Intergenerational effects of Residential schools

Not many people are aware of how residential schools have affected First Nations people in Canada. These Christian boarding schools, which were government-sponsored and aimed at assimilating Indigenous children, have deeply impacted the native population; and descendants of residential school survivors share the same burdens as their ancestors, even though they didn’t attend the schools themselves. Because of residential schools, domestic abuse and violence is more frequent within families, many have poor mental health and live in poverty, and finally, many of them are unable or unwilling to teach their children native languages or other aspects of their culture.

The social and psychological effects of Residential Schools on Canada’s First Nations Peoples Residential Schools were and still are a significant part of Canada’s history. They have had negative social and psychological effects on survivors and even their families. Grant Severight, Richard Wagamese, and Rita Joe and so many more are incredible authors who share their experiences on Residential Schools from either their or their families’ perspectives.

Students as young as 3 would be sent off to schools where they would be beaten and sexually abused as a punishment for misbehaving. Emotionally, students were traumatized witnessing other students, friends and siblings beaten sometimes to death. Even though the government funded the schools, many still lacked of health requirements that were necessary resulting in overcrowding, poor sanitation and poor food quality, often leading to death. Studies show that 24 percent of children who were put into residential schools died and up to 75 percent of children died after being sent home due to illness and/or completing the residential schooling. Schools started off with as many as 150,000 students with only 80,000 surviving today (Truth and Reconciliation, 2014). Even though residential schools are now closed aboriginal attendee’s still suffer, many induced with depression, PTS (post-traumatic stress), different forms of addiction, and even suicidal

Residential school happened in the past, but still affect us in today's world. Globalization and Residential school's go hand in hand in the history books. Globalization created the residential schools; Euro-Canadian culture was the Canadian government's foremost concern, therefore, they created religious schools which accustomed the indigenous children to their

Indian Residential Schools has been a major contributing factor towards the mistreatment and decreased standard of living for the First Nations people of Canada. Originally founded in the 1840’s and the last to close in 1996 the goal of Residential Schools was to assimilate First Nations people into Canadian society. The assimilation process consisted of the forced attendance (by Canadian law) for every Native, Metis, and Inuit child to attend the “boarding” schools. Residential Schools were ran by Christian, Catholic, and Anglican churches, the schools were also funded by the Canadian government’s Indian Affairs. Treatment students received while attending the schools was unbearable for the young children. After being taken and

The main historical force that has contributed to Tom and his family’s situation, is the lasting effects of the residential school system on Aboriginal parenting. Although it is unclear in this case whether or not Tom’s parents are victims of residential schools, the lasting affects caused by residential schools still exists within every member of the Aboriginal community. The common misconception during the time of residential schools was that Aboriginal people were unable to care for their own children, and this responsibility must be put in the hands of the state. This misconception continues to exist within contemporary Canadian society, as the intergenerational trauma that exists within Aboriginal communities, which was caused by residential schools and the sixties scoop, has caused some members of Canadian society to believe that Aboriginal people are still unable to parent their own children. The misconception that Aboriginal parents, in this case Tom’s parents, are unable to parent their children grew due the fact that the development of effective parenting skills and child rearing behaviours within the Aboriginal community was ruined due to the residential school system, as children were separated from their family and were not able to be taught and shown how to properly handle parenting (Collins

Cultural genocide is a term used to describe the deliberate destruction of a cultural heritage of a people or nation for political, military, ideological, religious, ethnic, or racial reasons. European civilization, also seen as the social norm, inflicted their ethical values, traditional customs, belief systems and political systems on the

As a nation, Canada is known to the rest of the world for being thoughtful, polite, and generally very accepting of all ethnicities and people. However, the treatment of Canada’s Indigenous population, Japanese Canadians, African American and Indigenous slaves seems to suggest otherwise. Canada's dark past may not be talked

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.

Although to most, Residential schools are considered a time of the past, the final residential school did not actually close until 1986, which means that many of our older generation of today’s Aboriginal communities are residential school survivors. The traumatizing effects of the schools had not only had a significant effect on the families directly involved, but also for generations to follow. According to the Manitoba Justice Institute, residential schools laid the foundation for the epidemic we see today of domestic abuse and violence against Aboriginal women and children.17 The high rates of domestic violence among Aboriginal families results in a vicious cycle of abuse and dysfunction over generations. The families directly affected were raised with no love, from there, the pain was carried down in many other forms and so forth. This brings me to the topic of my first notion, that education is the root of decolonization. I am certain of this because, from what I understand nothing is so persistent and forced into society more than education is. I am not concentrated strictly on schools, but the idea that we are constantly surrounded by many possible sources of knowledge. A young child first and foremost learns from its surroundings (its parents, siblings, media, etc...) and then usually put into a school for further education. How a child is developed mentally plays such a huge role in his or her life choices, and later on

The purpose of Canada 's residential schools was to assimilate First Nation peoples into mainstream Canadian Society, like the Indian Act. The Residential Schools damaged First Nation people because it disconnected the children from their history, language, family, and culture. Residential Schools taught children that their culture wasn 't worth preserving. Some legacies of Residential Schools include alcoholism, poverty, and increased chances of becoming a prostitute or abuser (physical, emotional, sexual, and psychological). Statistics prove that people who have been

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.

INTRODUCTION The First Nations children were greatly affected by the residential schools, as it left them physically and emotionally damaged from the trauma of being isolated from their families and cultural values; being abused (physically, verbally and sexually) while also being discriminated against, which had lasting effects. Although there were many other tribes who were also neglected, such as the metis and the units, my focus will be on the First Nations boys and girls who were affected by the residential schools and how it continues to affect them in today 's society. Throughout this essay, I will be proving examples and research to show what the residential schools were followed by what type of effects it had on the boys and girls who were forced to attend the schools.

In the Indigenous community, when the community is faced with a trauma, it takes seven generations for the community to heal (Trimble, 2015). People may underestimate how oppressed and how much suffering the Indigenous communities had to struggle with, and continue to struggle with these issues today. We may underestimate how severe the situation is because many of us were not taught much about the impact of colonization on the Indigenous communities in school. There are many myths people may have concerning Indigenous life experiences, particularly schooling. To address these myths, I would begin by giving a brief history of residential schools. I would then analyze how residential schools have impacted the indigenous community and how they continue to affect them today. I would also mention the current issues children on reserves are facing today regarding school. Lastly, I would mention some of the progress that has been made. I will use the work of Sefa Dei to demonstrate the importance of community in education regarding the Indigenous people.

Residential schools were a place where thousands of Indigenous children would go to learn but instead get abused very badly. Residential schools existed about a hundred years ago. These tragic schools were established because European people wanted the Indigenous people of Canada to be assimilated into Euro-Canadian. The European people thought that their civilization was the greatest human achievement. A lot of residential schools opened within Canada’s provinces. Life at residential schools was very cruel because the students got limited time to learn and more time to do exhausting chores. The children also got brutally abused for various things including if they offend the nuns and priests working in the schools. By the time the children had finished attending the residential schools they had almost forgotten everything about their culture and traditions. Residential schools treated children very poorly which caused some long-lasting effects that still impact Indigenous people today.