Genesis House, Steps Toward Reconciliation group screen Rustic Oracle
Altona’s Steps Toward Reconciliation group partnered with Genesis House for a special free screening of the film Rustic Oracle at the Community Exchange in Altona Nov. 7.
Rustic Oracle addresses the national tragedy of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. It tells the story of a grieving family: a young Mohawk girl losing her innocence as she discovers the cruelty of the adult and settler world, and an estranged mother and daughter finding their way back to each other.
Set in the late ‘90s, the film is told from Ivy’s perspective as an adult looking back at her childhood and piecing together her memories. Ivy is constantly being shielded from the events around her but is always listening and watching how the adults in her life are dealing with the disappearance of her older sister.
Although it deals with tragedy and trauma, Rustic Oracle remains hopeful, and draws on scenes where a community of women support Ivy and Susan’s journey.
In the end, we see that the adult Ivy has been telling this story to her own daughter in the hope that she will break the cycle of Indigenous generational trauma.
There were tears on many faces in the audience during the film’s closing credits.
Following the screening, an elder from Roseau River Anishinaabe First Nation and her two daughters, Steps Toward Reconciliation committee members, as well as Genesis House staff, and representatives from the REDress Project were on hand to participate in a sharing circle about the film and the ongoing issues it illustrates.
Elder Lois Thomas said sharing stories about missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls is important, not just to raise awareness or empower women but also to let those who have lost loved ones know they’re not suffering alone.
“It’s not something I ever want to go through with my own daughters, but it’s something our people face on a daily basis. As a mom, knowing other people who have lost daughters, it feels very heavy at times. I worry more. I get upset when my daughter doesn’t answer her phone. It’s always on your mind.”
Denise Thiessen and her daughter-in-law Courtney Yeo-Thiessen coordinate the REDress project in the Pembina Valley. They have over 100 dresses that they display at various installations, each with a story representing an Indigenous woman or girl who is missing or murdered.
They brought a small display of dresses to the screening event to represent the stories of area women whose lives have ended in tragedy.
As a school teacher who also works with Indigenous youth, Yeo-Thiessen said, “Knowledge is power and knowing that this situation does affect us. This is not just happening in Winnipeg or Toronto or Calgary. It’s happening right here in our valley. The REDress Project is about evoking discomfort and a feeling of wonder. It should make you feel those things. This is a tangible thing we need to look at.”
She believes generational trauma is a big factor in these tragedies.
“It can make you grow up feeling unsafe all the time, or unsure that your next choice could make or break the day. You could grow up thinking either it wasn’t fair and have the feeling of helplessness and insecurity going into adulthood. Or it can make you stronger and you can break the pattern of trauma. I don’t think there’s any sort of flag that tells us what way that’s going to go. But it’s all about that trauma that gets passed down.”
Genesis House executive director Angela Braun said she hopes those who attended the movie screening have learned something about the impact of generational trauma.
“It affects your expectations of the world. If you feel so powerless in your world, then things will happen to you because you don’t feel you have the power to stop them or get out of a situation, or that people will believe you if you are in a bad situation. These women and girls are disadvantaged right from the get-go because of that.
“What I often see with the women coming to the shelter is a passive attitude of this is just how life is. Sometimes you get lucky, sometimes you don’t. You have no ability to fight back against the broken system. No ability to fight back against injustice. And that’s what residential schools have done. They have built that sense of powerlessness, and that has come through in the generations. How do women get their power and their voice back?
“We need to stop that cycle and we need to educate them and teach them that they deserve more for their life. Teach them to become bigger and louder, not smaller, and quieter.”
