communities would die out, and that a unified Canadian nation would emerge.

Residential schools, at their core, were built to commit what is called ‘cultural genocide.’ These schools often became places where children would do menial tasks designed to keep the schools open at low cost, rather than as sites of meaningful education. It is also widely reported that these schools were sites of brutal physical, emotional, and sexual abuse against the children, often as punishment for speaking their traditional language, or trying to escape. Many children died while at these schools.

Residential Schools—Lasting Effects

As Children of God will explore, the horrible legacy of the residential school system is still felt today by many Indigenous peoples.

Many of the youth who attended residential schools not only grew up learning to hate their culture, but also grew up not learning how to raise a family, often in an atmosphere of physical and sexual abuse. This has had disastrous impacts for Indigenous communities. For many, survivors of the schools grew into adulthood lacking parenting skills, fostering another generation of children without a nurturing family environment. In many communities today, rates of domestic abuse, alcoholism, and youth suicide are high, many cases of which observers have traced back to the residential school system and the lack of self-esteem it instilled in the students. This ongoing process of undermining community well-being and cohesion, despite the schools being closed, is often referred to as intergenerational trauma.

Healing from Residential Schools

While understanding the vile history of residential schools and the lingering ramifications of this system, it is also important to pause and recognize that this trauma does not define Indigenous peoples and their communities. Many First Nations communities today are healthy and thriving, have a strong connection to their lands and traditions, and are raising younger generations that are eager and ready to continue this process.

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CHILDREN OF GOD RESIDENTIAL SCHOOLS IN CANADA (Continued)

On a national scale, it is becoming more common to talk about the residential schools in an honest way for Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples alike— partly in thanks to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (see below)— which sought to offer space and a platform for survivors of the schools to talk about their experiences as a means of mending relations between Canada and Indigenous nations. Reconciliation politics is by no means perfect, as many First Nations are waiting for the federal government to deliver on its promise of better futures, but we now have valuable entry points into necessary conversations around what healing can look like.

Many communities that still experience the lingering impact of residential schools are taking matters into their own hands, and are looking to break cycles of intergenerational trauma through their own community-led initiatives, such as education, residential school survivor-oriented societies, and drug and alcohol intervention programs (see below).

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission Findings http://www.trc.ca/websites/trcinstitution/index.php?p=890

Resources on Healing and Healing Initiatives

“Healing the Legacy of the Residential Schools.” Where Are The Children http:// wherearethechildren.ca/

Aboriginal Healing Foundation http://www.ahf.ca/

The Indian Residential School Survivors Society – http://www.irsss.ca/

Legacy of Hope http://legacyofhope.ca/

(L-R): Herbie Barnes, Kim Harvey, Cheyenne Scott, Kevin Loring, Kaitlyn Yott, Aaron Wells. Photo by Emily Cooper.

CHILDREN OF GOD KEY TERMS

ABORIGINAL The first peoples of Canada, including First Nations, Metis, and Inuit peoples. It became a popular term after 1982, when Section 35 of the Canadian Constitution defined “Aboriginal” in this way.

FIRST NATIONS The Aboriginal peoples of Canada (excluding Metis and Inuit). It does not have a legal definition, but it has been popular practice since the 1970s to use “First Nations” in replacement of the term “Indian,” as many have begun to perceive “Indian” to be derogatory. According to Indigenous Foundations (2009), an online UBC-run resource, the singular “First Nation” can refer to “a band, a reserve-based community, or a larger tribal grouping and the status Indians who live in them. For example, the Stó:lō Nation (which consists of several bands), or the Tsleil-Waututh Nation (formerly the Burrard Band).”

INDIAN A legal term that refers to a First Nations person who is registered as such under the Indian Act. It is best practice to only use the term “Indian” in this context, as many people since the 1970s have begun to believe the term to be offensive and outdated. Children of God takes place during a time when it is still a popular term, and uses it extensively.

