What We Learned

Too many stories are still untold; too many memories have been lost to the ages; too many biases have coloured our view of the past. That is why a book such as this one is a treasure, an overdue and culturally aware look at a forgotten aspect of the education of Indigenous children in British Columbia. Dave Obee, a member of the board of Canada's History Society and editor-in-chief of the Times Colonist in Victoria, Canada's History, Vol. 97 No. 1, February 2017

Helen Raptis has written an important book about Tsimshian educational history. It is also a book about building research relationships with Indigenous communities. It is a work that recognizes, implicitly, that Indigenous history does not run in a straight line but is more liquid and circular. The journey to understand the Indigenous past requires deft canoe navigation through riptides and crosscurrents, past colonization’s half-submerged debris. Landing on the beach, one discovers no conventional separation between past, present, and future. There are only the stories—the stories and the sacred landscape. Michael Marker, University of British Columbia, History of Education Quarterly, Vol. 57 No. 1, February 2017

One of the few serious studies of the subject, [What We Learned] provides an unusually detailed account of the transition from on-reserve to integrated schooling through the eyes of those who were there … With its contextual richness, innovative methodology, sharp analysis, and poignant personal narratives, What We Learned is a book that deserves a wide audience. Brian Titley, The University of Lethbridge, BC Studies

[Raptis] draws on a rich range of Indigenous scholarship, as well as the Tsimshian oral histories, in producing a nuanced account of learning that complicates the current focus on residential schools and that radically questions the equation of formal education with learning …The result is a perceptive, self-reflexive and important contribution, at once substantive and methodological. Elaine Coburn, Glendon Campus, York University, Oral History Forum d'histoire orale

What We Learned offers a fascinating account of the complexities of everyday educational life for Tsimshian students in twentieth-century British Columbia. It will be of interest to many both inside and outside of the academy. Sean Carleton, University of Alberta, BC Studies

In What We Learned: Two Generations Reflect on Tsimshian Education and the Day Schools, Helen Raptis reminds historians of education that not all Indigenous children were forcibly removed and sent to residential schools … Raptis and her collaborators challenge not only histories of Indigenous education that centre on residential schools, but also histories of British Columbia centred on white settlers.What We Learned will be a significant resource for those seeking to widen and deepen conversations on our shared past. Jacqueline Gresko, BC BookLook

What We Learned is a gem to be read for pleasure, even as it opens up important new understandings respecting the resolve of Canada’s Indigenous peoples. Clearly written and compelling, it turns attention to day schooling from the 1930s onwards. Shared in the present day, Tsimshian students’ candid and compelling recollections are, in the words of lead author Helen Raptis, ‘a testament to their strength’ that ‘bodes well for future reconciliation.’ Jean Barman, professor emeritus, University of British Columbia

Helen Raptis provides us with an important case study of ‘Indian education’ and the interface between Indigenous education and Canadian Indian policy ... This book is an important contribution to the communities, preserving their past not just as a memory but also as a way of life that will continue into tomorrow. from the foreword by the late James MacDonald, professor of anthropology, University of Northern British Columbia