Psychological Damage Inflicted by the Residential School System

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Recommended: Limitation of indigenous education

First Nations children suffered many forms of abuse at the hands of the Canadian Government (Oh, Canada!) under the guise of residential schools. The purposes of the residential schools were to remove First Nations children from the influence of their families and cultures, and to intergrade them into the dominant culture (The Residential School System). This was done under the assumption that First Nations culture was lesser, “to kill the Indian in the child” as it was commonly said. The children were forcibly separated from their families to live in year-round schools where they were taught “white man” curriculum, with a two-month vacation time, completely separated from their Aboriginal heritage and forbidden from speaking their own languages (The Residential School System). If these rules, along with many others, were broken the punishments were severe (Oh, Canada!). Residential school survivors spoke of their horrible abuse during their time at the schools, including: sexual, physical and psychological (The Psychological and Intergenerational Impacts of the Indian Residential School System). The students received an inferior education, usually only taught up to grade five, training them for manual labor jobs (The Residential School System). The residential school system undermined First Nations culture and disrupted families for generations, leaving severe psychological damage in not only the survivors but also their families and the following generations (The Psychological and Intergenerational Impacts of the Indian Residential School System). Many students grew up without experiencing a family life, never gaining the experience and knowledge necessary to raise a family of their own. The effects of the schools were far reac... ... middle of paper ... ...Jonathan Dewar, and Glen Lowry. Ottawa, Ont.: Aboriginal Healing Foundation, 2012. Print. "Oh, Canada!" Cultural Survival. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Mar. 2014. Brasfield, C. “Residential school syndrome.” BC Medical Journal. Vol 43(2), March 2001. Pp. 78-81 Rita Flamand. Speaking My Truth: Reflections on Reconciliation & Residential School. Ed. Shelagh Rogers, Mike DeGagné, Jonathan Dewar, and Glen Lowry. Ottawa, Ont.: Aboriginal Healing Foundation, 2006. Print. "The Psychological and Intergenerational Impacts of the Indian Residential School System." Indian Residential Schools Commemoration Project. Anishinabek Nation, n.d. Web. 15 Mar. 2014. "The Residential School System." Indigenous Foundations. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Mar. 2014. Walker, Julian. "The Indian Residential Schools Truth and Reconciliation Commission." Parliament of Canada. N.p., 11 Feb. 2009. Web. 16 Mar. 2014.

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