INDIGENOUS A term that encompasses a wide range of Aboriginal peoples, and is typically used in international contexts (most notably the United Nations). This study guide uses this term extensively to refer to Aboriginal peoples in Canada.

RESIDENTIAL SCHOOL Indigenous Foundations (2009) defines the term as: an extensive school system set up by the Canadian government and administered by churches that had the nominal objective of educating Aboriginal children but also the more damaging and equally explicit objectives of indoctrinating them into Euro-Canadian and Christian ways of living and assimilating them into mainstream Canadian society.

The residential schools were, at their core, meant to undermine Aboriginal communities by taking the children away and making them Euro-Canadian. The last school did not close until 1996.

Children of God takes place during the 1950s and 1970s, and is set during a time when it is mandatory by law for all Indian children to attend residential school.

INDIAN ACT A Canadian federal law meant to govern Aboriginal life. Since its beginnings, it has been highly invasive and controlling. According to Indigenous Foundations (2009): This authority has ranged from overarching political control, such as imposing governing structures on Aboriginal communities in the form of band councils, to control over the rights of Indians to practice their culture and traditions. The Indian Act has also enabled the government to determine the land base of these groups in the form of reserves, and even to define who qualifies as Indian in the form of Indian status.

It was the Indian Act that, in the 1920s, made it mandatory for every child with Indian status to attend residential school.

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CHILDREN OF GOD KEY TERMS (Continued)

SETTLER COLONIALISM AND ASSIMILATION Settler colonialism is an ongoing process of destroying one society for the purpose of replacing it with another one. To justify this, the Indigenous peoples need to be perceived as inferior in contrast to the colonizing group, and thus deserving of what happens to them.

Canada is founded on settler colonialism, and this process of erasure was done first through force — outright genocide — and then later through more subtle strategies of containment, such as law (the Indian Act).

Children of God takes place during this shift from force to more ‘soft power’ rule over Aboriginal communities. The residential school system, though seemingly less violent than genocide, had the same goal. It was thought that training Indian children to be Canadian when they are young would eventually bring about the slow death of Aboriginal communities, and that this mass death would open up more land for Canadian nation-building. This slow process is also known as assimilation — stripping a group of people of their identities and then absorbing them into a mainstream culture.

Settler colonialism is still happening today, though it is getting more and more tricky to pinpoint exactly how, because the federal government likes to talk about ‘reconciliation’ all the time. Many point out that the Indian Act, though it has been amended many times since its inception, has largely maintained its original form. It is still designed to govern and control First Nations communities, as well as give Canada access to their lands, most notably for energy projects.

Also, the structure of the residential schools remains today in the form of Canada’s foster care system. Remember that the residential school system would take children away from communities the federal government deemed ‘unsafe.’ Today, the federal government continues to take children away from their communities, placing them in foster care. This process began in the 1960s, and has been called the chilling term ‘Sixties Scoop.’ It has been calculated that there are more Aboriginal children in foster care today than there were children in the residential schools (The Canadian Press 2011).

(L-R): Cathy Elliott, Herbie Barnes, Kim Harvey, Cheyenne Scott, Kevin Loring, Kaitlyn Yott, Aaron Wells, Trish Lindström, Michael Torontow. Photo by Emily Cooper. 14

CHILDREN OF GOD

UNITED NATIONS DECLARATION ON THE RIGHTS OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES

The adoption of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) was the result and highlight of many years of work. For the approximately 370 million Indigenous peoples in some 90 countries around the world, UNDRIP is an expression of their rights and place in the global community. The cultural and linguistic heritage of Indigenous peoples contributes to the world’s diversity. Their knowledge and practices have enhanced respect for the environment and the natural resources of the world's communities, food security, health an education. Indigenous peoples’ knowledge of traditional medicines, for example, has contributed immensely to protecting the health of both Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples. UNDRIP is the most advanced and comprehensive Declaration on Indigenous peoples’ rights.

