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How have residential schools impacted indigenous families and communities
Impact of residential schools on indigenous people
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Concept 1: Civilization
Chapter 15 introduces the banning of the Potlatch tradition which was a cultural practice in the Aboriginal community. Civilization is a concept that can be used to describe the ideology of the government when they were in the process of banning the Potlatch. The attempt to ban the Potlach was an act of enforcing “the preferred form way of life” (NS110) onto the aboriginal community. The government exclaimed how they believed that “coastal nations wasted valuable time attending potlatches,” as they thought that time should be spent “elsewhere in a more profitable pursuit” (Ray 222). The government was convinced that they had the answer to make the most efficient society and believed that citizens should be working hard in a profitable manner. The practice of the Potlatch tradition interfered with capitalism and was the primary problem that the government saw from these celebrations. They had a superior outlook of the situation and were blind to how it was an important aspect of the Aboriginal culture.
Concept 2: Assimilation
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The Euro- Canadian majority wanted to assimilate the aboriginal culture by taking away a tradition. A more intense form of assimilation was seen through Residential Schools as this system used the process of assimilation to systematically strip aboriginal peoples of their culture while forcing Euro- Canadian culture upon them. This was the “most draconian assimilation scheme [that] the government imposed” (Ray 235) on the Aboriginal community. The concept of civilization and assimilation work parallel to each other. The process of assimilation works under the concept of civilization. The overruling majority felt as though their way of life would be much preferred by the rest of society and as a result led to the Native community to be aggressively forced to practice the more preferred Euro- Canadian
This again shows the traumatic effects of residential schools and of cultural, psychological, and emotional upheaval caused by the intolerance and mistreatment of Aboriginals in Canada. Settlers not only displaced Aboriginal people from their land and their homes, but they also experienced emotional trauma and cultural displacement.
The Assimilation Policy was only one of many policies put in place. Before the Assimilation Policy was laid down as a law in the 1930's there was a policy of Protection. This law was put in place to protect the Aborigines from disease and violence as the European settlers moved into their territory. The belief was that the Aboriginal race was gradually dying out. to become extinct in a short amount of years and that they were able to live their last few years in peace. As the Aboriginal race had not died out and were still ...
According to conservative conflict theory, society is a struggle for dominance among competing social groups defined by class, race, and gender. Conflict occurs when groups compete over power and resources. (Tepperman, Albanese & Curtis 2012. pg. 167) The dominant group will exploit the minority by creating rules for success in their society, while denying the minority opportunities for such success, thereby ensuring that they continue to monopolize power and privilege. (Crossman.n.d) This paradigm was well presented throughout the film. The European settlers in Canada viewed the natives as obstacles in their quest of expansion by conquering resources and land. They feared that the aboriginal practices and beliefs will disrupt the cohesion of their own society. The Canadian government adopted the method of residential schools for aboriginal children for in an attempt to assimilate the future generations. The children were stripped of their native culture,...
As European domination began, the way in which the European’s chose to deal with the Aborigines was through the policy of segregation. This policy included the establishment of a reserve system. The government reserves were set up to take aboriginals out of their known habitat and culture, while in turn, encouraging them to adapt the European way of life. The Aboriginal Protection Act of 1909 established strict controls for aborigines living on the reserves . In exchange for food, shelter and a little education, aborigines were subjected to the discipline of police and reserve managers. They had to follow the rules of the reserve and tolerate searchers of their homes and themselves. Their children could be taken away at any time and ‘apprenticed” out as cheap labour for Europeans. “The old ways of the Aborigines were attacked by regimented efforts to make them European” . Their identities were threatened by giving them European names and clothes, and by removing them from their tra...
“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.
Cultural assimilation is one’s intention or nation in dominating another group or society. The pace can either be quick or gradual, depending on the community being referred to and from what history can tell, it often leads to dispute from both members of the group to a degree that it often causes war. Assimilation of the Native Americans and the Europeans during the seventeenth century are described as a cruel and a horrific period. As John M. Murrin states “the discovery of America was an evil. Never can the advantages it brought about (no matter how one considers or depicts them) compensate for the harm it has caused.” Although this may be true, the cantankerous and domineering Europeans depended on the economic, political and societal gains from the Natives. However, Europeans attempt to change the Natives beliefs on social issues such as religion 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.
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
The assimilation policy was a policy that existed between the 1940’s and the 1970’s, and replaced that of protectionism. Its purpose was to have all persons of aboriginal blood and mixed blood living like ‘white’ Australians, this established practice of removing Aboriginal children (generally half-bloods) from their homes was to bring them up without their culture, and they were encouraged to forget their aboriginal heritage. Children were placed in institutions where they could be 'trained' to take their place in white society. During the time of assimilation Aboriginal people were to be educated for full citizenship, and have access to public education, housing and services. However, most commonly aboriginal people did not receive equal rights and opportunities, for example, their wages were usually less than that paid to the white workers and they often did not receive recognition for the roles they played in the defence of Australia and their contribution to the cattle industry. It wasn’t until the early 1960’s that expendi...
