residential schools in Canada
⁃ life after world war1
• veterans returned home with different expectations
• immigrants across Europe brought their own cultural traditions and
languages
• some woman had the right to vote and experience of working out of home,
they started to seek for equality(2nd wave of feminist movement)
• ties to Britain weakened as Americans ties grew
• more and more rural Canadians moved to urban centers
⁃ settlement in Canada
• in the 19th century, settlement in the United States sparked violence
between newcomers, and the First Nations who tried to keep the new comers from
taking over their territory
• in Canada, the government wanted to attract Europeans to Western
Canada, but it also wanted to avoid similar clashes
• the government encourages Western First Nations, such as the Siksika
and Cree, to sign treaties that offered some benefits in return for giving up most
of their land
• in the point of view of First Nations people, they were not agreeing to
giving up most of their land, but rather share the fruits of the land
⁃ the Indian Act
• First Nations were granted reserves- land set aside for their exclusive
use
• 1876 Parliament passed the Indian act- which gave the government nearly
complete control over the lives of First Nation people on reserves
• the act defined who qualifies for Indian status and therefore was
eligible to receive the benefits promised in the treaties
• overall the act took away First Nation’s people’s right to govern
themselves, other restrictions include:
1. how they earned a living
2. required them to ask permission to leave their reserve
3. prohibited them from consuming alcohol
4. government appointed an agent to monitor day-to-day activities
⁃ First Nations and the Indian Act
• over the years, the parliament changed the act several times- without
consulting First Nations
• restrictions under the Indian Act:
1. a First Nations woman who marries someone who was not a status Indian
lost her Indian status
2. First Nations people who became doctors, lawyers, and the church
ministers gave up their Indian status
3. those who wanted to vote in federal and provincial elections were
required to give up their status
4. traditional dances, celebrations and powwows were prohibited
5. First Nations could not hire a lawyer to help them deal with issues
such as negotiating treaties
• treaties were binding contracts but governments and the courts viewed
treaties as promises that government was bound to keep
• living in the reserves:
1. many were too small
2. few job opportunities
3. poor health care
4. housing was primitive
5. poverty meant that children were undernourished and the suicide rates
jumped
⁃ the league of Indians in Canada
• many First Nations people from across Canada had fought during ww1
• some hoped their war record would persuade the government to correct
the wrongs that had been done an d to grant them the same rights as their citizens
• upon return in 1918, nothing has changed
• denied benefits
• Lt. Frederick Oglivie Loft becomes an advocate to bring change- but was
denied and could not gain
⁃ assimilation
• the goal of the Indian Act was to assimilate indigenous people into
broad Canadian society
• the process of adapting or adjusting to the culture pf a group or
nation, or the state of being so adapted
⁃ Duncan Campbell Scott
• one of the main advocates of assimilations
• lead the department of Indian Affairs from 1923-1939
• he believed that education was key to assimilation
• in 1920, parliament changed the Indian Act and required all children
between the ages of 7 and 15 to go to school. for many, this meant travelling
hundreds, even thousands of km from home
• graduates of residential schools could become enfranchised- qualified
for citizenship rights, including the right to vote, but it means giving up their
Indian status
⁃ residential schools
• government sponsored schools, run by the church
• first schools established after 1880
• goal: tp educate and convert indigenous youth and to assimilate them
into Canadian society
• these schools were first created during colonization of new France
⁃ roots
• first developed in new France by catholic missionaries to provide care
and schooling
• residential schools became a phenomenon with the creation of Anglican
institutions
• purpose: for colonial experiments. After setting, Europeans depended on
the First Nations people economically and militarily for survival
⁃ impacts
• the general experience of residential school students was negative
1. isolated
2. culture disparaged
3. restricted- forbidden to speak their language
4. losing identity
⁃ life at residential schools
• operated on a half-day system- students spend half the day in the
classroom and the other half at work
• tasks were separated by gender:
• girls: cooking, cleaning laundry, sewing
• boys: agriculture, carpentry, construction, maintenance
⁃ abuse at residential schools
• impatience and correction by teachers gave way to excessive punishment
• physical abuse was frequently used
• the government and the police were silent during these situations. even
if the complaint and meant, they would either fire the perpetrator or allowed the
abuser to keep teaching
• 4200 deaths
⁃ recovery, preparations, and reconciliation
• government provides a fund for assistance on supporting members
surrounding the family breakdowns, violence, and aimlessness brought about by
residential schools
• in 2005, the Canadian government established a $1.9 billion
compensation package for the survivors
• June 11 2008, Stephen Harper, on behalf of the Canada gov, gave an
apology to the students
