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 resurgence.
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 an overview of the development of policies that led to the establishment and maintenance 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 Canada’s Confederation, the federal government was also obligated to provide education to indigenous peoples given their designation as ‘wards of the state’, and as a component of treaty agreements.
At that time, many First Nations who signed treaties felt that the provision of education would be beneficial to their communities. For example, Treaty 1 (which involved the Anishinabek and Swampy Cree 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 people 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 system. Government set up the schools to operate as cheaply as possible, one reason why the Roman Catholic, Anglican, Methodist, and Presbyterian Churches became involved. (The churches also received subsidies of $72-$145 per student, and used the schools 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 away from the influence of their parents and Elders, were seen as the most efficient and effective way to assimilate them.
Residential schools quickly spread across the country and 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.
Over time, the government shifted its industrial schools policy, and slowly phased out industrial schools (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 constantly resisted the negative impacts of these schools. From the earliest years, a growing number of people opposed sending their children to the schools. Inside the schools, students resisted attempts at assimilation. These activities reflect the resiliency of the people who endured the injustices of the residential school system.
The following video is a short clip from the Anishinabek Nation Indian Residential Schools Commemoration Project. It tells the story of a residential school survivor and her granddaughter.
The video’s subject matter that may be disturbing to some viewers, particularly survivors, and so viewer discretion is advised.