By adopting the Declaration, governments have moved towards achieving consensus with Indigenous peoples on the minimum standards necessary for their survival, dignity and well-being. UNDRIP addresses the most significant issues affecting Indigenous peoples - their civil, political, social, economic and cultural rights. It also bears on their right to self-determination, spirituality, language, lands, territories, resources and free, prior and informed consent. It is, therefore, important that Indigenous young people, all over the world, become acquainted with its provisions. To this end, an adolescent-friendly version has been developed. It is the outcome of cooperation between the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues and its Secretariat, in collaboration with the Global Indigenous Youth Caucus. This version of UNDRIP will help Indigenous young people learn about Indigenous peoples’ rights.

PART 1: IMPORTANT THEMES IN THE DECLARATION The main themes are: (i) the right to self-determination; (ii) the right to be recognized as distinct peoples; (iii) the right to free, prior and informed consent; and (iv) the right to be free of discrimination. These themes are important to keep in mind as you read the Declaration.

The right to self-determination The right of Indigenous peoples to self-determination is fundamental to UNDRIP. While there are different interpretations, self-determination generally means that Indigenous peoples have the right to decide what is best for them and their communities. For example, they can make their own decisions on issues that concern them and carry them out in the way that will be meaningful to Indigenous peoples, while being respectful of the human rights of their community members (including children) and other peoples as well. Indigenous peoples have the right to be independent and free. They have the right to be citizens of the country they live in and at the same time to be members of their Indigenous communities. As citizens, they have the right to choose to build relationships with other peoples and to take active roles in the country in which they are living.

The right to cultural identity Indigenous peoples are equal to all other peoples, but they also have the right to be different, for example in the way they dress, the food they eat and in the language they speak.

The right to free, prior and informed consent Free, prior and informed consent means that Indigenous peoples have the right to be consulted and make decisions on any matter that may affect their rights freely, without pressure, having all the information and before anything happens.

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UNITED NATIONS DECLARATION ON THE RIGHTS OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES Continued

Protection from discrimination The right to be free from discrimination means that governments must ensure that Indigenous peoples and individuals are treated the same way as other people, regardless of sex, disability or religion.

PART 2: LIFE, LIBERTY, CULTURE AND SECURITY

Article 7: Right to life, liberty and security Every Indigenous person is born with the right to life, to live freely (liberty) and to be safe and secure. Indigenous peoples as a group have the right to live freely, be safe and secure, and not exposed to violence. For example, the children of an Indigenous group may not be taken away from their family by force.

Article 8: Assimilation or destruction of culture Indigenous peoples and individuals have the right not to be assimilated – meaning, they have the right not to be forced to take up someone else’s culture and way of life, and for their culture not to be destroyed.

Article 9: Belonging to an Indigenous community or nation Indigenous peoples and individuals have the right to belong to Indigenous communities or nations. They may not be discriminated against because of their belonging to (being a member of) an Indigenous community or nation.

Article 10: Forceful removal and relocation Indigenous peoples may not be removed or relocated by force from their lands. If they are relocated, then only with their free, prior and informed consent, meaning that they have the right to make decisions on relocation freely, without pressure, having all the information and before anything happens. They also have the right to compensation for their relocation, and the option to return to their land, if possible.

PART 3: CULTURE, RELIGION AND LANGUAGE

Article 11: Right to culture Indigenous peoples have the right to practice and revive their culture and traditions. Governments will work with Indigenous peoples to ensure Indigenous property rights to their cultures, knowledge, spiritual and religious traditions are respected, and to address cases where these have been used without free, prior and informed consent.

Article 12: Right to spiritual and religious traditions and customs Indigenous peoples have the right to practice their spiritual and religious traditions. Governments will, with Indigenous peoples, ensure that Indigenous peoples are free to practice, protect and revive and keep alive their cultures, spiritual, religious and knowledge traditions.

