My Name is Seepeetza: 30th Anniversary Edition

My Name is Seepeetza is an autobiographical novel which tells the story of Seepeetza, a 12-year-old grade 6 student. She describes her experiences as a student at the Kalamak Indian Residential School. Nlaka’pamux writer Shirley Sterling, a member of the Interior Salish Nation of British Columbia, writes a moving account, based on her own experiences, of life in a residential school in the 1950’s.

The novel begins in September 1958 as Seepeetza’s teacher introduces the grade 6 class to journal writing. All residential school students have their names changed to anglicize them, and Seepeetza’s name is changed to Martha Stone. Martha decides to write a secret journal about her thoughts and feelings. She fondly remembers her time at home: “When we’re at home we can ride horses, go swimming at the river, run in the hills, climb trees and laugh out loud…and we won’t get in trouble. At school we get punished for talking…. I wish I could live at home instead of here.” (p. 16)

The Kalamak school has 400 students from all over British Columbia. Conditions in the school are difficult for the students. Their hair is cut, their clothes are taken away, they cannot speak their native language, and they face strapping by the nuns if they misbehave. Seepeetza wishes that her father would take her home, but she realizes that he would be in trouble with the government if he did so.

Daily life at the residential school is occasionally bearable. Birthdays are celebrated. Martha/Seepeetza is part of a dance group which puts on concerts for the community. Her grade seven teacher Brother Reilly tells her, “You’re very talented in writing.” (p. 67) However, these events are overshadowed by the brutal treatment of the students. Martha is sick with the flu, yet she is punched in the back by Sister Theo. The teachers are not well trained, and Miss Finny is portrayed as an alcoholic who drinks during class. Some students are desperate to leave, and a grade 4 student named Leo even commits suicide. There are also the daily problems of grade school life to deal with, such as bullying, racism, stereotyping, and casual cruelty.

Seepeetza, a Nlaka’pamux girl forced to attend a residential school, faces her trials with courage and resilience, and she learns to appreciate the small joys of her life such as discovering a love of writing. However, she dreams of returning to her home and family. Her family situation was not ideal because of her father’s traumatic war experiences and his resulting alcoholism. Despite these problems, all Seepeetza wants is to leave the horrors of her residential school and return to her family’s ranch.

Groundwood’s 30th Anniversary Edition of My Name is Seepeetza includes an “Afterward” written by Tomson Highway. He explains the significance of this book in the context of the history of residential schools in Canada. “This book was written twenty-nine years before the discovery of more than two hundred unmarked children’s graves at the Kamloops Indian Residential School – the school Ms. Sterling calls Kalamak.” (p.142) His words echo the shock and horror which reverberated through all of Canada when these graves were discovered. These children never returned to their parents.

My Name is Seepeetza was shortlisted for the Governor General’s Literary Award for young people’s literature in 1993 and won the Sheila A. Egoff Children’s Literature Prize. Sterling’s experiences as a residential school student and her courageous spirit shine through in this autobiographical novel. She leaves readers with a powerful message in the book’s Dedication: “To all those who went to the residential schools, and those who tried to help, may you weep and be made free. May you laugh and find your child again.” (p. 8)