"I forgot all that was sacred. I was a broken spirit. Dehumanized, I had no value as a person and I struggled with addictions."

"I survived..."

"Now I see differently, I see the universe. In seeing my own value, I see the value of all."

Chief Joseph, Chief of the Gwa wa enuk First Nation, began to speak with these words at the Global Peace Leadership Forum, held on Tuesday, May 18^th, 2010 at the National Press Club in Washington DC.

Chief Joseph is an Indian Residential School survivor who spent 10 years at St. Michael's Indian Residential School at Alert Bay on the central coast of British Columbia. He spoke only Kwa Kwala as a six year old boy entering this Residential School. He was beaten often for speaking his own language and endured other hardship and abuse. He recognizes the destructive impact that this experience had on his life, family and community. This same experience has given him the inspiration to assist aboriginals in seeking hope, healing and reconciliation in his position as Executive Director for the Indian Residential School Survivors Society.

Chief Joseph has played an instrumental role in Canada's addressing the legacies of Indian Residential Schools, a church- and state- run system that forced First Nations, Inuit and other Aboriginal children into residential schools. The result of this process is the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement (IRSSA) which includes provisions for a Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

As the first national truth commission to be created in an established democracy Canada's Truth and Reconciliation Commission is a bold experiment. It is the first that focuses exclusively on crimes committed against children and indigenous groups. The commission began its work in June 2008 as Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper told his country's House of Commons, "The treatment of children in Indian residential schools is a sad chapter in our history."

(International Center for Transitional Justice)

Chief Joseph told his personal story and explained how, after 15,000 lawsuits were clogging Canada's legal systems, the Canadian government decided to take the bold step of the IRSSA.

Here in this earlier interview at the Native American Museum in Washington DC, you can hear him speak about this.

Chief Joseph proceeded to enthusiastically explain more about the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which is scheduled to hold seven events across Canada and support community events designed by individual communities to meet their unique needs. These events will allow residential school survivors to share their experiences and to educate the public about the schools' history and consequences. At the end of the designated five years of the Commission, a research center will be established.

This process fits well with the ancient wisdom of the ancestors of the First People as they resolved their problems by "talking circles". Reconciliation is part of the ancient sacred heritage of the First People, as Chief Joseph shares further in his interview...

Chief Joseph also explained the process behind Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper's statement of apology which was given publicly in June 2008. Four aboriginal Chiefs were asked to meet with the Prime Minister to give their feedback about the content of the public apology. Here are some excerpts from the official statement...

"In the 1870s, the federal government, partly in order to meet its obligation to educate aboriginal children, began to play a role in the development and administration of these schools. Two primary objectives of the residential schools system were to remove and isolate children from the influence of their homes, families, traditions and cultures, and to assimilate them into the dominant culture.

These objectives were based on the assumption aboriginal cultures and spiritual beliefs were inferior and unequal. Indeed, some sought, as it was infamously said, "to kill the Indian in the child."

Today, we recognize that this policy of assimilation was wrong, has caused great harm, and has no place in our country."

At this point in the forum, Chief Joseph read an excerpt of the Prime Minister's apology, the room became very still as he was overcome by emotion.

Following his presentation, Dr. Peter Weinberger, a Senior Program Officer in the Education and Training Program from the United States Institute of Peace, (USIP), gave a commentary.

He humbly thanked Chief Joseph for his presentation and his healing work. Dr. Weinberger said that recently he had traveled to Oklahoma and met with Native Americans who had wanted to learn some of the peacebuilding tools that he was teaching as part of USIP. He also said that he had learned so much from his trip west and believed that Native American traditional leaders can bring valuable tools and wisdom to the "peace table".

The meeting concluded with each participant from the diverse and knowledgeable audience, comprised of individuals from government agencies, think-tanks, non-profits and local universities, introducing themselves. Some of the audience spoke about their peacebuilding efforts, and offered their comments and support on the topics discussed.

View the rest of Chief Joseph's interview at the Native American Museum below.