Treaty 6 was created based on the needs of Indigenous people and the Canadian government. The treaty was discussed and negotiated between the Canadian government and members of the Indigenous tribes. The Indigenous people had different needs they wanted included in the treaty; these included agricultural supplies, government assistance, and schooling that would help the community evolve from hunting-gathering to one that could grow crops and ranch. They also wanted to help the younger generation gain understanding about the new society. Schooling was an important section during the creation of Treaty 6. When the Canadian government signed Treaty 6 in 1876 the treaty stated: “And further, Her Majesty agrees to maintain schools for instruction in such reserves hereby made as to Her Government of the Dominion of Canada may seem advisable, whenever the Indians of the reserve shall desire it.” This section of the treaty was broken three years later when Prime Minister Sir John A. MacDonald introduced residential schooling. The introduction of residential schools contradicted the treaty agreement by removing Indigenous children from their homes forcing them to practice Christian traditions and European culture, and eliminating all traces of Indigenous heritage. Members of the Canadian government and the Indigenous people signed Treaty 6 in 1876. Treaty 6 was “a formal and binding contract between two nations” that would help deal with important matters. Treaty negotiations included land, education, healthcare, government funding, and more. The treaty was created to help benefit both parties – the Canadian government, and the Indigenous people. However, the Canadian government broke this treaty many times. In the mid 1880’s there w... ... middle of paper ... ...ciety. The Canadian government, to assimilate and Europeanize the Indigenous people, implemented the schools. Treaty 6 was not considered when the schools were created. The treaty was broken when the schools were taken off of reserve land and placed in churches. Indigenous children were not allowed to practice their traditions, see their families, or learn about their Indigenous heritage. The following quote from Robertson sums up residential schools perfectly “In essence, the churches were attempting to eliminate the influence of Aboriginal families and communities on the minds of their children.” The Canadian government created the schools to try and force the Indigenous people into a European society. Although the Canadian government has apologized for the brutality and severity of the residential schools, they scars that have been left behind will never fade.
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,
The eleven Numbered Treaties are a series of documents made between 1871 and 1921. These treaties were between the Canadian government and the Indigenous People of Canada. The treaties gave the government the land for industrial development and settlements, while giving the Indigenous special rights to hunting, fishing, treaty lands, cash payments, supplies and things to help increase the quality of life. These treaties were made both orally and in written pen and paper, meaning that not all of the negotiations were understood and some were misinterpreted by both the indigenous people and the Canadian government. These treaties took place in Canada from Northern Ontario, to Southern Manitoba and from The Rocky Mountains to north of Yukon and
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.
Canada likes to paint an image of peace, justice and equality for all, when, in reality, the treatment of Aboriginal peoples in our country has been anything but. Laden with incomprehensible assimilation and destruction, the history of Canada is a shameful story of dismantlement of Indian rights, of blatant lies and mistrust, and of complete lack of interest in the well-being of First Nations peoples. Though some breakthroughs were made over the years, the overall arching story fits into Cardinal’s description exactly. “Clearly something must be done,” states Murray Sinclair (p. 184, 1994). And that ‘something’ he refers to is drastic change. It is evident, therefore, that Harold Cardinal’s statement is an accurate summarization of the Indigenous/non-Indigenous relationship in
For over a century, indigenous children across Canada were separated from their families and sent to residential schools. The religious-based schools were designed to assimilate the children, taking away their culture and language.
To even the most ignorant of Canadian citizens there should be some understanding that roughly between the years of 1815-1960, there was an enormous amount of intimidation and destruction of indigenous life and culture in North America. While there are countless events that occurred during this period, I believe the three most prominent of this would be the residential school system, the Indian Act, and the Red River Colony incidents.
