Residential School Legacy A Shameful Event In Canadian History

Where Were They? Residential Schools were located all across Canada. In total there were 130 schools located across Canada.

Background The first residential school was set up in the late1800s by the missionaries. They wanted to Christianize and educate the natives. The government helped support the residential school system. The Indian Act was enacted which gave the Federal government the authority to control Indian Education.

The Schools The schools were located in almost every province in Canada. Except for PEI, New Brunswick and NFLD. There were 130 of them. Most schools closed by the mid 1970’s. The last school closed in 1996.

Attending The Schools The Indian Act stated it was mandatory for status Indians to attend residential school. Children as young as 6 would be removed from their families to attend school. They would have to stay their for 10 months every year.

They Could Not… Speaking their own languages was forbidden. They could not practice any of their cultural activities. They could not speak to other family members. If they did any of these things they would get physically punished.

When They Arrived… The students were only given one set of school clothes and one set of work clothes. The students were assigned daily chores. They were forced to get their hair cut very short, even for girls. The children got their names changed.

What Is The Indian Act? The Indian Act of 1876 decided who ”Indians” really were. Those who entered into treaties were status Indians, and only they had the right to live on reserve lands.

A Typical Day

Pelican Lake Day School Sioux Lookout Ontario Opened: 1911 Closed: 1973

Classrooms

BEFORE After Thomas Moore Keswick enrolled at Regina Indian Industrial School in 1892. (No. 22) Died 4 years later

The Girls Chores

The Boys Chores

Today How do you think this effected the First Nations future generations?

The Effects of Residential Schools Click the link below to watch a really interesting short documentary about how Residential Schools affect the following generations Wab Kinew Documentary (YouTube)

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