Article 13: Right to know and use language, histories and oral traditions Indigenous peoples have the right to recover, use and pass on to future generations their histories and languages, oral traditions, writing systems and literature and to use their own names for communities, places and people. Indigenous peoples also have the right to be heard and understood in their own languages in different settings as for example in court, through an interpreter.

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UNITED NATIONS DECLARATION ON THE RIGHTS OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES Continued

PART 4: EDUCATION, MEDIA AND EMPLOYMENT

Article 14: Establishment of educational systems and access to culturally sensitive education Indigenous peoples have the right to set up and manage their own schools and education systems. Indigenous individuals, particularly children, have the same right as everyone else to go to school and cannot be left out because they are Indigenous. This means that governments must ensure that Indigenous peoples – particularly children – living in, or outside of, their communities get the same benefit from the education system as others in ways that respect Indigenous cultures, languages and rights.

Article 15: Accurate reflection of Indigenous cultures in education Indigenous peoples have the right to their cultures and traditions being correctly reflected in education and public information. Governments will work with Indigenous peoples to educate non-Indigenous peoples in ways that respect Indigenous peoples’ rights and promote a harmonious society.

Article 16: Media Indigenous peoples have the right to create their own media (i.e., radio, TV and newspapers) in their own language and to access non-Indigenous media. Government-owned media has a duty to reflect Indigenous cultural diversity. Governments will also encourage privately owned media to reflect Indigenous cultural diversity.

Article 17: Employment Indigenous individuals and peoples have the right to be treated fairly and not be discriminated against in all matters relating to work and employment. Indigenous children should be especially protected from work that harms them, and that is bad for their health and education. Governments will work together with Indigenous peoples to protect children from this kind of mistreatment.

PART 5: PARTICIPATION AND DEVELOPMENT

Article 18: Participation in decision-making Indigenous peoples have the right to take part in decision-making in all matters affecting them. This includes the rights of Indigenous peoples to select who represents them and to have Indigenous decision- making processes respected.

Article 19: Free, prior and informed consent for laws and policies Governments must seek Indigenous peoples’ views and opinions and work together with them through their chosen representatives in order to gain their free, prior and informed consent before laws are passed or policies or programs are put in place that will affect Indigenous peoples.

Article 20: Subsistence and development Indigenous peoples have the right to their own political, economic and social systems, and to follow their own traditional ways of growing food and other activities that help them in their daily living. They have the right to seek justice where this right is taken away.

Article 21: Economic and social well-being Indigenous peoples have the right to improve their economic and social well-being, and governments will take action to help Indigenous peoples do so, with particular attention to the rights of Indigenous elders, women, youth, children and persons with disabilities. 17

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UNITED NATIONS DECLARATION ON THE RIGHTS OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES Continued

Article 22: Indigenous elders, women, youth, children and persons with disabilities Governments, with proper consultation with Indigenous peoples, will ensure Indigenous elders, women, youth, children and persons with disabilities have their rights respected. Governments will ensure that Indigenous women and children are free from all forms of violence and discrimination.

Article 23: Priorities and strategies for development Indigenous peoples have the right to set their own priorities and directions for development of their communities. Governments will support Indigenous peoples to run their own organizations and services, and in deciding for themselves issues affecting their health, housing and other matters.

Article 24: Right to health Indigenous peoples have the right to use traditional medicines and health practices that they find suitable. They have the right to access health care and social services (i.e., get prenatal care, go to the doctor or social worker or get help with food and housing) without discrimination. Indigenous individuals have the same right to health as everyone else, and governments will take the necessary steps to realize this right.

PART 6: LAND AND RESOURCES

Article 25: Spiritual relationship with traditional land and resources Indigenous peoples have the right to their special and important spiritual relationship with their lands, waters and resources and to pass these rights to future generations.

Article 26: Right to own, use, develop and control traditional land and resources Indigenous peoples have the right to own and develop their land and resources. Governments will legally recognize and protect these lands and resources, and will take action to respect Indigenous peoples’ laws and traditions in non-Indigenous legal systems.

