Imposition Of Residential Schools Essay

From the 1870’s until the last school closed in 1996, at least 150,000 Indigenous children attended residential schools in Canada. More than 130 government mandated schools existed across the country. These schools were church administered, with the express purpose of forcibly removing Indigenous children from their native culture, in an effort to assimilate them into Euro-Canadian culture and thereby “kill the Indian in the child”. Countless families were torn apart as the Canadian government placed

The era of residential schools in Canada was a dark period in time, but it especially affected the relationship between the country and its Aboriginal population. The quote above was said by Justice Murray Sinclair, who, over a period of six years listen to over 7000 statements of survivors of residential schools so as to form the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada's Call to Action. To a great extent, I believe that the Call to Action should be followed through. In my opinion, the main focus should be the section's “Language and Culture,” “Health,” and “Justice.”

From the late 1800’s to 1996 more than 100,000 aboriginal children attended residential schools in Canada. At a majority of these government operated schools there were reports of emotional, physical, sexual and spiritual abuse along with punishment for cultural activities. Residential schools were implemented to liberate aboriginal people from their savage ways in order for them to survive in the modernizing society.1 To a majority of the current Canadian population, impacts of residential schooling are a part of a distant past, disassociated from today’s events, this misconception. Long lasting impacts as a result of residential schooling include minimal education leading to poverty, stigmatization by the non-aboriginal public, abuses of aboriginal rights in areas such as land and the environment and the growing loss of Indigenous cultures in younger generations. With the continuing misconception of the history and lasting impact of residential schools conflict between Indigenous people and the Canadian Government has not ceased, but increased.

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

During the time residential schools existed, the Aboriginal population of Canada was forced to endure appalling treatment. Residential school is regarded as a thing of the past by high school history books, but is that really true when the oppression and abuse that occurred in residential schools has had a long-term effect on Aboriginal peoples? Intergenerational effects of residential schools include post-traumatic stress disorder, high rates of addiction, abuse and violence, probable deadly illnesses, and elevated statistics of suicide in Aboriginal communities. A substantial number of authors, historians, and researchers attest to the fact that residential schools have influenced a number of generations of the Aboriginal people of Canada.

The sociological effects that Aboriginal peoples in Canada face are vast. Residential schools, stripped people of their identity, enforced a cultural genocide, abused (both sexually and physically) children and created an unjust line of intergenerational trauma. Kinship ties, for the majority were lost during the residential school period, sometimes leaving entire communities displaced. The Canadian Government fails to recognize the treatment of Aboriginal peoples during the residential school period and there hasn’t been much done to help those who are affected.

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).

Do humans really see the impacts of the decisions they make? Canada’s government obviously did not. By knowing and understanding the history of Canada’s treatment towards the Aboriginal Community; we can determine the answer. The impacts made by the Canadian government's Residential Schools has affected the lives of the Aboriginal peoples and Survivors in three different ways. Many of the Survivors have been abusive towards their family and peers physically, due to their treatment and the impacts of the Residential Schools. Numerous amounts of the Survivors of the Residential Schools have been diagnosed with depression and anxiety, which leads up to the last point of how several of the Survivors have committed suicide or have had a fatal death

Residential schools are still having long term and intergenerational effects on Indigenous people culturally, physically and emotionally/mentally. In the 19th century the Canadian government established a program to assimilate Indigenous people into the Canadian society and christianity. During this dark time in Canada's history, many Indigenous children were forced to attend residential boarding schools where they suffered various forms of abuse and neglect. Many children left these schools broken and no longer capable of living a normal life. Although these schools have all been closed down, the trauma caused has been passed down through the generations and is still affecting Indigenous people today.

They were brought to these boarding schools to assimilate them into the culture of the European settlers. (Hanson, n.d.) The settlers believed that they were better and that indigenous people were ignorant savages, needed to be trained. (Hanson, n.d.) First prime minister of Canada, Sir John A. MacDonald began to publically fund Residential Schools making this a federal responsibility. (Hanson, n.d.) The schools were maintained by the labor of these children, the children that were punished for speaking their native language, repeatedly sexually assaulted, and extremely malnourished (hanson, n.d.) this abuse and punishment had finally ended in 1996 when the last residential school was closed (Tasker, 2015) It was not until 2008 that former prime minister, Stephen Harper formally apologized to the indigenous community,(CBC, n.d.) he then implemented the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement. However, the institutions have already left a mark on the indigenous people. Suffering has been passed down to generations, inducing mental health issues within the community, such as addictions. Children of Residential Schools suffered through many mental health issues that cause them to be unfit parents. (The Aboriginal Healing Foundation Research Series, 2007) For over a century children from 4-18 have no experience being in a family or community environment, parenting skills were diminished, as well

Aboriginal people in Canada are the native peoples in North America within the boundaries of present-day Canada. In the 1880’s there was a start of residential schools which took Aboriginal kids from their family to schools to learn the Roman Catholics way of culture and not their own. In residential schools Aboriginal languages were forbidden in most operations of the school, Aboriginal ways were abolished and the Euro-Canadian manner was held out as superior. Aboriginal’s residential schools are careless, there were mental and physical abuse, Aboriginals losing their culture and the after effects of residential schools.

There are still many Canadians out there who don’t know much about residential school. All Canadians should learn more about our past and the many terrible things that occurred to First Nations people while in residential schools, and even out of the schools. For many years First Nation Children were taken away from their family and sent to residential schools, which were run by religious institutions. The school’s main goals were to get rid of the Indian in a child, and they would strip them naked of who they were and where they came from. The book Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese gives us a clear insight into all the hard times that a child might have to go through while in a residential school. The book also shows what their lives would

Residential schools one of Canada’s biggest and most horrific secrets. The three main arguments to be analysed are the negative effects of abuse within the schools, the loss of the Aboriginal culture and finally the lack of role models within the child’s primitive years. The documentary We Were Children directed by Tim Wolochatiuk in 2012 and the Letters written by Lucy Affelect and A.F. MacKenzie help validate Lafrance and Collins essay. The essay Residential Schools and Aboriginal Parenting: Voices of Parents by Jean Lafrance and Don Collins accurately demonstrates the negative effects Residential schools had on Aboriginal people.

History shows that Residential School created a big problem for the Indigenous people. Furthermore, children were ripped from their traditional homes and families, they didn’t receive the same education as the other children in regular public schools. Students were discourage from pursuing further educations. Not to mention, the, the emotional, physical and sexual abuse they suffer from the hands of their abuser

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,