Elder Betty Ross
Attended 1962-63 and 1963-68
Pimicikamak Nihithawi (Cross Lake, Manitoba)
SHORT BIO
Betty Ross is originally from Pimicikamak First Nation, known as Cross Lake First Nation, in Treaty 5, Manitoba. She is fluent in her Cree dialect. Betty is a residential school Survivor of two schools, spending more than fifteen years in the system. Today, her pride and joy are her two sons, two daughters, fifteen grandsons, and six great-grand generations. Betty retired from the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority in March 2018, where she worked as a spiritual/cultural care provider. She is currently involved with Seven Oaks School Division as Elder-in-Residence for Elwick School, where she shares her residential school history “Sugar Falls” with kindergarten and grade eight students. Betty’s also busy as a community Elder, devoting free time with Kairos Blanket Exercises and social justice/climate change issues, and offering Cree classes at the Indigenous Cultural Centre every Wednesday evening. Most recently, Betty got involved with Red River College students, sharing her first language, traditional/cultural teachings, drum songs, and so forth. Betty has been gifted as a Knowledge Keeper and Sacred Pipe and Medicine Carrier. She humbly shares these gifts and teachings today and forward through the generations. She wants to echo the following Ancient Words of Wisdom: “Always be grateful and thankful for every breath and every step you take on Mother Earth!” Ekosani, Thank you very much.
“Finally, in 1961-62, I was transferred to Assiniboia Residential School in Winnipeg, where I experienced deep-rooted culture shock. The environment felt so alien. I felt lost, lonely, confused, a total shattered wreck. I felt so bruised, damaged, and couldn’t concentrate on my studies due to isolation. I cowered under authority figures, very passive, withdrawn, introverted, and so on.”
“I came to Assinboia Residential School wearing moccasins, which were thrown away; and I had to wear uncomfortable black-and-white Oxfords instead.”
“I remember Assinboia Residential School as a hub of constant activity. Students remained busy with extracurricular activities such as hockey, football, curling, carnivals, army cadets, cheerleading, skating demonstrations, and so forth.”
“I remember the highlights – whenever our boys brought back hockey and football trophies as champions. We felt Native pride right there within our own circle of successes. Our student council published a first edition of Keewatin yearbook, a lasting souvenir of Assiniboia Residential School.”
“Many of my residential school colleagues are gone. My heart will always ache for them. Only a few of us residential school Survivors remain to this day and were strong enough to voice out, “This was not right.””
“The abuse there was not too invasive, but was still there, only invisible. I remember the highlights – wherever our boys brought back hockey and football trophies as champions. We felt Native pride right there within our own circle of success. Our student council published a first edition of Keewatin yearbook, a lasting souvenir of Assiniboia Residential School.”