Residential Schools An Attempt to Assimilate Aboriginal People

Residential Schools An Attempt to Assimilate Aboriginal People and Culture

Who did it Impact? n Around 150, 000 Aboriginal children were sent to Residential Schools against their will

Why did this Happen? n The objective was to assimilate Aboriginals into mainstream society

What happened in Residential Schools? n n Children were taught Christian values and either English or French Their own language and culture was forbidden within the school

Assimilation

n n Children were away from their parents for 10 to 12 months of the year Often communication between the families during the school year did not occur or was forbidden

School Conditions n Substandard conditions n n Poor nutrition Inadequate sleeping arrangements Little healthcare Physical, emotional and spiritual abuse

n Some children never returned home, due to disease that spread rapidly amongst the schools

A day in the life of a student n n Get up early (6 am) • Clean and do daily chores • Get in line stay in line • Go to the Chapel - Go to school to learn the 3 R’s n • Beaten if you acted, thought, or spoke Indian n

Attempts to Reconcile the Past n The Last Residential School closed in Yellowknife 1996 In 2005 the federal government offered a compensation package former students of Residential Schools n n On June 11, 2008 Prime Minister Stephen Harper offered an official apology

Lasting Negative Impacts n Many Aboriginal families continue to deal with the physical, emotional and spiritual turmoil they encountered in Residential Schools Question: n Does financial compensation make up for the turmoil placed on Aboriginal people?