Residential Schools In Canada

Knockwood explains the enforcement of residential ideologies as a “combination of physical intimidation and psychological manipulation which produced terror and confusion” (12). The premise of residential schools was to strip Indigenous children from their culture and Indigenous identity, forcing them to only speak English, or face severe consequences. Despite the government and churches best efforts, many Indigenous children still maintained their cultural roots and kept their language while at home. This governmental need for assimilation has had lasting impacts far beyond the scope of active residential schools. Neeganagwedgin notes, “while the schools may be physically closed, the legacy lingers” (34). Beyond this, she urges, present-day institutions still function in a way that continues to undermine and systematically deny, “Indigenous peoples their inherent rights as First Peoples” (Neeganagwedgin 34); such as the justice system, child welfare and the education systems.

Not everyone knows how residential schools have impacted Indigenous people and communities forever. A residential school is a “ Government-supported boarding school for children from Inuit and other Indigenous communities.” (Oxford Dictionary) Both colonizers and recruiters are on the hunt for Indigenous people. These recruiters and colonizers would remove children from their homes and take them away from their families, bringing them to schools or factories.

Canada holds a shameful history of operating beyond 130 residential schools for the Aboriginal Children during 1800’s until late 1900’s (“Misconceptions of Canada’s Indian Residential School System” 2007). Due to the implementation of the Indian Act in 1876, more than 100 000 Aboriginal children between the ages of four and sixteen years old were forced out of their homes, separated from their family, and sent to the residential schools to be assimilated into Euro-Canadian cultures (ANISHINABEK, 2013). The residential schools were operated by the churches and were funded by the Government of Canada. The main reason for sending the children to the residential schools was due to the strong belief that the assimilation has to start with the children to make them a civilized human beings as the Aboriginal were seen as “savages”. (NEEGANAGWEDGIN,

Residential School (1931-1996) treated aboriginals unfairly and assumed that aboriginal culture is unable to adapt to a rapidly modernizing society. It was said that native children could be successful if they adapt to Christianity and speaking English or French. Native students were not encouraged to speak their own language

Usually, the schools were built in areas where they were far away from the Aboriginal homes, which therefore cut off ties with family and community influences. In these residential schools, children were stripped of their identity of their heritage where they were forbidden to speak their native language and where only English was allowed to be spoken; not allowed to wear their native clothing, this caused children the loss of their belief in their traditions of their native culture due to not being able to put them in practice because they were the “Other” which is considered inferior (rel after 304). The most horrible things of this residential school if the children did speak their native language or did anything native such as rituals they were punished. The Aboriginal children went through a cruel amount of abuses through emotional, physical and sexual which are life threatening to the children, this is considered a scaring and impacted many Aboriginal people with repercussions of the loss of

Residential schools in the 1970s were mainly created because they wanted to “Kill the indian in the child,” There were over 130 schools located all across the country that were funded by the government and ran by the churches. Residential schools are not like your normal typical school it’s hell that’s the only word to describe it. First Nations, Metis and Inuit children were taken from their homes and put in these schools to assimilate their culture, language and way of life.

Residential School’s were introduced back in the 1870’s, they were made to change the way native children spoke their languages and how they viewed their cultures. The residential school system in Canada was operated by the government, where the native children were aggressively forced away from their loved ones to participate in these schools (1000 Conversations). The government had a concept, where they can modernize the native children, aged of three to eighteen and extinguish the aboriginal culture. In the twentieth century the Canadian Public School’s had arrived and had improved treatments than residential schools. In Contrast, the treatments within these schools were both different, whereas Canadian public school students had more freedom than residential school students because children were taken away from their families. However, the treatment in these schools were different and some what similar. Even though Residential schools and Canadian Public schools were similar in some form, there were numerous amounts of differences in how the children were taught, how they were treated and how their living conditions were like throughout these schools.