The relationship between the government and its Indigenous charges had been wrought with violence, suppression, and exclusion prior to the BNA Act, this did not change once Confederation had been declared . The Gradual Civilization Act and the Gradual Enfranchisement Act, products of the British colonial era, were combined to create the Indian Act of 1876 (First Nations Studies Program , UBC, 2009). The Act outlines the role the federal government is to play in essentially every aspect of an Indian’s life, from who may have their name on the Indian Register to a ban on the hiring of legal council for the purpose of land claims, introduced in 1927 (Mathias & Yabsley, 1991). The residential schools that many indigenous children were forced to attend attempted to ensure that “they were made to feel shame for their indianness. They were forcefully encouraged to become white” (Mathias & Yabsley, 1991). This was not denied by
A decade later in June 2008, Prime Minister Stephen Harper delivered an “Official Statement of Apology” to the House of Commons on behalf of “the government of Canada and all Canadians”. The language of reconciliation was featured far more prominently in his speech than in that of Stewart that preceded it or the Royal Commission. In many ways, Harper’s apology “inaugurated” reconciliation as a central principle of future Indigenous policy of the Canadian state. Both the Prime Minister’s apology and use of the term reconciliation were framed as a narrative of historical progress that confined the abuses of Indigenous peoples to the distant past. He sought in his speech to describe the Residential School system as a “sad chapter” of Canadian history isolated from a larger and continuing colonial project. Harper conceded that the principal objective of Residential Schools was to “remove and isolate children” from their communities to “assimilate them into the dominant culture”. He then continued to provide a limited
Treaties are formal written agreements between nations. Treaties discussed throughout this paper are regarding the negotiated agreements between several distinct Indigenous Nations and European Settlers in Canada, generally regarding the sharing of land and/or land rights. The sovereign nation known today as Canada was shaped largely through these treaties, and the majority of its land is in part governed by them. Development of these treaties required two vastly different cultures to modify their political traditions and practices in order to amalgamate the two governing systems, resulting in ‘understanding’ and ‘agreement’ by both parties. Although the treaties helped form the diplomatic nation of Canada, the processes used for their creation
The abuse of native populations has been a common theme throughout history, especially for the rising nations of the 1800s. Of the many guilty nations, Canada is one of the few to have apologized for their actions. Canada’s formal apology, titled “Statement of Apology to Former Students of Indian Residential Schools”, was delivered on Canada Day of 2008 by former Prime Minster of Canada, Stephen Harper. This apology speech not only serves as a reminder to Canadian citizens about their past actions as a nation, but also demonstrates how the Canadian perspective on native peoples has changed over one-hundred years from disgust and apathy to respect and sympathy. Specifically, this shift of attitude is demonstrated through Harper’s manner of
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, is a six year examination into the traumatic past of Aboriginal people in the Indian Residential school system, from the late 1840s to 1996. The inquiry also, recommends ways to heal all those affected directly and the cycle of intergenerational impact residential abuses have established. In documenting this dark aspect of our history by interviewing over 6000 survivors, the commission acknowledges the failures of the Canadian government, in its treatment of First Nations people. In addition, the Commission hopes to establish a new relationship in recognition of the past, but on new roots that transcend beyond its horrors. All in all, striving to form a solid foundation to build upon
From the moment of organized European appearances in North America, negotiation has been a central characteristic of relationships between aboriginal residents and newcomers. It is a characteristic that has been evident in treaty-making throughout Canada for more than three hundred years and it continues to be the order of the day in modern treaties, claims and agreements being negotiated with First Nations, Inuit, and Métis across in Canada. 1
Residential schools were created to teach the First Nation’s Children about European and Christian beliefs so that they could find a useful place in Canadian society. In over 100 years that the schools ran, approximately 150,000 students were enrolled from the age of 5 till they were teenagers. Most of the children were taken away from their parents between the ages of 5-6. The main reason for these institutions was to put a huge amount of stress over the fact that the Indian children did not know anything according to the Europeans. So that they could live and lead good lives in the new country called Canada. These assumptions and mistreatments with the First Nation children caused them to lose their native tongue, develop disorders and then self-medicate themselves for those conditions.
The Canadian Government’s apology is not enough to mend the past because many people thought that it was symbolic and that it would not change the relationship between the Aboriginals and the government. The apologies that were made by the government and the churches are important steps in the healing process but many Aboriginal leaders said that such gestures are not enough without supportive action. In 2006, The government of Canada signed the Indian Residential School Settlement Agreement (IRSSA) and began its work on June 2008, this was seen as the first step towards reconciliation between the Canadian people and First Nations. Also in 2008, Prime minister Stephen Harper apologized to the Aboriginal people and admitted that the residential schools were part of the Canadian policy and was
By acknowledging the idea that residential schools existed as an “’internment camp for Indian children’ for well over a century” (173), the reader is able to recognize the basics of residential schools. From the very beginning of the article, the writers set a dark tone when talking about “’Our Alcatraz’” (173) in reference to residential schools. Canada’s relationship with the United States has been described as ‘like sleeping next to an elephant’. Being small in comparison to the power of the United States every move they make Canada feels. There is proof of this throughout history, including the start of residential schools; the Canadian government took the same ideas from our southern partner and implemented it across