"We were so far away..." - Legacy of Hope Foundation

What We Do

"We were so far away..."

Where You Can See the Exhibition

The Legacy of Hope Foundation is pleased to announce that the "We were so far away…” : The Inuit Experience of Residential Schools exhibition will be on display at the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre (PWNHC), Yellowknife, Northwest Territories from November 2009 to January 27, 2010. "We were so far away…” presents the stories of Inuit residential school Survivors in their own words, illustrated with their personal objects and photographs along with historical photographs from archives across Canada. Visit the PWNHC website for more information about the exhibition dates and opening reception: http://pwnhc.learnnet.nt.ca/

Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre

4750 48th Street
Yellowknife, NT

T: (867) 873-7551

Exhibition Viewing Hours

Monday - Friday: 10:30 AM to 5:00 PM
Saturday and Sunday: 12:00 PM to 5:00 PM
Closed on Statutory Holidays

Please contact us for upcoming tour schedules, or if you would like information about hosting the exhibition in your community.

Photographer: Donald B. Marsh. The General Synod Archives / Anglican Church of Canada / P75-103-S1-179

La Fondation autochtone de l’espoir est heureux d'annoncer que sa dernière exposition « Nous étions si loin… » L'expérience des Inuits dans les pensionnats sera sur l'affichage au Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre, Yellowknife, Territoires du Nord-Ouest de novembre 2009 à 27 janvier 2010. « Nous étions si loin… » présent les histoires des Survivants et Survivantes Inuits des pensionnats. Leurs récits sont exprimés dans leurs proper mots et sont illustrés au moyen de photographies et d’objets personnels ainsi que par des photographies d’archives provenant d’un bout à l’autre du Canada.

Visitez le site Web de PWNHC pour plus d'information concernant les dates de l’exposition et la reception d’ouverture: http://pwnhc.learnnet.nt.ca/

INFO

In the spring of 2008, eight courageous Residential School Survivors, two from each of the Inuit geographic regions – Nunavik, Nunavut, Nunatsiavut, and the Inuvialuit Settlement Region – shared their stories with the Legacy of Hope Foundation.

“I lost a lot. I lost a lot of my culture and parenting and role models. I gained my education but I lost a lot of me in the process. I almost didn’t know who I was. I wanted to be someone else and it took a long time to come back and find my roots, although my parents always taught me a lot about my roots, but I lost it when I went to school. I didn’t get it back for years.” Marjorie Flowers

The Legacy of Hope Foundation is deeply grateful to Ms. Marjorie Flowers, Ms. Shirley Flowers, Ms. Lillian Elias, Mr. Peter Irniq, Ms. Carolyn Niviaxie, Mr. Abraham Ruben, Mr. Marius Tungilik, and Ms. Salamiva Weetaltuk, the eight Inuit Survivors who generously shared their stories with us. The Legacy of Hope Foundation is honoured to be the guardian of their testimonies, which will forever be a part of the archive of Residential School Survivor voices recorded and preserved by the Legacy of Hope Foundation that will educate generations of Canadians.

“It has been a great and humbling honour to work with each of these brave Inuit; it is my hope that this exhibition brings awareness to those who did not know, and may be useful and inspiring to those who are on their own healing journey.” - Heather Igloliorte, Curator

Click here to view the exhibition flyer (English & French)

E-mail us at info@legacyofhope.ca if you would like to be notified when the companion book for this exhibition is published

Read the curatorial booklet

Click here to view the curatorial booklet (English, Inuktitut, & French)

This exhibition was produced by the Legacy of Hope Foundation in partnership with the Aboriginal Healing Foundation and Library and Archives Canada and was made possible with financial support from the Government of Canada.

Click here to download the Information Kit Order Form pdf.