Residential schools first started appearing in the 19th century. They were introduced as a way to mold children into civilized people. Their goal was to eradicate the Indigenous culture and once they were Canadian citizens, they could be a part of society. In the eyes of the Europeans who colonized, they were educating these wild beings. Many of the churches took the responsibility of teaching the children. They would teach the

What was the cause of having residential schools made?  Who did the native people wrong to deserve such discriminatory and harsh treatment? To begin with, we have the causes for the government to open residential schools. It all began with Sir John A. Macdonald who funded residential schools because he thought that the aboriginal people were not civilized enough to live in a modern society. The government, wanted aboriginal people to learn how to read and write because they thought the aboriginals were "savages".  Sir John A. Mac Donald said this because he did not like the way native people have been taught, or their culture, and beliefs.  Residential schools were established so native children could be more successful if the school taught the children the main stream Canadian curriculum. This curriculum consisted of learning Christianity as well as how to speak English or French. They did this so native kids can better understand the Canadian culture, by speaking in another language. The first residential school for the aboriginal people was established near Quebec City, where Catholic missionaries aimed to "civilize" aboriginal boys. Parents didn’t want to send their children to the residential schools, Kids sometimes tried to run away. Similar attempts were made by protestant missionaries in the Atlantic and in the Red River area but also failed. After that we have the cause of the treatment of residential schools. Teacher were often poorly trained; few children received

Residential schools were mostly run by religious groups and over 150,000 students attended between the 1870s and 1970's. They took the first nations children with plans to assimilate them into mainstream culture, and they were forced lose their own aboriginal identity. Not only were the children not allowed to speak the native languages but they could not see family very often if they even could at all. They underwent mental and physical abuse in these schools, in the forms of being beaten as well as sexually abused by

When residential schools began the kids were forcibly taken away, leaving the parents at home alone with no one to look after but each other. This became a huge issue within the communities because a huge part of First Nations life and culture is to educate your children, pass on the culture and to take care of them. These parents couldn’t do that, which left them feeling helpless and broken. Children are a huge part of First Nations culture, they are the future of the indigenous culture, if they are taken out of that cultural bubble at a young age and assimilated they will not be able to continue passing on the traditional ways of their ancestors. First Nations children are the future of the Aboriginal culture and its history by taking them away to those residential schools so long ago the churches/government have disrupted the education they would have received from their parents. Patricia Angus-Monture explains that First Nations children are the building blocks for the future of First Nations peoples,

Aboriginal men and women who lived through residential schools brought the concern of residential schools onto the public agenda.[2] Their work resulted in the Indian Residential School Settlement Agreement, which stipulated a residential school Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada be conducted.[2] The commission concluded that the Canadian residential school system was established for the purpose of separating children from their families.[2] According to the commission, this was done with the intention to minimize the family's ability to pass along their cultural heritage to their children.[2][3] The commission spent six years traveling to different parts of Canada to hear the testimony of approximately six thousand Aboriginal people who were taken away from their families and placed in residential schools as children.

Residential schools in Canada were present for over 100 years and were created by the government to eliminate the Indigenous culture. These schools successfully separated families while creating huge cultural barriers between children and their Native culture (COHA, 2011). These children were forcibly removed from their families and taken to residential schools because Canadians saw Indigenous peoples as “backwards” or “savage” (COHA, 2011). They also believed that they were inferior to Natives and that these schools would help “civilize” aboriginals by replacing their Native traits with Western values (COHA, 2011).

Residential Schools were systems set in place by the Government of Canada and enforced by Christian churches as a way to approach the “issue” of the First Nations. They were used by the government to assimilate the Aboriginal children into European culture. It is significant that Canadians remember this time in history because it's not so far in the past. We see the repercussions to this day. This source shows the perspective of the Government, and supporters of the Government. On the other hand Aboriginal people may disagree, they are still greatly struggling with misfortune due to Residential Schools. The perspective shown in the source should be looked into considering the government's insufficient response to the legacies left behind by Residential Schools. For example we see higher prison rates, more drop outs, and family abuse more than most cultural groups in

In the past, Canada’s Aboriginal people’s culture was at stake and for it to resolve. The Residential Schools were established to help aboriginal children to not forget about their language and culture in the contemporary society. In 1931, there were about 80 schools in Canada. It was a total of 130 schools in every territory and province. In 1996, Residential schools in Newfoundland, Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick closed all residential schools which led all the Aboriginals, Intuits, and Métis were forced to attend the schools.