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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.
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.
Parr, J. & Janovicek, N. (2003). Histories of Canadian Children and Youth. Canada: Oxford University Press.
Across North America, the scattering of Aboriginal children contributed to damaged identifications with traditional First Nations culture (Alston-O’Connor 2010). Consequently, the Sixties Scoop caused irreversible psychological, emotional and spiritual damage to not only the individual, but to the families and the community too. In the 1950s and 1960s, the government began abolishing the compulsory residential school education among Aboriginal people. The government believed that Aboriginal children could receive a better education if they were integrated into the public school system (Hanson). However, residential schools were later deemed inappropriate because not only were the children taken away from their culture, their families and their people, but the majority of students were abused and neglected....
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. .
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
During the 19th century the Canadian government established residential schools under the claim that Aboriginal culture is hindering them from becoming functional members of society. It was stated that the children will have a better chance of success once they have been Christianised and assimilated into the mainstream Canadian culture. (CBC, 2014) In the film Education as We See It, some Aboriginals were interviewed about their own experiences in residential schools. When examining the general topic of the film, conflict theory is the best paradigm that will assist in understanding the social implications of residential schools. The film can also be illustrated by many sociological concepts such as agents of socialization, class inequality, and language as a cultural realm.
Residential schools were first established in the 1880's to solve Canada's “Indian Problem”. Settlers in Canada thought of the First Nations people as savages, and the goal of the residential schools was to civilize them and integrate them in to white Canadian society. The first operators of residential schools thought of their forced integration as a benefit to native peoples. One of the overseers of residential schools wrote to the Sisters in charge of St. Joseph's Mission at Williams Lake that “It now remains for ...
“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.
Our government’s predecessors have attempted to eradicate Canada’s first people, which is not only an insult to the indigenous people of the past, but to the present. This country did not start off as a joint endeavor of the two general groups of people that inhabited it during its birth, but decimation and forced assimilation of great traditions and people. The assimilation of a great culture, the destruction of oral histories, and the forced loss of language destroyed the chance trust. Only by teaching disgust towards that type of attitude and action, by not excusing it or attempting to justify, will begin a new age of
The over-representation of Aboriginal children in the Canadian Child Welfare system is a growing and multifaceted issue rooted in a pervasive history of racism and colonization in Canada. Residential schools were established with the intent to force assimilation of Aboriginal people in Canada into European-Canadian society (Reimer, 2010, p. 22). Many Aboriginal children’s lives have been changed adversely by the development of residential schools, even for those who did not attend them. It is estimated that Aboriginal children “are 6-8 times more likely to be placed in foster care than non-Aboriginal children (Saskatchewan Child Welfare Review Panel, 2010, p. 2).” Reports have also indicated that First Nations registered Indian children make up the largest proportion of Aboriginal children entering child welfare care across Canada (Saskatchewan Child Welfare Review Panel, p. 2). Consequently, this has negatively impacted Aboriginal communities experience of and relationship with child welfare services across the country. It is visible that the over-representation of Aboriginal children in the child welfare system in Canada lies in the impact of the Canadian policy for Indian residential schools, which will be described throughout this paper.
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.
The government’s goal of the Residential School System was to remove and isolate the children from their families and their culture in order to assimilate the Indigenous race to the dominant new Canadian culture. What the citizens did not know about was the
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.