Canadian Indian residential school system: Difference between revisions
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== History == | == History == | ||
In 1828, the first boarding school, known as the Mohawk Institute, was established in Brantford, Ontario for six indigenous students. In 1876, prime minister Alexander MacKenzie passed the Indian Act, a policy that was established to force First Nations people onto [[Indian reservations|reserves]]. The Canadian government under prime minister [[John A. Macdonald]] later implemented a system of residential schools as part of an assimilation policy for indigenous peoples, which was influenced by U.S. Army general [[Richard Henry Pratt]]'s ideologies to "kill the Indian and save the man". Pratt served as the superintendent of the [[Carlisle Indian Industrial School]] in the United States. | In 1828, the first boarding school, known as the Mohawk Institute, was established in Brantford, Ontario for six indigenous students. In 1876, prime minister Alexander MacKenzie passed the Indian Act, a policy that was established to force First Nations people onto [[Indian reservations|reserves]]. The Indian Act also left indigenous women disadvantaged as they lost their indigenous status upon marrying white men and indigenous men from other tribes. The Canadian government under prime minister [[John A. Macdonald]] later implemented a system of residential schools as part of an assimilation policy for indigenous peoples, which was influenced by U.S. Army general [[Richard Henry Pratt]]'s ideologies to "kill the Indian and save the man". Pratt served as the superintendent of the [[Carlisle Indian Industrial School]] in the United States. | ||
The schools were intentionally located far off reserves in order to limit contact between the children and their parents. The schools were administered by Christian churches, with most of them being funded by the federal government. | The schools were intentionally located far off reserves in order to limit contact between the children and their parents. The schools were administered by Christian churches, with most of them being funded by the federal government. | ||
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The children were deprived of their cultures and were forced to speak English or French, while facing corporal punishment for speaking their native languages as well as being molested and sometimes killed by priests, often times having their newborn children being killed after being impregnated by their teachers. The children also faced malnutrition and died of diseases such as tuberculosis often as a result of unethical experiments projected onto them, while others committed suicide and died while trying to run away. Some survivors report teachers impaling needles and hot knives in their tongues, bleaching them in baths to lighten their skin, forcing them to wash dishes in boiling water, and starving them in isolation while feeding them salt water to keep them bloated. For the most part, school authorities got away with their crimes, although there were some rare instances where school administrators were arrested for their abuse towards children, such as the cases with [[William Starr]] and [[Arthur Plint]]. | The children were deprived of their cultures and were forced to speak English or French, while facing corporal punishment for speaking their native languages as well as being molested and sometimes killed by priests, often times having their newborn children being killed after being impregnated by their teachers. The children also faced malnutrition and died of diseases such as tuberculosis often as a result of unethical experiments projected onto them, while others committed suicide and died while trying to run away. Some survivors report teachers impaling needles and hot knives in their tongues, bleaching them in baths to lighten their skin, forcing them to wash dishes in boiling water, and starving them in isolation while feeding them salt water to keep them bloated. For the most part, school authorities got away with their crimes, although there were some rare instances where school administrators were arrested for their abuse towards children, such as the cases with [[William Starr]] and [[Arthur Plint]]. | ||
In 1907, Indian Affairs chief medical officer Peter Bryce visited 35 of the schools and found that many students have died and noticed that the schools were poorly constructed with minimal care from the staff. Bryce tried to address the problems of the residential schools to the government in an attempt to reform the system, | In 1907, Indian Affairs chief medical officer Peter Bryce visited 35 of the schools and found that many students have died and noticed that the schools were poorly constructed with minimal care from the staff. Bryce tried to address the problems of the residential schools to the government in an attempt to reform the system. Although [[Duncan Campbell Scott]] did agree to fight against the diseases, he refused to change the assimilationist policies. In the 1940s, the federal government proposed to abolish the residential schools, but despite their obligations, they instead made extremely petty reforms of the system. In 1969, church administration over the schools was terminated and the schools were handed over to the Department of Indian Affairs. | ||
Starting in the late | Starting in the late 1950s, an adoption policy known as the Sixties Scoop was enacted as a means of transporting indigenous children to white families, with Saskatchewan being the only province to implement a program solely for Métis children. This act continued up until the early 1980s. | ||
There were some instances of indigenous people protesting against the residential school system, with at least 25 schools being set on fire by the students. Though most of the protests were ignored, some protests were brought to light when the federal government began to notice the ineffective failures of the system. Over the years, more schools began to close, while others were transferred to the tribes. In 1997, the last residential school was closed in Rankin Inlet, Nunavut. | There were some instances of indigenous people protesting against the residential school system, with at least 25 schools being set on fire by the students. Though most of the protests were ignored, some protests were brought to light when the federal government began to notice the ineffective failures of the system. Over the years, more schools began to close, while others were transferred to the tribes. In 1997, the last residential school was closed in Rankin Inlet, Nunavut. | ||
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== Trivia == | == Trivia == | ||
* It is widely believed that the Gordon residential school in Saskatchewan was the last of the residential schools to close in 1996. However, in 2019, the Indian Residential School Settlement Agreement (IRSSA) found that the | * It is widely believed that the Gordon residential school in Saskatchewan was the last of the residential schools to close in 1996. However, in 2019, the Indian Residential School Settlement Agreement (IRSSA) found that the Kivalliq Hall in Nunavut was officially the last school to close in 1997. | ||
*Although Stephen Harper apologized for the residential school system, he refused to apologize for the residential schools in Newfoundland and Labrador, as the province did not become a part of Canada until 1949 and none of the schools were federally funded. | *Although Stephen Harper apologized for the residential school system, he refused to apologize for the residential schools in Newfoundland and Labrador, as the province did not become a part of Canada until 1949 and none of the schools were federally funded. | ||
*The Kuper Island residential school in British Columbia has been described as "Canada's Alcatraz", due to the difficulty of escape from its remote island location. | *The Kuper Island residential school in British Columbia has been described as "Canada's Alcatraz", due to the difficulty of escape from its remote island location. | ||