Article 27: Indigenous laws and traditions on land and resources Governments will respect and recognize Indigenous peoples’ laws and traditions about land and resources and take action to have these respected in non-Indigenous legal systems. Indigenous peoples have the right to get help from governments to protect their lands.

Article 28: Rights when lands and resources are wrongly taken away Indigenous peoples have the right to get back or to be compensated when their lands, territories or resources have been wrongly taken away, occupied, used or damaged without their free, prior and informed consent.

Article 29: Conservation and protection of the environment, lands and resources Indigenous peoples have the right to their environment being protected. Governments will respect and protect the right of Indigenous peoples to develop and protect their lands, water bodies and other natural resources. No dangerous materials should be placed on Indigenous peoples’ lands without their free, prior and informed consent. Governments will protect the health of Indigenous peoples who are affected by dangerous materials placed on their land.

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UNITED NATIONS DECLARATION ON THE RIGHTS OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES Continued

Article 30: Military activities Military activities will not take place on Indigenous lands without Indigenous peoples’ free, prior and informed consent, unless it is necessary for the well-being of all of society and it takes place through consultations with Indigenous peoples’ representatives.

Article 31: Cultural and intellectual property Indigenous peoples have the right to their cultural and intellectual property, and governments will recognize and protect this right. Examples of cultural and intellectual property are stories, songs, dance, designs, art, ceremonies, sacred sites and remains of ancestors. Intellectual property includes things like Indigenous peoples’ knowledge of their laws, spiritual, social, health, education, economic, and environmental beliefs, systems and practices.

Article 32: Land and resource development Indigenous peoples have the right to decide how they wish to develop their lands and resources. Governments must respect and protect these rights. Indigenous peoples’ free, prior and informed consent must be obtained when any decisions are made that may affect the rights to their lands, resources or waters.

PART 7: SELF-GOVERNMENT AND INDIGENOUS LAWS

Article 33: Identity, membership and citizenship Indigenous peoples have the right to decide what their identity or membership is. They also have the right to decide who their members are according to their own customs and traditions. Indigenous peoples have a right to be citizens of the country in which they live.

Article 34: Distinctive institutional structures and customs Indigenous peoples have the right to their own structures, traditions and laws in ways that ensure that Indigenous peoples enjoy the highest standards of human rights.

Article 35: Individual responsibilities Indigenous peoples have the right to decide what responsibilities individuals in their community have towards the community as a whole.

Article 36: Right to maintain and develop contacts, relations and cooperation Indigenous peoples living in different countries have the right to be in contact and carry out activities with each other. Governments, in consultation with Indigenous peoples, will support Indigenous peoples in exercising this right.

Article 37: Recognition, observance and enforcement of treaties and agreements Governments will respect all the agreements they have made with Indigenous peoples. The Declaration in no way reduces the rights of Indigenous peoples in other agreements previously made by Indigenous peoples with governments.

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UNITED NATIONS DECLARATION ON THE RIGHTS OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES Continued

PART 8: IMPLEMENTATION

These articles explain how governments and the United Nations should work together – in consultation with Indigenous peoples – to make sure the rights of all Indigenous peoples are protected. Together with Indigenous peoples, governments should create laws, shape policies and provide funds to implement the Declaration. Indigenous peoples have the right to have access to support from the international community in carrying out activities that will lead to this reality. Where their rights are violated, Indigenous peoples have the right to compensation. Indigenous peoples also have a right to access fair conflict resolution with governments or other parties when their individual and collective rights are not being honoured. These conflict resolution processes should respect Indigenous rights, customs, and legal systems and promote the highest standards of human rights. Governments and the United Nations, including the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, should work with Indigenous peoples to make sure the rights of all Indigenous peoples as provided by the Declaration are realized and protected.

