 A residential school was a special school for natives.  The government would collect the native children and take them to the school.  The students would learn to read and write and do basic jobs.

 The motivation of the governments and churches was to teach the children to not be native’s anymore.  They were trying to strip them of their identity and assimilate them into the “white man’s” way of life.  The government perspective is that they were SAVAGES that needed to be tamed.

 The children were often bribed away from the reserve with candy and toys.  When they got to the school, they were bathed, changed and got hair cuts.  Boys and girls were separated and they lived under strict rules.

 They were not allowed to go home and not allowed to get letters or send letters. Although the school let them think that they could.