“It’s all a little bit overwhelming to be here today, so yeah, it’s pretty cool.”
A tearful George spoke of her joy at seeing her son for the first time since authorities “took him away from me” as a baby.
“I’m happy to see my son, I thought I would never see him again.”
Hooker is Mosakahiken Cree Nation, also known as Moose Lake, in northern Manitoba.
He was 18 months old when he was taken from his birth family in Moose Lake First Nation in 1975, among an estimated 30,000 indigenous children removed – or “scooped” – from their homes over several decades under Government policies, CTV News reported.
They were then placed in non-indigenous homes in Canada and around the world in a practice that became known as the “Sixties Scoop”.
He’d only heard about the practice five years ago and only learned “how it all played out” in the last year, said Hooker.
He’d previously returned to Canada but only found his birth family after an ancestry test given to him by his mother-in-law revealed a half-sister in Texas and an uncle.
He was given a great life by his adopted family, but always felt something was missing, Hooker told Winnipeg CityNews.
“I know nothing about my indigenous heritage, so it will be good to start learning and filling in some of the blanks.”
After the airport reunion, Hooker and wife Charmaine Flynn-Hooker planned to travel to Moose Lake First Nation for a few weeks.
The father hoped his story would inspire others seeking answers about their past, Hooker told CTV News.
“Hopefully somebody else again will see this and hopefully maybe start looking for their family or give them the clues to reach out and help.”