Canadians view themselves as morally correct, yet the Indigenous peoples are oppressed and discriminated by Canadians. The Aboriginal peoples culture would last longer without Canada since Canada wants to control first, but not by understanding the culture and heritage. Aboriginal peoples express how they felt about the Canadian “Myth of Progress”. Some other works take a more satirical look like “Tidings of Comfort and Joy” but the points still stand. One of the points is Canadians are discriminating the Indigenous peoples to be lazy and corrupt.
...ulted in widely ranged political and legal protests, including petitions to the Government and the Crown, legal challenges in defense of Aboriginal resource rights and land, and careful enforcing of the Indian Act’s regulations. The federal government often responded with harsh legislative measures to the Indian Act, such as outlawing the Potlatch (and subsequently, arresting those who publically continued to engage in cultural practices), and disallowing of hiring lawyers to pursue Aboriginal rights through court. The passage of such laws, however, did not stop Indigenous groups, and they continued to meet, organize, maintain cultural traditions, and retain respect for hereditary leaders. But, since they lived in such an oppressive society, the Canadian Government continued to have reign over their lives and their opportunities to participate in a broader society.
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...
The holocaust in Germany was an ethnic genocide the wiped out millions of Jews in Europe during World War II. They were rounded up and excluded from the general public, because they were an inferior race and therefore not human beings. They were put into ghettos that were exclusive to Jews and were later sent to concentration camps where they were exterminated or worked to death. This happened because Hitler, along with some of Germany displayed prejudices towards the Jewish people. Similarly, Canada from the late 1800's believed that the aboriginal people of Canada were savages and needed to be assimilated into the better way of life. The government felt that they were no good and needed to be erased of their traditional culture and taught differently. By doing so, it also gave added benefits to Canada economy by providing a new workforce of aboriginal people and diminishing treaties that were in place between Canada and the aboriginals. This assimilation would turn violent due to the abuses of the churches that were running daily operations of schools. These experiences would cause many after affects long after the residential school era ends. The residential schools turned into a failed ethnic genocide of aboriginal peoples in Canada that is comparable and no better to the genocide of the Jews in Germany during World War II. This paper will examine the factors leading to the creating of residential schools and will also look at the type of abuses upon the aboriginal children and the after affects.
Each individual makes up the society as it is, and various characteristics and beliefs makes up an individual. Although, individual lives together with a variety of personal ideologies, emotions, cultures, and rituals, they all differentiate one person from the other making up one’s own identity. This identity makes up who one is inside and out, their behaviour, actions, and words comes from their own practices and values. However, the profound history of Indigenous people raises question in the present about their identities. Who are they really? Do we as the non-native people judge them from the outside or the inside? Regardless of whether the society or the government were involved in their lives, they faced discrimination in every shape and form. They faced discrimination and left their values at residential school, outside in the general population, and faced gender discrimination. Many non-native government policies took place in their lives and shaped their new-unwanted identity, which was followed by the indigenous, however was it followed by them deep inside? One cannot agree on taking actions verbally and follow it physically, and if it was verbally and physically the results would have been different. However, in this case the results were awful as only physical forced was used by non-native peoples to get the native peoples to follow the Euro-Canadian way of lifestyle.
The specific description of cultural adoption also does not build upon a harmful purpose. Appropriation is commonly known as the practice of a dominant social group taking and using an element of another culture for their own interests (Kulchyski, 1997). However, aspects of the dominant culture can be taken by another group as well. Thus, specifically, the act of cultural appropriation can be defined as “[...] the use of a culture’s symbols, artifacts, genres, rituals, or technologies by members of another culture [...]” (Rogers, 2006). Furthermore, according to Rogers’ definition, there are four situations that can be identified as appropriation: exchange, transculturation, dominance, and exploitation (2006). Cultural exchange is the ideal situation where a mutual transfer of a culture elements occur between groups with similar levels of power. These appropriations result in transculturation which suggest that cultures are combinations of various cultural elements (Rogers, 2006). On the other hand, cultural dominance is “the use of elements of a dominant culture by members of a subordinated culture in a context in which the dominant culture has been imposed onto the subordinate culture” (Rogers, 2006). In other words, dominance when elements of the dominant culture is taken, though it is often forced upon the subordinate culture through manipulation of social powers. An example of cultural dominance is the utilization of residential schools in Canada during the late 1800’s. In these institutions, First Nations children were forced to abandon their culture and adopt the ways of life of the colonists. Thus, the subordinate group is forced by the dominant group and their social powers to appropriate these elements. Lastly, cultural exploitation, though causes a similar negative effect as cultural dominance, is a reversal of dominance