Third in a series of first-hand accounts from the children of Sons of Freedom Doukhobors that were forcibly removed from their families and confined at the New Denver School. Approximately 200 children were interned at the school between 1953 and 1959.
Nellie Makortoff never stepped a foot inside of the New Denver School, but the 84-year-old still carries the weight of trauma from spending much of her childhood hiding from the authorities that wanted to put her there.
Nellie was the child of Doukhobor parents with strong Sons of Freedom convictions.
Before she was born, both of her parents had spent time in the Freedomite penal colony on Piers Island, where the government of the day sent more than 500 men, women and children convicted primarily of public nudity.
The family was always on the lookout for outsiders and police, even before the government began removing children from their homes to be interned at the school in New Denver in the 1950s.
“I spent my whole childhood hiding,” Nellie told the Castlegar News in an interview shortly after the B.C. government issued an apology in February to the Sons of Freedom for the detention of approximately 200 children between 1953 and 1959.
Nellie’s family lived in Slocan Park growing their own food and selling butter.
She says her father was well known as a healer, mending animals and humans and even delivering several babies. He was considered a “natural chiropractor” and spent a lot of time in the Freedomite camps.
Nellie’s aunt was “Big Fanny” Storgeoff, who in 1962 led a group of about 1,000 Sons of Freedom adherents in a year-long trek to the specially constructed prison at Agassiz where more than 70 Sons of Freedom prisoners were being held. The group set up camp outside the prison and remained there for years.
With these family connections, Nellie says she felt that the Sons of Freedom community was always behind her.
That support extended her ability to hide from the authorities, but Nellie isn’t sure that it was actually for the best.
She recalls being a small, skinny child and at times she simply hid behind trees to escape detection.
On one occasion, when a policeman knocked on their door and there was no way to leave the house, Nellie hid behind some household items and wasn’t noticed.
She also recalls watching while police plunged pitchforks into hay piles looking for her.
“Some of them had hearts, and some of them didn’t,” said Nellie.
READ MORE: BEHIND THE FENCE: Castlegar woman recalls her time in the New Denver School
She is unsure if it had anything to do with her short stint on the school attendance rolls or if it was just coincidental.
Nellie continued to live at home during her teen years, taking small jobs for things like assisting seniors with housework.
But it wasn’t long before she had a house of her own to manage after marrying at age 17. She then had three children of her own.
Nellie eventually returned to the workforce as a domestic helper.
She says she wishes she had received a better education.
“I don’t know how to spell, I don’t know how to write properly. I don’t know commas in Russian or English.”
She says her childhood just didn’t lend itself to learning.
“You were traumatized and so you didn’t want to learn. You didn’t know what was what or what was right.”
Nellie acknowledges that the things she went through during those years weren’t as bad as what some of the New Denver survivors experienced.
“Comparing that to what I went through, I think I was OK,” says Nellie. “But the constant stress of being in hiding, that fear stays with you forever.”
She says the provincial apology stirred up many old memories.
“After the apology, I was like a zombie, going back in my mind to where I was at 11 years old,” said Nellie.
Even though she was nervous about telling her story and any potential repercussions, Nellie decided to share with the hope of encouraging others.
“I hope it will be helpful for people,” said Nellie. “That people that may be afraid to come out will also share their stories.”
READ MORE: New Denver School survivors say trauma lasts a lifetime
