Residential Schools

Background aboriginal people had a highly developed system of education before the arrival of the Europeans. Aboriginal elders and parents passed on not only survival skills to their children, but their history, artistic ability, music, language, moral and religious values

How Residential Schools Became Established The Europeans thought the aboriginal lifestyle was barbaric Aboriginal culture was useless and dying All human beings would eventually develop and change to be like the 'advanced' European civilization

Two Reasons for Residential Schools 1. Separation of the children from the family 2. The belief that aboriginal culture was not worth preserving

The Arrival Children were usually rounded up in August and transported by train, plane or bus Separated from their brothers, sisters and friends and herded together according to age level Sent to school from age 6 to 15 years old

The Experience Bad tasting, indigestible food Not allowed to speak their native language, thus unable to express their basic needs Mental and physical abuse Loss of personal freedoms and individual control Painfully abusive and harsh discipline

Punishments For failing a test - no food for a day; For not working hard enough - 4 hours of extra work (in school or garden); For disobedience, and rude or disorderly conduct - no food or water for a day, a beating (with a stick on the back), extra garden work;

Punishments Cont. For speaking native language - (first offence) no supper - (second offence) no supper and beating - (third offence) considered disobedience and punished as such; For going off by yourself (without another student present) - several hours of kneeling alone on a rock floor where all can see.

Returning Home Parents found that they had changed Lack of communication with parents as their children loss the ability to speak their own language Children not interested in family chores Children often disrespected their parents by disobeying, talking back and arguing

Benefits of Residential Schools Most of the students would never have learned to read and write Received a proper education Learn about other ways of life than their own

The End of Residential Schools The schools began in the late nineteenth century, by 1950 the Canadian government began to realize the residential school policy was a failure, however the last Residential school closed in 1996.

History Online CBC Archives: http://archives.cbc.ca/society/native_issues/topics/692/

Government Apology June 11, 2008 an apology from the government of Canada in Parliament for residential schools and the damage they caused to aboriginal people. http://archives.cbc.ca/society/native_issues/clips/15394/

More on the Apology At the time of the 2008 apology: $1.34 billion in Common Experience Payments had been paid out to 65,584 residential school survivors. Another $157 million had been paid to 2,900 former students who could prove they'd experienced abuse in residential schools. An estimated 7,600 claims of abuse still awaited adjudication.

CBC Archives http://archives.cbc.ca/search?q=residential+schools&RTy=0&RC=1&RP=1&RD=1&RA=0&th=1&x=8&y=15