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 …show more content…
As so many people are being trapped in terrible conditions, shoved under the rug, thrown in prison ignored, so much more i don't even understand and can never understand. have forced them into what people feel is a last resort. When all is hopeless they take their own lives. Suicide is the 9 top reason for how people die in canada, and for aboriginals it is the 1. If we look at this epidemic critically and ask ourselves, why would theirs be so much higher
In general the community is struggling, and saying the government have completely fixed it in naive. Other than the issues brought up in this essay they have housing problems on reserves, income inequality, Poverty, poor health, family dysfunction, substance abuse, addiction, among Aboriginal people. They have unclean water, little food, School lack funding, and the list can go on and on. All of this linking back to reserves though intergenerational trauma. We took away basic skills for humans, we took away lives and culture things we can never fully give back and to this day people are
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
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,
“Where are they taking me, mom?! Help!” These were the screams of an Aboriginal child when he was dragged to a car that drove him away from his family. Aboriginal kids were forcefully abducted and placed at poorly built and equipped residential schools. Residential schools are a network of boarding schools for Indigenous peoples. Like a disease, these schools spread so fast on Canadian land. They were every Indigenous child’s nightmare. Kids who attended were traumatized due to the mental, physical, and sexual abuse they suffered. Canadians felt superior to Aboriginals which lead them to use their power excessively to civilize these communities. This issue is considered to be one of the darkest chapters in Canadian history. It has a significant impact on Aboriginal communities. Indians suffered a loss of culture and identity. This issue violates various human rights such as; Freedom of language, freedom of culture and religion, freedom of choice, and the freedom of safety and health. The two groups in this controversy are the aggressors; Canadian government, and it’s churches, and the victims; the aboriginals. The question is, is the Canadian government doing enough to make it up to those who suffered the ill effects of residential schools?
In the late 1800’s to the early 1900’s, the Canadian government wanted to assimilate the First Nations into being like them, and having their traditions. The government decided to establish residential schools led by the Catholic Church. Many Native American children that were sent there were not treated fairly, for some there are reports of abuse and starvation, but for others they say that residential schools helped them become who they are today in a positive way. In the source, there is a section that talks about residential schools, discussing how we should not blame the government's actions towards having and supporting the production of these schools. It states that these schools helped children from poor families have a “safe environment”
Residential schools were the one of the worst decisions the Canadian government had made. As they planned this idea with the churches across Canada, it became unforgettable for the native people. These schools changed the way native people lived in Canada. The children in these schools were abused and neglected everyday
Residential schools first opened in the late 1880’s with the last one closing in the later 1990’s. The Canadian government was responsible for the initiation of residential schools while it was the churches (Anglican, Presbyterian, United, and Roman Catholic) responsibility to educate and oversee the overall running of the schools. Hanson (2009) writes “The purpose of residential schools was to eliminate all aspects of the Aboriginal culture.” It is through looking at the history of residential schools and facing the assimilation forced upon Aboriginal children and their families, along with the abuses endured that a reconciliation between all involved with the uprising and running of these schools that all can come together in moving forward
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
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 society. The churches easily made it into a cultural genocide. The children were abused; physically, spiritually and sexually. The children were malnourished for the most part, and were used to run experiments. They died from tuberculosis, freezing to death, or starvation. The source claims that we should not judge the Canadian government with our modern perspectives about them running the residential schools, and that the churches were operating due to the Canadian government. The Euro-centrism of the Canadian government led them to the residential schools, they believed that they should be the ones that give the children good benefits; like how to survive in the society. The churches part in this plan was to give them a good home where they were cared for. The government abused their power, their rank, and trust. The source is incorrect, because the government and the churches should be judged from a modern perspective, because the government could have learned from past mistakes, the churches chose to abuse the students, and they were not helping the students integrate into society, but rather creating social
As we have coming to realize over the years, the Aboriginal people of our nation are one of the more inferior race and they continue to be today. Through analyzing the historical political impact on their health by also taking into account the social determinates of health. To do this, by discussing bills that have been passed by the Canadian government such as the Indian Act and the residential school system. Then looking at the effects it had then and still to today on their mental, physical and spiritual health then linking those factors to their social determinants of health.
The legacy that residential schools left behind in Canada was not a positive one. Residential schools, up until the day that the last one closed in 1996, were supported and funded by the Canadian government. The aboriginals who attended these schools were treated unethically, and, as a result, the Aboriginals had many bitter feelings of resentment towards everyone else living in Canada. The immoral treatment of the First Nations people by the Canadian government severely impacted relations between Canadians and Aboriginals. The severe short and long term effects of the residential school system on Aboriginals in Canada, along with the fact that there was no apology for the government’s corrupt treatment of the First Nations people until mid-2008 taught Canadians about respect for foreign cultures and how to treat others equally.
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.
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 is the schooling system organized by the Canadian government. The main purpose of the residential schools is to separate the children of the aboriginal people from their parents, tradition, culture as well as from their community in order to vanish their spiritual tradition and practices. Initially the government made the promises that the residential schools were opened only to educate the aboriginal people to civilize their parents as well as their whole community. But once the schools were established it was said that the main purpose of these schools was to educate the aboriginal children and to Christianize them. Hector Langevin told that the public minister said “In order to educate the children properly we must separate them from their families.
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).
This is evident in other areas like health and social services. Aboriginal health in Australia for example is consisted shocking and at the level of a Third World nation in a First World country (Siewert: 2006). Government policies have always been discriminatory whether rightfully or wrongfully, it has widened the gap between Aborigines and other Australian (Hughes 2007:181). The Aboriginal life expectancy is 21 years less for men and 19 years less for women compared to non-Aborigines (Henry et al 2004:517). Suicide rates among Aborigines were unknown