1. Residential Schools

2. 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

3. The Power of Words:
Assimilation – a process in which one cultural group is absorbed into another, typically dominant, culture.
Paternalism – a way of managing people in which the desire to help, advise and protect may negate individual choice, freedoms and personal responsibility.

4. Eurocentrism – to consider the European world view as superior and to measure other cultures against it.
Stereotype – an oversimplified image or perception of a person or group. It may be true of some members of a group but is applied to all members.

5. Locations

6. Why Residential Schools Became Established
The paternalistic viewpoint:
“…the future of the Indians, if it were not to be extinction…depended on their being brought more and more nearly to the status of the white population.”
“…by education and encouragement, the Indians were to cease being interesting exotic relics and practice trying to hold their own in a society which could not be bent in their direction.”

7. The Eurocentric viewpoint:
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

8. Why Schooling on the Reserve Wouldn’t Work
Needed to separate the children from the family
Interrupts “cultural transmission”

9. Why did parents agree?
Initially, parents believed that the schools would provide a benefit for their children
Better opportunity for jobs in the new economy
Would help their child to “fit in” to the new society

10. Compare these pictures

11. The Arrival Sent to school from age 6 to 15 years old
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

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

13. 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 - no food or water for a day, a beating, extra garden work
For going off by yourself - several hours of kneeling alone on a rock floor where all can see.

14. Punishments Cont’d. For speaking native language –
first offence: no supper
second offence: no supper and beating
third offence: considered disobedience and punished as such
I lost my talk The talk you took away. When I was a little girl At Shubenacadie school.
You snatched it away…

15. Returning Home Parents found that the children had changed
Unable to communicate with parents as children lost the ability to speak their own language
not interested in family chores
often disrespectful by disobeying, talking back and arguing

16. The End of Residential Schools
Parents began to keep their children home in larger and larger numbers as they realized that the “education” was really assimilation
By 1950 the Canadian government began to realize the residential school policy was a failure
Although many schools closed through the 1960s, the last Residential school did not close until 1996.

17. Impacts… The Ripple Effect
Consider the Ripple Effect and create a list of short term and long term effects of the residential schools on individuals, families, communities, institutions and finally the country.

18. Impacts… The Ripple Effect
Low self esteem
High rates of suicide
Alcohol and substance abuse
Inability to parent
Family violence such as child abuse
Loss of cultural identity and traditions
High unemployment

19. Government Apology
“Today, we recognize that this policy of assimilation was wrong, has caused great harm, and has no place in our country.”
Stephen Harper, June 11, 2008
an apology from the government of Canada in Parliament for residential schools and the damage they caused to aboriginal people.
After watching the apology, what are your feelings?