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Negative effects of residential schools
Social effects from the residential schools
Negative effects of residential schools
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One man’s tragedy can define the lives of others. This was the result of the tragedy that befell James Blackbird in David Alexander Robertson and Scott B. Henderson’s graphic novel; 7 Generations. James, to the dismay of his wife and son, let these events define him and turn him into an alcoholic who never stopped mourning the loss of his brother Thomas Blackbird. Today, I want to prove that the long-lasting scars residential school left on him, should not cause him to be the source of blame for the shattering of his life. Firstly, the actual real life events that occurred at residential schools, starting with the assimilation process, tore off the childrens cultural roots. The Canadian government did not like aboriginal culture and wanted to abolish their hold over the land to further the industrial way of life. They did this by cutting the young from their native culture, “Then they gave us new clothes to wear. Well, they weren’t knew… just new to us. Pretty soon we looked like whites. Except, you know, for the brown they couldn’t scrub away.”(76, Ends/Begins). During their time at the residential schools children were under the control of the christian church which ran the entire system, which forced most of them to convert to christianity. They were also bound to the school for 10 months a year and only allowed to see their family between years if they were lucky. When they could not visit their family they had to write letters to their parents. These letters couldn’t even be understood by the parents due to the fact that they were in english. This made the children practically forget all of their culture and beliefs when they were able to come back to their families. This prison-like school system killed a huge part of abori... ... middle of paper ... ...k up the dark cliff that he had been forcefully pulled into. He persevered to forgive himself for his actions and to be their for his son when he was needed. James went through the fiery depths of hell and should not be blamed as the one who is guilty but sympathized with as the victim. Works Cited "Oh, Canada! | Cultural Survival." Oh, Canada! | Cultural Survival. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 May 2014. . News, CBC. "A History of Residential Schools in Canada." CBCnews. CBC/Radio Canada, 07 Jan. 2014. Web. 26 May 2014. . Robertson, David, David Robertson, David Robertson, David Robertson, David Robertson, and Scott B. Henderson. "3." 7 Generations: A Plains Cree Saga. N.p.: n.p., n.d. N. pag. Print.
Retrieved December 6, 2013, from http://www.fncfcs.com/sites/default/files/online-journal/vol3num1/Sinclair_pp65.pdf Smith, C. (2013, September 1). A Legacy of Canadian Child Care: Surviving the Sixties Scoop. Briarpatch Magazine, Part 1. Retrieved December 6, 2013, from http://briarpatchmagazine.com/articles/view/a-legacy-of-canadian-child-care Steckley, J., & Cummins, B. D. (2008). Full Circle: Canada's First Nations (2nd ed.).
Parr, J. & Janovicek, N. (2003). Histories of Canadian Children and Youth. Canada: Oxford University Press.
...ed in out-of-home care during those years were Aboriginal, yet Aboriginal children made up less than 5% of the total child population in Canada (Brown et al., 2005).” The number of First Nations children from reserves placed in out-of-home care grew rapidly between 1995 and 2001, increasing by 71.5% (Brown et al., 2005). In Manitoba, Aboriginal children made up nearly 80% of children living in out-of-home care in 2000 (Brown et al., 2005). These staggering numbers are the reason why researchers and advocates blame the residential schools as the main historical culprit for today’s phenomenon of the over-representation of Aboriginal children in the child welfare system. The sections below will highlight how residential schools shaped child welfare system in Canada today, which help to explain the over-representation of Aboriginal children in the child welfare system.
Print. Waldman, Carl. " Sioux." Encyclopedia of Native American Tribes, Third Edition.
Residential schools had a negative impact on Aboriginal people, many children suffered greatly. The government had thought Aboriginal people’s history and culture were not worth preserving.This resulted to loss of culture and assimilation, because they were stripped out of their traditional ways, and taken away from their families.Stephen Harper apologized to the former students enrolled in Indian Residential schools on behalf of the government of Canada. What
"Social Movements in Canada." Web log post. Social Movements in Canada. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Jan. 2014. .
