The reconciliation work being undertaken by groups like the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Aboriginal Healing Foundation, and Legacy of Hope highlight strong examples of indigenous activism, organizations and resistance, as well as the multi-generational impacts of colonial policies and practices.
Arthur Ray's book We Have Been Here Since the World Began is an illustrated history of indigenous and settler relations in Canada. It provides some historical background to these examples. It examines the historical development of policies that led to the establishment and maintainance of the residential school system.
Ray writes that assimilation through education was a cornerstone of British colonial policy, closely linked to the lobbying efforts of church groups.
In the years following the Confederation of Canada, the federal government was obligated to provide education to indigenous peoples through treaties, as well as the government's designation of these peoples as 'wards of the state'.
At that time, many First Nations who signed treaties felt that the provision of education by the government would be beneficial to their communities. People felt their children would need education to participate in the new Canadian economy, and so negotiated for it in treaties. For example, Treaty 1 (which involved the peoples of southern Manitoba) included the clause that “Her Majesty agrees to maintain a school on each reserve hereby, whenever the Native people of the reserve should desire it” (cited in Ray, p.236).
Some indigenous people also stipulated that schools should be religious. This concern came from Christianized indigenous peoples who wanted their children to be taught by members of their faith.
However, once the schools were established, indigenous peoples lost control over the educational process. Government wanted the schools to operate as cheaply as possible. This is one reason why the Roman Catholic, Anglican, Methodist, and Presbyterian Churches became involved in administering the schools. The churches received subsidies of $72-$145 per student, and saw the schools as a way to increase their converts.
The government and churches developed two types of schools: residential schools and day schools. By the late 1800s, residential schools, which moved children off reserve and away from the influence of their parents and Elders, were seen as the best means to support their assimilation.
Schools included both elementary and high schools. Children from 14-18 years old attended so-called 'industrial' schools focused on job training. Boys learned agricultural skills and trades like carpentry and blacksmithing, while girls received instruction in household skills. The schools aimed to trade workers for Canada's remote and northern regions.
Residential schools quickly spread across the country. Over time, the government shifted its industrial schools policy, and between 1896 and 1905 began training students in how to make a living on reserves. Government also halted the construction of new industrial schools, slowly phasing them out (beginning in 1907 with Metlakatla in B.C). The residential schools became replaced by boarding schools and day schools.
Throughout this process, indigenous parents and students alike resisted the negative impacts of these schools. Even in the early years of the residential school system, a growing number of people opposed sending their children to the residential schools. In the schools, students also resisted attempts at assimilation, laying the groundwork for an ongoing process of resistance and renewal.
The following video is a short clip from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Intergenerational Legacy series. Each of these short videos tells the story of a residential school survivors, along with his/her grandson/granddaughter.
The video's subject matter that may be disturbing to some viewers, particularly survivors, and so viewer discretion is advised.
Arthur Ray's book We Have Been Here Since the World Began is an illustrated history of indigenous and settler relations in Canada. It provides some historical background to these examples. It examines the historical development of policies that led to the establishment and maintainance of the residential school system.
Ray writes that assimilation through education was a cornerstone of British colonial policy, closely linked to the lobbying efforts of church groups.
In the years following the Confederation of Canada, the federal government was obligated to provide education to indigenous peoples through treaties, as well as the government's designation of these peoples as 'wards of the state'.
At that time, many First Nations who signed treaties felt that the provision of education by the government would be beneficial to their communities. People felt their children would need education to participate in the new Canadian economy, and so negotiated for it in treaties. For example, Treaty 1 (which involved the peoples of southern Manitoba) included the clause that “Her Majesty agrees to maintain a school on each reserve hereby, whenever the Native people of the reserve should desire it” (cited in Ray, p.236).
Some indigenous people also stipulated that schools should be religious. This concern came from Christianized indigenous peoples who wanted their children to be taught by members of their faith.
However, once the schools were established, indigenous peoples lost control over the educational process. Government wanted the schools to operate as cheaply as possible. This is one reason why the Roman Catholic, Anglican, Methodist, and Presbyterian Churches became involved in administering the schools. The churches received subsidies of $72-$145 per student, and saw the schools as a way to increase their converts.
The government and churches developed two types of schools: residential schools and day schools. By the late 1800s, residential schools, which moved children off reserve and away from the influence of their parents and Elders, were seen as the best means to support their assimilation.
Schools included both elementary and high schools. Children from 14-18 years old attended so-called 'industrial' schools focused on job training. Boys learned agricultural skills and trades like carpentry and blacksmithing, while girls received instruction in household skills. The schools aimed to trade workers for Canada's remote and northern regions.
Residential schools quickly spread across the country. Over time, the government shifted its industrial schools policy, and between 1896 and 1905 began training students in how to make a living on reserves. Government also halted the construction of new industrial schools, slowly phasing them out (beginning in 1907 with Metlakatla in B.C). The residential schools became replaced by boarding schools and day schools.
Throughout this process, indigenous parents and students alike resisted the negative impacts of these schools. Even in the early years of the residential school system, a growing number of people opposed sending their children to the residential schools. In the schools, students also resisted attempts at assimilation, laying the groundwork for an ongoing process of resistance and renewal.
The following video is a short clip from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Intergenerational Legacy series. Each of these short videos tells the story of a residential school survivors, along with his/her grandson/granddaughter.
The video's subject matter that may be disturbing to some viewers, particularly survivors, and so viewer discretion is advised.
Last modified: Friday, 17 January 2014, 03:46 PM