Blanket exercises build understanding of shared history

A recent blanket exercise at our Regina Service Centre hit close to home for SaskEnergy Operations employee Todd Sanderson.

Todd spent eight years in the residential school system and knows firsthand the experiences discussed during the exercise.

“The path we had to walk as a people helps explain where we are now,” Todd says. “Our history should be shared to close a gap between cultures that never should have been separated in the first place.”

A number of SaskEnergy employees have taken part in blanket exercises as part of our company’s commitment to Truth and Reconciliation.

A blanket exercise is an interactive session teaching the history of colonization in Canada from an Indigenous perspective.

During the exercise, participants stand on blankets representing North America, or Turtle Island. One facilitator narrates the Indigenous peoples’ experiences during colonization, while another acts as a European settler, making the blankets smaller to symbolize the impact of treaties and reserves.

As the blankets become smaller, the number of participants also drops. This is to show the effects that war, disease and the residential school system has had on Indigenous populations over the years.

Participants are also given scroll cards to read during the exercise.

“My scroll card was focused on the abuse directed towards women and children and that stood out to me, it was very powerful,” says SaskEnergy employee Brandon Wright.

Employees Cony Parisien and Crystal Schuett facilitated these recent sessions after training with local blanket exercise facilitator and knowledge keeper Rodger Ross.

Derrick Mann, SaskEnergy’s Executive Vice President, Infrastructure Delivery and Reliability, noted the emotional impact of the exercise.

“It's amazing watching people go through it,” he says. “It’s very emotional and there is lots of learning there.”

Employee Kelly Bruce was struck by the visual impact of the exercise.

“I will be thinking about this exercise for some time,” he says. “The Indigenous culture and identity from centuries ago to the present has been changed forever.”

The exercise concludes with a sharing circle, allowing participants to express their thoughts and takeaways.

As a residential school survivor, Todd says the more everyone can learn about the experiences of Indigenous peoples, the better.

“Knowledge can only help in fostering an understanding between two nations that have such a blended history,” he says.

“It should be remembered and shared.”