PART 9: UNDERSTANDING THE DECLARATION These articles explain how to understand the Declaration. Governments can do more but not less than what is written in the Declaration. The Declaration also applies to both males and females. The Declaration contains both rights and responsibilities of Indigenous peoples. Care must be taken to ensure that the rights are not used to deliberately disturb the unity, peace and security of a country.

For more information, visit: http://files.unicef.org/policyanalysis/rights/files/ HRBAP_UN_Rights_Indig_Peoples.pdf

CHILDREN OF GOD

PRODUCTION ELEMENTS

PROSCENIUM STAGE

A proscenium theatre is a specific style of theatre. Several features define a proscenium theatre, and this particular theatre layout is extremely common; if you have ever been to see a live performance, especially in a high school auditorium, chances are high that you have seen a proscenium theatre. In addition to proscenium style theatres, it is also possible to find black box theatres, theatres with thrust stages, theatres in the round, and numerous other configurations of stage and audience. The classically defining feature of a proscenium theatre is the proscenium arch, which frames the stage for the audience. In addition, the audience faces the stage directly, with no audience on the sides of the stage, and the stage in a proscenium theatre is typically raised, allowing the audience to see more clearly. Modern proscenium theatres sometimes lack the proscenium arch, but they are still called “proscenium theatres” because they retain the other characteristics of this style of theatre. Proscenium theatres originated in the 1600s, and became immensely popular by the 1700s. There are certain advantages of a proscenium theatre, such as the fact that the stage doesn't have to be as open, allowing people to conceal props, sets, and orchestras in the wings or near the stage without having these things visible to the audience. A proscenium theatre also creates a sense of staged grandeur, with the proscenium arch acting almost like a picture frame, giving the audience the sense that they are looking into a scene.

CHILDREN OF GOD

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

Prior to watching the play

How many of these key terms were you familiar with before you read them?

Have you learned about the residential schools in school? Whether or not you have, what are you expecting the mood and the atmosphere of the play to be?

If settler colonialism is about replacing one society with another, can you identify any ways in which this process is still happening today? Discuss with a partner or in small groups.

Reflect on the title of the play, Children of God. What images or immediate thoughts come to mind?

After watching the play

What immediate feelings or thoughts did you have after watching the play?

With a partner or in small groups, brainstorm any other key themes from the play that you identify as important. Why are they important?

Children of God takes place over 60 years ago, and the last residential school closed in 1996, over 20 years ago. Why is it so important to keep talking about them?

Given what you know now about ongoing settler colonialism, why is a play like Children of God so important?

How will you tell others, such as your family, about this play? What are important points you think others should know?

In-depth Group Discussion Questions

Children of God masterfully navigates complex and sensitive issues. This section identifies three of these core interrelated themes, as well as accompanying questions meant to spark further discussion in small groups.

1. Remembrance Time and memory play central roles in Children of God. When siblings Tommy and Julia are in residential school in the 1950s, memory of life before they came to the school is beautifully explored. Consider scene 6 of act 1, where the boys are writing their mandatory letters home. After Father Christopher sends Wilson and Vincent back to their dorms, but keeps Tommy back to continue writing his letter, the song “Who I Was” begins. Tommy, instead of adhering to the template written on the board, decides to write a personalized letter in his own language, and to secretly send it to the Chief of his community. This act marks a return to a past self that he was taught to abandon, as he sings ... (continued on the following page)

CHILDREN OF GOD DISCUSSION QUESTIONS (Continued) (Continued from the previous page) For the first time it’s not an image For the first time it’s not a sound For the first time it’s a real memory Quick before it’s gone, write it down This is the start of what I remember This is the start of what I lost This is the start of what ma told us Maybe this is who I was

Here, remembering is a form of resistance. If the intent of the residential schools was to ‘kill the Indian in the child,’ Tommy remembering life before residential school powerfully indicates that the system has momentarily failed.

Discussion Questions:

Brainstorm with a partner or with a small group other moments where time and memory play an important role in Children of God.

Can you think of a time when a memory brought you strength or comfort?

2. Shame The impact of the residential schools on the children who attended is powerfully and vividly explored in Children of God, particularly in showing the shame that the children were taught to feel about themselves. For example, when Tom applies to work with Wilson’s company 20 years after they were classmates at the residential school, there is a stigma and an embarrassment around acting ‘Indian’ when in ‘professional’ (in Western standards) settings. This can be seen most clearly when Wilson and Tom meet for a drink and Tom angrily says to Wilson, “You tell me to come to a dive bar so your work friends don’t see you talking to an Indian. This act has done good for you, huh? Pretending to be a white man, forgetting where you came from. You’re the whitewashing they wanted us to be.”

“They,” here, evidently refers to the residential school system, and Tom’s accusation paints a troubling, yet clear picture of the racism that undergirds the system’s operation, and how it has impacted the boys differently. Here, Wilson has apparently internalized the shame of being Native to an extent that he has sought to reinvent himself as a White Canadian, which has benefited him. Tom, however, is still clutching to his Indigeneity, and continues to be punished for it. Although Tom and Wilson are no longer students in the school, the intent of ‘killing the Indian in the child’ is still at play— a powerful reminder of the lasting effects of shame.

Shame also plays out in Children of God in other moments as well, such as Vincent’s and Julia’s suicide, and Julia’s unexpected pregnancy — of which Father Vincent explains, “An Indian girl with a baby will be damned to hell.”

In all of these cases, Children of God seems to be emphasizing to the audience how the residential school system prevented the growth of First Nations communities. The schools were places that led children to take their own lives, and where the possibility of a newborn child is considered to be a sin. 23

CHILDREN OF GOD DISCUSSION QUESTIONS (Continued)

(Continued from the previous page)

Discussion Questions:

With a partner or in small groups, identify other moments in the play where the impacts of residential school were portrayed or referenced. Why were these depictions important?

When you are feeling down or embarrassed, what is something you do, or can do, to deal with these feelings? What makes you feel powerful?

3. Agency and Resistance Director and writer Corey Payette does a wonderful job balancing honest portrayals of the horror of the residential schools on the one hand, with moments of happiness and love on the other. Children of God is careful to not depict the atrocities of the residential schools as the defining experience for the children, and shows the audience that the children have agency.

Agency, sometimes called autonomy, means that a person has the power to act how they wish in a given environment, and that they have control over their bodies, behaviour, and emotions. Because residential schools were designed to turn children into Euro-Christian citizens, acts of agency (like remembrance) represent acts of resistance.

Children of God is filled with moments where the characters enact various forms of resistance in the face of strict rules and punishments at the school. Notable examples include Julia’s repeated escape attempts; the children’s visiting Julia when she is locked in the cellar and then eating stolen food together; Tommy’s attempts to write a letter to his hometown’s Chief in his own language; the boys’ secret mocking of Father Christopher; Julia and Tommy’s conversations in Ojibway; the children’s turning of their picnic blanket into a drum; and Elizabeth’s picking of red flowers to mourn Julia’s death.

All of these examples remind the audience that despite the horrors they are facing, the children are ultimately humans, and they hold power to act for themselves.

Discussion Questions:

Do you think wanting to escape the school represents a sign of strength, or weakness, for the children?

With a partner or in small groups, reflect on a moment where you stood up for yourself or others. What inspired you to act?

With a partner or in small groups, share something unique about you. What makes you you?

CHILDREN OF GOD REFERENCES/FURTHER READING

https://thecultch.com/wp -content/uploads/2016/03/Children-of-God-Study-Guide.pdf

Van Dernoot Lipsky, L. (2009). Trauma Stewardship: An Everyday Guide to Caring for Self While Caring for Others. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler Publishers.

Reynolds, V. (2011). Supervision of solidarity practices: Solidarity teams and people-ing-the-room. Context. Pp. 4-7.

