The Problems Of Residential Schools

The documentary We Were Children, directed by Timothy Wolochatiuk, followed two survivor’s stories of what really happened in the Residential schools in Canada. The stories that have been told, sheds light into the acts that took place and how it still has affected the survivors today. These schools have stripped away the children’s identity and their culture, leaving behind their traditional heritage.

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 19th century the Canadian government established residential schools under the claim that Aboriginal culture is hindering them from becoming functional members of society. It was stated that the children will have a better chance of success once they have been Christianised and assimilated into the mainstream Canadian culture. (CBC, 2014) In the film Education as We See It, some Aboriginals were interviewed about their own experiences in residential schools. When examining the general topic of the film, conflict theory is the best paradigm that will assist in understanding the social implications of residential schools. The film can also be illustrated by many sociological concepts such as agents of socialization, class

Many survivors are suffering from what is called Residential School Syndrome (RSS) which is similar to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). It was not until 1951 when the Indian Act revision was changed allowing children to attend public schools and 1969 when Indian Affairs took over the schools from the churches. It was not until 1996 when the last residential school, Akaitcho Hall, closed its doors. During the +100 years that the residential schools were operated many students were subjected to conditions comparable to a concentration camp, as one author noted. The physical, emotional and cultural trauma that these students experienced lead to a future of poverty, loss of language, alcohol abuse, family violence, and suicide for many. Every aboriginal student, be it First Nations, Inuit, or Metis, who have attended residential schools dealt with racism and were treated as inferior. This generated self-doubt resulting in more than 3 out of 4 students failing public school, and less than 3% having graduated high school. As Battiste stated: “It robs them of their learning spirit and potential”. Even with over 68% of First Nations involved with provincial schooling, infant mortality rates are still doubled that of Canadians, their suicide rate is 7 times higher, the unemployment rate is 3 times higher, the literacy rate is 50% that of Canadians and most indigenous live below the

Knockwood explains the enforcement of residential ideologies as a “combination of physical intimidation and psychological manipulation which produced terror and confusion” (12). The premise of residential schools was to strip Indigenous children from their culture and Indigenous identity, forcing them to only speak English, or face severe consequences. Despite the government and churches best efforts, many Indigenous children still maintained their cultural roots and kept their language while at home. This governmental need for assimilation has had lasting impacts far beyond the scope of active residential schools. Neeganagwedgin notes, “while the schools may be physically closed, the legacy lingers” (34). Beyond this, she urges, present-day institutions still function in a way that continues to undermine and systematically deny, “Indigenous peoples their inherent rights as First Peoples” (Neeganagwedgin 34); such as the justice system, child welfare and the education systems.

The drastic cultural impact of residential schools on First Nations people has been extensive, as it is mentioned in the novel Keepr’n Me by Richard Wagamese. Keeper’s statement in this book, “Only thing they did was create a whole new kinda Indyun. We used to

That it was acceptable to drink and abuse drugs without the responsibility of caring for their children. Their parents are living on a reserve that is supposed to be supported by the Canadian government, but unfortunately the community in a lot of cases are living in poverty. Today there are still reservations that don’t have heat and indoor plumbing. The children travel for hours a day to get to school and eventually they give up on going to school.

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.

From 1863 to 1996, many Indigenous child were forced to attend residential schools, where they were separated from their families and culture and experienced neglect, abuse and trauma (Bombay, Matheson, & Anisman, 2011, p.367). This essay will explore the history and purpose of residential schools, how it impacted Indigenous children and families at the time of the events, and how to this day it still affects them. Indigenous Residential Schools impacted the First Peoples of Canada physically, mentally and emotionally which resulted in their loss of identity, culture, spirituality, and traditions in the past and present.

The mistreatment of Aboriginal children at residential schools caused detrimental impacts on their identity and even led to death. Furthermore, this has led to many repercussions that negatively affect their communities and made them more prone to criminal acts. There have also been rising tensions between the Aboriginal population and the Canadian government due to the protests for compensation. The imposition of residential schools has negatively impacted the lives of the Aboriginal population and the government must take action for the betterment of their

Residential schools were put in place by the Canadian government as a way to “refine” native communities into the broader culture and keep the native children from continuing their heritages’ traditions. In the short, yet powerful video clips shown in Practical Nursing Professional Growth class, our class was confronted with horrific stories told by residential school survivors of what they had encountered while attending. Raymond Mason, Alice Littledeer, and Madeline Dion Stout were all forced to abandon their language, culture and way of life in order to adopt and adapt to European languages such as English or French, new habits, and foreign religious sects. All three of these survivors had awful traumatic experiences such as being forbidden to speak their Aboriginal languages, forced haircuts for boys and girls, sexual assault, physical abuse, and segregation between genders; brothers and sisters were not allowed to be in contact. While watching these videos, I was filled with emotions such as sadness, disgust, and anger towards these schools, all while being completely shocked that I am now just learning about residential schools in college, and how that is absolutely unacceptable, and that every Canadian citizen should be informed about this in history classes in high school; it is imperative.

Long before Europeans came to North America, The Aboriginal people had a highly developed way of life. This however all changed when the Europeans decided to settle among them. For the Anglophones and the French people of Canada it became more and more evident that something drastic would need to be done in order to fit them into their ideal perception of what it was to be Canadian. With the help of the church the Canadian government implemented the residential school system, which was devoted to providing a disciplined based ideal that promoted rejection of the aboriginal culture in favor of the dominant white population. The residential system would eventually become an official Canadian policy for the education of Indian. Even though

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.

There has been lots of controversy about the Indian Residential Schools in Canada and its long term consequences. The Indian Residential Schools long lasting negative effects on the Canadian Identity and Indigenous peoples are still present today. This essay will outline the legal issues, mortality rates and poor conditions. Lasty the lasting effects from the Residential Schools present today in both the survivors, and the new generations. The conflicts between Canada’s Residential Schools and the Canadian Identity is a very problematic issue that Canadians of both Aboriginal descent and mainstream Canadians are trying to amend.

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.