Onesime Dorval

Onesime Dorval (http://musee.societehisto.com/onesime-dorval-n372-t793.html (Prov. Archives of Alberta, 1881))

When one is asked to think of a hero, our thoughts tend to subconsciously drift towards those who would take a knife for someone, shielding them with their own body as a make-shift obstruction, putting the significance of someone else's life above theirs. Or possibly to spend their life and give their life to live under the baggage of worry and emotional torment so others won't need to. And yes, though one has no right to deny that such actions should be greatly celebrated, we often limit ourselves to perceive only such dramatic demonstrations and gestures as heroic.

Onésime Dorval, is a neglected heroine in my eyes, from Quebec. In 1845, she was born and began life as a frail and delicate little girl, someone not meant for physical hardships. The child of Esther Brunette and Ignace Dorval, she was yet another one of the multitudinous farm girls in Quebec, not knowing where her destination is in life. She didn't receive instruction until the age of 10, even though she herself was to become a teacher in her later years, however, she did not see it so back then. Her objective, as she perceived it, was to devote her life to the Roman Catholic Church by becoming a nun and was very close to achieving it. However, her sickly frame given to her from birth was her Achilles heel, preventing her from taking her final vows, but she incessantly pursued it nevertheless. As she gradually became stronger, a certain Bishop Vital Grandin declared an opportunity for learned women to venture towards the West. Dorval jumped upon the proposal and set on the strenuous and toilsome trek towards Saskatchewan, lasting a grand total of two and a half months. Despite her tenuous condition, she was said to be often found walking alongside the carriages, smiling upon every mile of the trodden dirt path she walked upon and contenting herself with merely the nature around her, which was truthfully the only things available for her to appreciate.

School house (https://www.k12.gov.sk.ca/docs/francais/fransk/schumaines/6e/u3/a1c.html ())

Though her physical exterior was proclaimed too fragile to realize her dream, her deep devotion to the Roman Catholic Church drove her to find other ways to demonstrate the passion she held for her religion. Becoming a member of the Order of St. Francis, she signed over her income and gave her life to the northwest Oblate missions. Forty years she did spend teaching in Manitoba, conjuring a district of schools in the Prairies and establishing an essential base for Canada's bilingual system in education. Being the first certified teacher in the lonesome, rural wheat fields, one would expect she would lead a very monotonous life, however,it is not so. Her choice of following these missions provided some action in her life, though not always good ones. Her body was not meant for the physical toils of the Prairies and poverty was often prevalent throughout many periods of her life. Canada was quite unstable in the late 1800s, rebellions and battles would flare up in unforseen places between the indigenous, in particular the Metis, and the settlers. Unfortunately, Dorval would be often caught amidst such clashes. Throughout the North-West Rebellion, Dorval and companions were often forced to flee to Fort Battleford and seek security, tightly grasping one another's hands as the only security they had.

The amount of action in her life eventually did decline and she just stuck with her expertise, teaching the children. Though her intent and mission was to convert the Metis children to Roman Catholicism, she showed no less respect for her aboriginal students and they requited her love. Ever modest and humble, she was always in her usual attire of black and often found making her own repairs at the school and eliminating the need for a man in her life. Almost every nail was lovingly hammered with Dorval's own two hands at the school she founded at Battleford. She eventually retired in 1921, leaving behind her gifts to the prairie lands and passed away at the ripe old age of 87.

Some may be skeptical about my choice of a hero and I understand the reasons why. Did Dorval do something dramatic and awe-inspiring to save someone's life? No. Did she work in risk and fear everyday to perilously guarantee the security and well-being of others? No, she didn't. People don't have to do such grandiose acts to be a hero, I see Dorval as a hero because she did something subtle, yet the fruits of her labour would become very prominent in later years. She willingly gave fifty years of her life to prune the buds of society, the children, and left behind her family while receiving not much material gain. This in itself, in my eyes, is a sufficient amount of sacrifice to be considered a hero, however she tore past the minimum and soared beyond typical expectations. Dorval created a base, a foundation for people to work on in the isolated land of Saskatchewan by opening up schools and opening their eyes. Back then, when hardly anyone in this desolate land had received any education, for a female to set up a schooling system is something truly remarkable and by doing it, Dorval opened up possibilities. The possibility that maybe there is more to life than being shackled and laboring on the land; maybe my goal in life isn't to serve and depend on a man and produce children. By prying open people's eyes and allowing them to see the different issues and opportunities there are in this world and allowing them to have their own ideas and judgement of things, education is the strongest defense against the plague one calls ignorance.

Onésime Dorval, a woman I admire and applaud so much for her persistence in quietly giving Canada generations of fruitful, thriving people, as her legacy and the gift she has graced Canadians with is imperishable, and eternally beneficial to anyone and everyone. Is that not true heroism at its pinnacle?