Residential Schools Indian Act – First passed in 1876, had to do with Indian Status – In 1920 the Act required Aboriginal children to attend Residential schools The goal of residential schools was to assimilate the children Based on the assumption that Aboriginal culture was inferior to European

Residential Schools Statistics – Students were required to attend the school from the age of 6 to 15 – About 150,000 Aboriginal children passed through the Residential school system – The last Residential school closed in 1996

Residential Schools Children were forcefully removed from their homes No parental consent was needed to remove the children from their home In many cases the children had no idea where they were going, or when they would be coming home

Residential Schools In Residential schools students were not allowed to: – Speak their native language – Practice their religion – Wear their traditional clothes – Contact home – Misbehave

Residential Schools Consequences – Strapped with leather straps – Beating with fists or hands – Starvation – Public shaming or humiliation – Locked in closets or cages Students were also – Malnourished – Overworked – Physically, mentally and sexually abused

Residential Schools Tuberculosis – There was little to no medical care available to those in residential schools – In one school, during an outbreak of Tuberculosis approximately ¼ of the students died

Residential Schools The result – Many students lost the ability to speak their native language – Of the 150,000 Aboriginal students that attended the school, it is estimated that 4000 of them died while living in Residential schools – Aboriginal communities were weakened – Many of the children that attended Residential Schools were at risk of developing mental illnesses

Truth and Reconciliation Commission Indian Residential Schools Truth and Reconciliation Commission – In 2008 Stephen Harper officially apologized for the Government’s role in the operation of Residential schools Residential school students have also been provided compensation packages – 10,000$ for the first year – 3,000$ for each subsequent year

Residential Schools Assignment