Reynolds, V (2011). Resisting burnout with justice-doing. International Journal of Narrative Thera- py & Community Work, 4, pp. 27-45.

Crisis Centre. (2013). Coping and Self-Care. Retrieved from: https://crisiscentre.bc.ca/coping-and -self-care/

Hanson, Erin. “The Residential School System.” UBC Indigenous Foundations. Web. 2017. http:// Indigenousfoundations.adm.arts.ubc.ca/the_residential_school_system/

Hanson, Erin. “The Residential School System.” UBC Indigenous Foundations. Web. 2009.http:// Indigenousfoundations.adm.arts.ubc.ca/the_residential_school_system/

“Terminology.” UBC Indigenous Foundations. Web. 2009. http:// Indigenousfoundations.adm.arts.ubc.ca/terminology/

The Canadian Press. “First Nations Children Still Taken from Parents.” CBCnews. CBC/Radio Cana- da, 02 Aug. 2011. Web.http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/first-nations-children-still-taken- from-parents-1.1065255

“The Indian Act.” UBC Indigenous Foundations. Web. 2009. http:// Indigenousfoundations.adm.arts.ubc.ca/the_indian_act/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btcnnc7pmhs

http://files.unicef.org/policyanalysis/rights/files/HRBAP_UN_Rights_Indig_Peoples.pdf

CHILDREN OF GOD CURRICULUM ALIGNMENT Curriculum Connections: Participation as an audience member at the Citadel Theatre aligns with the Alberta Education Curriculum. We outline below some (but not limited to) objectives which are developed through the viewing of live theatre:

Drama (Elementary) Third Goal To foster an appreciation for drama as an art form Objectives The child should: 1. develop an awareness of an respect for potential excellence in self and others 2. Develop a capacity to analyze, evaluate and synthesize ideas and experiences 3. Develop an awareness and appreciation of the variety of dramatic forms of expression. Specific Learner Expectations: Intellectual—develop and exercise imagination; develop concentration Emotional—explore emotion; control emotion; express emotion Social—understand others; discipline self; develop appreciation of the work of self and others; cope with emotional re- sponses Integrative—learn to respond to stimuli; e.g., music, pictures, objects, literature; test and reflect on the consequences of dramatic decisions

Drama (Junior High) GOAL I To acquire knowledge of self and others through participation in and reflection on dramatic experience. Objectives The student will: • strengthen powers of concentration • extend the ability to think imaginatively and creatively • extend the ability to explore, control and express emotions

 extend the ability to explore meaning through abstract concepts

 develop the ability to offer and accept constructive criticism develop the ability to offer and accept constructive criticism GOAL III To develop an appreciation for drama and theatre as a process and art form. Objectives The student will:

 develop awareness of various conventions of theatre

 develop awareness of drama and theatre by viewing as great a variety of theatrical presentations as possible

 develop the ability to analyze and assess the process and the art

 develop recognition of and respect for excellence in drama and theatre 26

CHILDREN OF GOD CURRICULUM ALIGNMENT

Drama 10-20-30 GOAL I To acquire knowledge of self and others through participation in and reflection on dramatic experience. Objectives The Student will:

 extend the ability to concentrate

 extend understanding of, acceptance of and empathy for others

 demonstrate respect for others — their rights, ideas, abilities and differences (S)

 demonstrate the ability to offer, accept, and reflect upon, constructive criticism.

GOAL II To develop competency in communication skills through participation in and exploration of various dramatic disciplines. Objectives The Student will:

 demonstrate understanding of integration of disciplines to enrich a theatrical presentation.

GOAL III To develop an appreciation of drama and theatre as a process and art form. Objectives The student will: • explore various conventions and traditions of theatre • broaden knowledge of theatre by viewing as great a variety of theatrical presentations as possible ( • demonstrate the ability to assess critically the process and the art • demonstrate recognition of and respect for excellence in drama and theatre • develop an awareness of aesthetics in visual and performing arts.