CBC (2014). A history of residential schools in Canada - Canada - CBC News. Retrieved from http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/a-history-of-residential-schools-in-canada-1.702280
The Indian Residential schools and the assimilating of First Nations people are more than a dark spot in Canada’s history. It was a time of racist leaders, bigoted white men who saw no point in working towards a lasting relationship with ingenious people. Recognition of these past mistakes, denunciation, and prevention steps must be taking intensively. They must be held to the same standard that we hold our current government to today. Without that standard, there is no moving forward. There is no bright future for Canada if we allow these injustices to be swept aside, leaving room for similar mistakes to be made again. We must apply our standards whatever century it was, is, or will be to rebuild trust between peoples, to never allow the abuse to be repeated, and to become the great nation we dream ourselves to be,
“To kill the Indian in the child,” was the prime objective of residential schools (“About the Commission”). With the establishment of residential schools in the 1880s, attending these educational facilities used to be an option (Miller, “Residential Schools”). However, it was not until the government’s time consuming attempts of annihilating the Aboriginal Canadians that, in 1920, residential schools became the new solution to the “Indian problem.” (PMC) From 1920 to 1996, around one hundred fifty thousand Aboriginal Canadians were forcibly removed from their homes to attend residential schools (CBC News). Aboriginal children were isolated from their parents and their communities to rid them of any cultural influence (Miller, “Residential Schools”). Parents who refrained from sending their children to these educational facilities faced the consequence of being arrested (Miller, “Residential Schools”). Upon the Aboriginal children’s arrival into the residential schools, they were stripped of their culture in the government’s attempt to assimilate these children into the predominately white religion, Christianity, and to transition them into the moderating society (Miller, “Residential Schools”). With the closing of residential schools in 1996, these educational facilities left Aboriginal Canadians with lasting negative intergenerational impacts (Miller, “Residential Schools”). The Aboriginals lost their identity, are affected economically, and suffer socially from their experiences.
Schissel, Bernard, and Terry Wotherspoon. “The Legacy of Residential Schools.” Inequality in Canada: A Reader on the Intersections of Gender, Race, and Class. 2nd ed. Ed. Valerie Zawilski. Don Mills: Oxford University Press, 2010. 102-121. Print.
The creation of the Residential Schools is now looked upon to be a regretful part of Canada’s past. The objective: to assimilate and to isolate First Nations and Aboriginal children so that they could be educated and integrated into Canadian society. However, under the image of morality, present day society views this assimilation as a deliberate form of cultural genocide. From the first school built in 1830 to the last one closed in 1996, Residential Schools were mandatory for First Nations or Aboriginal children and it was illegal for such children to attend any other educational institution. If there was any disobedience on the part of the parents, there would be monetary fines or in the worst case scenario, trouble with Indian Affairs.
Justice has began to commence for many of Canada’s Indigenous people now that considerably one of our Nation’s darkest secrets has been spilled. The Residential School system was a collection of 132 church-run, government-funded boarding schools that was legally required for all Indigenous Canadian children. Canadian Residential Schools ran up until 1996 and, for decades, the secrets from within the walls of the institutions have been hidden. But now, the truth has finally come to light.
Canada is a vast country with a strong multiculturalism policy, many distinct regions, and heavy foreign influence. The size of Canada has shaped much of Canadian’s way of life. Communications could not have developed easily or naturally in Canada without relying on technological innovations to bond the country in a communicative society. Canada has been divided into provinces and territories which have extremely different terrains, climates, economies and cultures. These differences create conflicting interests and misunderstandings.
O DODSON, Edward. “Canada: an idea that must survive”. Online at: http://www.uni.ca/livreouvert/dodson_e.html , consulted on February 9, 2004.
The Cree people have a rich and diverse history. Through methods of written and oral teachings, a greater understanding of the Cree people and their history has become apparent. In the following, I will highlight portions of Cree history to establish an understanding of such a rich culture. As a guide, I will use ideas highlighted in Jim Kanepetew’s (n.d) teachings of “The Ten Treaty Sticks”. Underlying concepts from “The Ten Treaty Sticks” have implications on both past and current practices of the Cree people. Since a large portion of the final exam is a chronological list of happenings, I will examine and extend the teachings of “The Ten Treaty Sticks” and how these align with teachings throughout the course. Using “The Ten Treaty Sticks” as a guide, I