The Residential School System in Canada: Some facts

"I want to get rid of the Indian problem. Our objective is to continue until there is not a single Indian in Canada that has not been absorbed."

Quoted from Duncan C. Scott, head of Indian Affairs, 1920.

I'd like to take some time to talk about the Residential school system in Canada that was in use between 1892 and 1996. They were operated by the Government of Canada in cooperation with the Roman Catholic, Anglican, Methodist, United and Presbyterian churches. The common objective of these schools was to assimilate aboriginal children into Euro-Canadian society.

I'd like to point out that I'm not personally religious. I respect other people's right to religious beliefs as long as they don't try to impose those beliefs on me. I can acknowledge that religion has several positive aspects to it and I can understand how it can give people comfort. I am just unable to trust religious establishments by and large. These are my own personal beliefs and I expect them to be respected. Anyways, on with the post.

I think it's important to note that not all Residential schools in Canada were horrific and there were some people involved in the school system that had good intentions for the aboriginal children. But the fact remains that these people who had good intentions were the minority. Physical, emotional and sexual abuse was widespread in these schools and there has been little done to reconcile these gross injustices.

There are a lot of misconceptions concerning the truth of these schools and the goals of these institutions. By and large most people get their information on the history of the residential schools and the present legal actions from incomplete sources, a headline here and there about churches going bankrupt and the rampant substance abuse and suicides among the survivors, but very few actually know the full truth behind this issue and the full extent of the damage caused by these schools. Here are some facts about the Residential school system in Canada:

Canada's Indian residential school system began officially in 1892 but many features of this system had been in use since the 1600's in the early days of the Christian missionary infiltrations into North America.

From the beginning, the schools showed systematic problems. Often, the education offered by these institutions was inadequate to the needs of the children. Physical, emotional and intellectual deprivation with occurrences of disease, hunger and overcrowding were noted as early as 1897.

Physical and sexual abuse was extremely common in these schools, as were mortality rates. In some cases 50% of students would die in these schools.

The federal government never had a formal policy in place to refuse family allowance payments, however former Inuit students have said that their parents were threatened with the loss of these payments if they refused to send their children to these schools. Around Canada, the missionaries regularly used legal force to remove aboriginal children from their families. Parents were threatened by guns, jail sentences and withholding of rations if they refused to release their children to the authorities.

The children were only allowed to see their families for a total of 2 months in the year. Speaking any native languages was severely punished, sometimes by having their tongues stuck to frozen fences, getting strapped, locked in a closet and/or ridiculed. They were given uniforms, individualism was discouraged, they were forced to adopt a new religion and were referred to by number instead of by name.

In 1920, Duncan C Scott made it mandatory for Indian Children to attend residential schools.

The goals of this school system were primarily to eliminate aboriginal language, culture and belief systems in Canada and to oppress aboriginal students physically, emotionally and spiritually. The practice used was based on complete separation from the family and culture for up to ten years or more, ensuring that these children as young as 4 years old would not know their own people, culture, languages and law.

By 1945, almost 10,000 students were enrolled in residential schools in Canada. Only slightly over 100 were enrolled in grade 8 and there was no record of students enrolled beyond grade 9.

Over 40% of the teaching staff in 1950 had little or no professional training.

The schools typically only spent 2 hours a day on academic subjects. The focus was on learning English or French as well as Euro-Canadian values and culture. Aboriginal boys were limited to learning practical training of agricultural skills, where girls were taught how to do crafts and household duties in an agricultural context. The curriculum prepared Aboriginal students for their "expected future existence on the lower fringes of Euro-Canadian society" (Barman, Herbert & McCaskill, 1986, p.6)

Students were being neglected, supplied with alcohol, pornographic material, female students were becoming pregnant, and the spread of STI's among the students were reported. (source: "A Brief Report of the Federal Government of Canada's Residential School System for Inuit 2005, David King. p.6")

$800 million and over 100 years was dedicated to assimilation in residential schools, but only $350 million and 10 years has been dedicated to healing.

Currently in Canada there are over 87,000 residential school survivors who live with the legacy of this cultural genocide. But when you take into consideration that these survivors grew up in complete isolation from the family structure and surrounded by all this aforementioned ugliness for their entire childhoods, the children of these survivors must live with this ugly legacy as well. Until reconciliation is achieved and Canadians acknowledge the truth of our country’s treatment of native peoples, and the perpetrators of these vile acts are brought to justice, the cycle of pain, hate and isolation will only continue to fester in aboriginal society.

This is an ugly reality, but until this issue is resolved, it’s unreasonable to expect aboriginal communities to become healthy self sustaining communities. This issue will not just go away by itself. Until meaningful reconciliation by the federal government and the church is made, there will continue to be an unsightly stain on the Canadian flag. We are human beings; we have the fundamental right to justice. The truth must be known.

I’d like to leave you with a speech given by Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce at Lincoln Hall, Washington, DC in 1879, where he argued for the same liberties granted to American Citizens.

“Good words do not last long unless they amount to something. Words do not pay for my dead people. They do not pay for my country. They do not protect my father’s grave. Good words do not give back my children. Good words will not give my people good health and stop them from dying. I am tired of talk that comes to nothing. It makes my heart sick when I remember all the good words and all the broken promises.”

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(Source: The Legacy of Hope Foundation)