Residential Schools Lejac Residential School Fraser Lake B

Residential Schools Lejac Residential School, Fraser Lake B. C.

Residential Schools and the Indian Act - Aboriginal “Education” was a partnership between the Department of Indian Affairs and churches In 1884, an Amendment to the Indian Act made it mandatory for all Aboriginal children to go to some sort of school, mainly Residential Schools Students were forced out of their home environment and placed in a foreign, isolated environment People with Indian Status were not allowed to go to public schools until the Indian Act was revised in 1951

Purpose of the Residential School - - Residential Schools were set out to assimilate First Nations people into the Eurocentric lifestyle A tool of colonialism is to manifest the beliefs and language of the colonizing culture upon the youngest generation through educational institutions Forced attendance at Residential Schools shattered the traditional notion of families in First Nations communities Children were removed by Indian Agents or the RCMP When these tools are allowed to be in place, it becomes cultural genocide or the act of completely destroying the culture of a people They were trying to destroy the Indian within the child

Residential Schools Across Canada - - By 1910, there was 60 government sanctioned and supported Residential Schools - about 150 thousand Aboriginal and Metis children were forced to attend these schools (~7 million was the population) The last Residential School to close was in 1996 (Grade 12 students were born in 1996) One of the closest Residential Schools to Prince George is Lejac at Fraser Lake (140 km) The number of Residential Schools had reached 80 in 1931 across Canada

Life in residential schools

What families expected in Residential Schools - Many survivors and families expected to get an education in Residential Schools - Some saw an opportunity to learn new things and help their communities - Many people were eager to learn who wanted to be there

What survivors actually received (academically) - These schools gave little opportunity beyond the most basic academic and practical skills Students were required to maintain the institution as well as produce the food that they were to eat Many people who attended Residential School felt like they were slaves, preforming tasks that would have otherwise have been done by paid employees

What survivors actually received (in regards to language) - Language is the key to culture and one of the greatest wedges to drive out culture is not permitting youth to use their own language - Imposing English language will impose English culture - The use of English or French was strictly enforced and if you used anything else, there would be physical punishment - Some students would be forced to eat / wash out mouth with lye - Some students would have lashings

What survivors actually received (disease) - - - Many healthy children who were sent to Residential School soon contracted Tuberculosis (TB) and other diseases due to: - Unhealthy conditions - Large groups of children living in close quarters - Poor diet - Lack of medical attention When the students returned home, they would carry disease with them and then it was spread to the community In some instances, up to 70% of the students had died A discovery in 2008 of many unmarked graves around a former school is a small testament to the tragedy Sick Bay, Lejac, B. C

What survivors actually received (nourishment) - Malnourishment was a constant issue: - Eating spoiled food and rotten meat - Soups consisting of only boiled potato broth - Experimentation of vitamin / nutrient deficiency effects on children

What survivors actually received (family) - - - Boys and girls were not allowed to talk to one another even if they were siblings Some children would not have contact with their families for as little as 10 months up to years at a time Many children tried to run away from Residential Schools to try and return home, the results were: - Caught, brought back and abused - Not caught but died due to environmental conditions - Made it home but was apprehended by Indian Agents or RCMP and brought back to the school

What survivors actually received (physical abuse) - Students were strapped as a method of corporal punishment - Some kids would have their ears twisted, even with ear problems - Students were beaten - Students were hit with objects - Each teacher would have their own version of punishment - Students slapped Strap from St. Margaret’s Indian Residential School

What survivors actually received (emotional abuse) - - - Examples of emotional abuse: - Students were stripped down in front of their peers - Verbal abuse Teachers made the students hate their parents and their own way of life through lies and deceit Experiencing loneliness, abandonment and isolation Loss of parental influence and separation of family Removing children from their home and not allowing contact Shaving the students’ heads Some females were sterilized

What survivors actually received (verbal abuse) - Preachers and teachers would say that anything native or culturally native was evil and bad - They were identified by the schools to be savages or pagans

What survivors actually received (humiliation) - If there was holes in the socks, they were pinned to their backs If they wet the bed, the sheets were tied around their necks and used as a cape Public shaming in front of everyone else Made students wear devil horns as a form of punishment Making the guys wear dresses for going to see his sister in the other dormitory

What survivors actually received (sexual abuse) - The students’ accounts indicate that sexual abuse seemed to be part of the school experience - There was abuse by staff - Abuse was witnessed by other students - There were bribes and intimidation tactics used to normalize the abuse - Administration did not respond to allegations St. Mary's Residential School, Mission B. C.

The Legacy of Residential Schools • What has been the lasting effects of Residential Schools on society today? • https: //www. youtube. c om/watch? v=ep 7 AW 2 K 4 Xww

The Legacy of Residential Schools (gender/family relations) - Communities traditionally valued both male and female labour as critical to the well being of the community - - It changed to internalization of the “male breadwinner” Their communities were responsible the raising of children not just individual families. Taking the children away devastated the community Children missed opportunity to grow up within their own families and culture and did not experience daily love and learn parenting skills Some students were sterilized and not able to start families

The Legacy of Residential Schools (Socio-emotional) - People have been having problems coping with the effects of abuse People lost faith in the educational system People were never given the opportunity to learn how to be parents Children lacked the skills to fit into life in the Euro-Canadian society Children lost a lot of their own cultural identity within their own communities and was ostracized

What is happening now? - - Some residential schools have now become healing centers Some schools have been torn down There is a movement called Truth and Reconciliation Commission for advocating Aboriginal rights lost during Residential Schools (2010) There has been formal apologies issued by: - Government of Canada – 2008 - Vatican – 2009 - Anglican Church of Canada – 1993 - RCMP – 2003 - University of Manitoba 2011