One generally expects law practices to be located in urban areas. Sunchild Law is located on Poundmaker land along Highway 4 near more treaty land, farmland, and the river.
Eleanore Sunchild鈥檚 practice currently specializes in residential school claims, and often deals with cases of abuse, including serious physical abuse and sexual abuse.
Sunchild previously worked for bands, and has practiced criminal and family law.
鈥淩esidential school claims are a specialized area of law,鈥� Sunchild said. 鈥淚t really takes all of the focus here to do that job effectively.鈥�
There were a number of residential schools in Saskatchewan, including the former industrial school in Battleford. Sunchild said the province has the highest number of residential school survivors, although residential school claims can come from different places outside the province.
Sunchild is from Thunderchild First Nation, which used to be near Delmas but is now located near Turtleford. Sunchild said the First Nation was forcibly relocated in the early 1900s due to a vote achieved by manufactured consent.
鈥淲e had rich farmland close to the river,鈥� Sunchild said. 鈥淸Settlers] wanted the farm land so they pressured the government to take the farmland and move us away so that farmland would be open to non-Indigenous farmers.鈥�
She said Indigenous people at the previous Thunderchild location excelled at farming.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a whole piece of history around here that people aren鈥檛 taught,鈥� Sunchild said. The story of Thunderchild can be found in the book Outside, the Women Cried by Jack Funk.
Sunchild attended the University of Alberta, and went to the French language Faculte St. Jean. She majored in political science and minored in Native Studies. She said Native Studies teachers were high caliber and very supportive of Indigenous students.
Law school was different because, Sunchild said, the law she learned was a total colonial system, and went against what she and other Indigenous students were taught.
鈥淭he first premise you learn there is the Crown owns all the land, but as Indigenous people we know that鈥檚 not true, there鈥檚 unfinished business there,鈥� Sunchild said, adding the government has a history of not fulfilling its treaty obligations.
Sunchild said some students tried to fight against the conservatism of law school, but 鈥測ou couldn鈥檛 change that institution no matter how hard you tried.鈥�
Finishing law school required strength, Sunchild said.
鈥淚t depends how grounded you are and how strong you are. If you have a strong grounding and strong support you can get through law school,鈥� Sunchild said.
鈥淵ou just have to learn those things that aren鈥檛 true to you and carry on.鈥�
Sunchild is the granddaughter of late Elder Norman Sunchild, who was very supportive of Eleanore and encouraged her to complete her education.
鈥淗e grounded me,鈥� Sunchild said, 鈥渁nd taught me about myself and my culture and [to use] that as strength.鈥�
In addition to practicing law, Sunchild also gives lectures, and has done so at the University of Saskatchewan, Windsor Law, UCLA, and in Norway.
Sunchild said she鈥檚 noticed some law schools have changed since the nineties, and are taking the history of Indigenous-Crown relations and Indigenous law more seriously than before.
Sunchild said each cultural group had their own pre-contact legal traditions, including laws based on land, kinship, and relationships with the Creator.
鈥淭he laws are still there, but they鈥檝e been affected by colonization and all the trauma, all of the disruption that happened to our community,鈥� Sunchild said, referencing residential schools in particular. 鈥淭hose deeply impacted our communities and our families, because they were a deliberate attack on the family unit.
鈥淥ur communities used to be very strong, and they used to be very clear in what they could and couldn鈥檛 do, but because colonization occurred and there were deliberate attacks on our communities, our people now are hurt, and they鈥檝e been affected by residential school and child welfare. Our communities have a lot of trauma.鈥�
Sunchild said trauma in communities translates into things such as a high number of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, and a high rate of Indigenous people being incarcerated and in foster care.
Returning to traditional ways is a means of healing, Sunchild said. Women, she adds, have an important role in communities., and have been the ones who鈥檝e been saying 鈥渆nough鈥檚 enough, things have to change.鈥�
鈥淭he women have been the ones to step up and say we need to heal ourselves, and they鈥檝e been the ones who鈥檝e been doing it first because they have the role of lifegiver and caregiver of the children. It鈥檚 a role they take very seriously.鈥澛犅犅犅�
Sunchild said a number of myths prevent non-Indigenous people from understanding the effects of colonization on Indigenous people and culture.
鈥淭here鈥檚 this whole myth that [Canada] always tried [its] best for Indigenous people, we鈥檝e always tried our best to give them a good life and they aren鈥檛 appreciative of it.
鈥淭hey made all these sorts of concessions they say to help us, and how do we repay them? We turn into thieving Indians or we can鈥檛 get it together enough to take care of ourselves on reserves.
鈥淲hat鈥檚 failed to be taught is the true history of Canada, the true history of what residential schools did, what the sixties scoop was and what that did and how we have all these social problems today now, and how and why did that occur.鈥�
Sunchild said non-Indigenous people not knowing an Indigenous person can perpetuate myths. Non-Indigenous people being separated from Indigenous people, Sunchild said, is a continuation of the legacy of segregation, as seen in reserves, residential schools and Indian hospitals.
Education, Sunchild said, is a way for non-Indigenous people to understand the effects of colonization, and she said there should be mandatory inclusion of colonial history in the curriculum starting in elementary school.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 like the word Indigenizing,鈥� Sunchild said, 鈥淚 like the word education because who knows what Indigenizing means? Does it mean hanging up a few pictures of Indigenous people around your office, or does it mean changing the curriculum?鈥�
Education, however, can be painful for both sides.
鈥淔or Indian people to tell them is painful, but it鈥檚 also painful for the non-Indigenous people to hear because it goes against everything they鈥檝e been taught about Indian people because they have to face stereotypes and their own underlying racism they may not have been taught directly, but through dinner conversations that aren鈥檛 necessarily true.鈥�
Sunchild said, 鈥淚 don鈥檛 mind the word Indian,鈥� adding many people in the Battlefords area use Indian and Indian person. Sunchild said it can be used derogatorily, but it is also a legal term.
For those wanting to educate themselves, Sunchild said a good resource is the Truth and Reconciliation Commission reports, and its footage of people telling their stories. People can also invite residential Indian school survivors and elders to speak to groups. There鈥檚 also an Indigenous section in most bookstores.
Sunchild鈥檚 alma mater, the University of Alberta, offers a free massive open online course (MOOC) called 鈥淚ndigenous Canada,鈥� which the student newspaper, The Gateway, called the most popular MOOC in Canada.
鈥淚 want people to become more educated about the issues around here, about how the eight men in Battleford were hung and why, and how that history of violence continues today.鈥�
Sunchild said she鈥檇 like to see more understanding in the community, including ideas such as systemic discrimination, which would allow people to understand 鈥渉ow all these pieces fit together,鈥� particularly in relation to understanding the complaints of Colten Boushie鈥檚 family.
鈥淎t the moment I see a lot of polarization and backlash and there鈥檚 been a lot of ugliness that鈥檚 come to the surface,鈥� Sunchild said. 鈥淎nd maybe it鈥檚 good that racism is coming out because at least it鈥檚 out there, but once it鈥檚 out there then we need to address it and move forward.鈥�
