Canadian Indian Residential Schools PDF

Preview

Summary

Download Canadian Indian Residential Schools PDF

Description

Running Heading: CANADIAN INDIAN RESIDENTIAL SCHOOLS 1

Canadian Indian Residential Schools

Name

Institution

CANADIAN INDIAN RESIDENTIAL SCHOOLS 2

Canadian Indian Residential Schools Introduction Indian Residential Schools denoted IRS was a system of schooling where there were setups of boarding schools for the indigenous people in Canada (Chalmers, 2019). This was a project that was financed by the Department of Indian Affairs in the Canadian government, and was managed by Christian churches. The core reason for founding these schools was to cut off the indigenous Indian culture and assimilate the people into the dominant Canadian Culture. The system existed for more than a hundred years, a time span that saw almost 150,000 being placed in IRS countrywide. There are some deaths that were associated with these schools, though the number remains unknown due to an incomplete record, in as much as there is a record of about 3200-6000 fatalities. Most of the attendees had no op5ion because this was compulsory for First Nation Children. There however were survivors who have lived to tell their stories and how the experiences had influence on their lives. This paper will focus on the story of Rita Watcheston, who attended Lebret Residential School.

The Name of the Survivor and Reason for choosing them After sampling out the videos on the website, I decided to work on the story of Rita Watcheston. Rita was from Ochapaways Reserve, the northern part of Whitewood, Saskatchewan. She was taken to the school at a very tender rage, with her sibling sister, in which she stayed for the following ten years (1949-’59). I chose to talk about Rita so as to explore how childhood actions tend to influence the behavior of a person in their old age. According to her

CANADIAN INDIAN RESIDENTIAL SCHOOLS 3

story, she developed a perfectionist’s character and high standards of cleanliness and neatness due to the strict rules she lived in. She also found refuge in heavy drinking to ease her issues, such like the feeling of being rejected by her father. We also get to learn the importance of sticking one’s culture. Even after going through the IRS, Rita still teaches her grandchildren about their culture.

Whereabouts of the Residential School Rita attended the Lebret Residential School. The school was also known as the Qu’Appelle Indian Residential School. The school started in 1884 as the first IRS in the west. It was located in what is today referred to as the Wa-Pii Moos-Toosis, (White Calf) Indian Reserve. This is an area of the Star Blanket Cree Nation connecting to the village of Lebret in Saskatchewan. Lebret is found on the north-eastern part of the shore of the mission lake in the Valley of Qu’Appelle, about six kilometers in the eastern side of Fort Qu’Appelle, on the 56TH Highway. The school was operated by the Roman Catholic Church and run by the Missionaries Oblates of Mary Immaculate and the Grey Nuns. The Church run the school from its start in 1884 to 1969. Following the closure, the school was turned into White Calf Collegiate, having to utilize the buildings which was however again demolished in 1999 (McKee and Forsyth, 2019).

As earlier pointed out, the school was run by the Catholic Church. From the beginning to the closure. The major thing that is learnt from the working of the Catholic Church in running of the school is pursuit for perfectionism. Rita recounts how their daily routines were orderly and

CANADIAN INDIAN RESIDENTIAL SCHOOLS 4

the way the Nuns were up on their necks to ensure everything was perfectly done. There is also an issue of piety brought out. The children had routinely praying times to which they had to meekly attend. Hard work was also instilled by the church as seen in the children developing skills, in the case of Rita, a seamstress. The issues of discipline are also brought out. Rita tells us of how they would be stripped and whipped by the nuns in case they did something wrong, even just speaking their native language. In short, the church had the commitment of ensuring that the majority Canadian Culture was implemented and the native Indian ousted from the people. The Catholic Church has not offered any apology for the running of the school since it was not their sole responsibility for the running, but also involved the government.

Children who attended the School and the Typical Days The school targeted the children having a root in the Indian Culture, also called the First Nation Children. Targeting the children would make it easier to instill the Canadian culture since most had not dived into the norms of their indigenous cultures yet. The children were aged between 4 to 16 years. These children came from the surrounding villages in Saskatchewan. For a typical day, Rita would wake up very earl in the morning, brush her teeth and wash up. This was followed by going downstairs to eat after which the chores followed. The children were overworked and the working conditions were poor, leading to instances of injuries and even deaths. After the chores, Rita and the other children would go to school where they would spent the whole day then come back to dinner afterwards. Other routinely things involved games and

CANADIAN INDIAN RESIDENTIAL SCHOOLS 5

sports, prayers and even music. This not only applied to Rita, but to the other children as well. She did this for the ten years she was in the school.

Traditional Territory The school was built in an Indian-rich traditional set up. The naming of the area, Qu’Appelle had a very interesting legend. It is said the name is a traditional Cree for Kahtapwao, meaning “What is calling?” the Indians believed that Spirits roamed around the lakes in the area and some claimed to be even hearing them as they paddled their canoes. The French translated the name to Qu’Appelle, which still meant who is calling. The people held their traditions highly and had such festivals like dance of the rain and the sun. It must have been a tough situation for their culture being overhauled, since it made most lose a sense of identity. The people already had a language and a deity and beliefs, taking all that at once made it hard for them, something that provoked revolts from the natives (Miss and Rose, 2019).

The Survivors Most of the survivors were affected by the tough living conditions in the residential schools. Think of the bad food, abortions, beatings, fires, electrical mishaps and such. Most developed hatred for their families for bringing them to such place. Some even hated the church for the way they were badly treated. Rita however gave an appreciation for being made a skillful seamstress and developed cleanliness and a sense of perfectionism. One thing to note is that in as much as Canada tried to assimilate the Indians into the majority culture, most of the children still

CANADIAN INDIAN RESIDENTIAL SCHOOLS 6

held onto their naïve values, languages and even cultural practices. This is seen in Rita teaching her grandchildren of their roots.

Conditions of the School The children were separated in terms of sexes. They kept their hair short and were not even allowed to meet their kin. This weakened family ties. They were forbidden to speak their native languages. The schools were underfunded which led to poor living conditions. Teaching was skills-based. Most of the work was involuntary and unpaid. There was widespread abuse, both physical, emotional and psychological. Sexual abuse was also present. The school was overcrowded, poor sanitation, inadequate food and high death tolls. Abuse went as far as shoving needles in the children’s mouth just for speaking their native languages.one had to either speak French or English. The children were also threatened by staff, assaulted and even raped, either by staff or fellow students. It is not easy to get the exact death toll since some of the children were sent away and died at home due to the injuries, and at the same time, the school tried to cover up the deaths (Miss and Rose, 2019).

CANADIAN INDIAN RESIDENTIAL SCHOOLS 7

The above picture shows Boys at Qu’Appelle Industrial School in 1907, as per the Grey Nuns of Montreal. The boys were separated from the girl, even if one was related. They were to develop masculine skills like carpentry and such.

CANADIAN INDIAN RESIDENTIAL SCHOOLS 8

The above picture shows Fort Qu’Appelle India Residential School Boys’ musical Group, Lebret at an unknown date. The school taught music to the children who had interest.

Conclusion Residential schools were widespread in Canada and focused on assimilating the Indians into the majority Canadian culture. The schools were funded by the government, though run by Christian Churches. The conditions in the schools were horrific and the survivors live to tell of

CANADIAN INDIAN RESIDENTIAL SCHOOLS 9

the tough life they endured as children. One such survivor is Rita Watcheston who was in Lebret Residential School. She narrates her experience in the schools. We get to learn more about IRS.

CANADIAN INDIAN RESIDENTIAL SCHOOLS 10

References Boys at Qu’Appelle Residential School in 1907, from the Grey Nuns of Montreal. 30th Septemper, 2019. (http://www2.uregina.ca/education/saskindianresidentialschools/wpcontent/uploads/2017/12/05b-c005504-d0001-001.jpg) Chalmers, F. G. (2019). Art Education in ‘Indian‖ Residential Schools in British Columbia1. In Art, Culture, and Pedagogy (pp. 143-156). Brill Sense. Fort Qu’Appelle India Residential School Boys’ musical Group, Lebret at an unknown date. 30th September, 2019. (http://www2.uregina.ca/education/saskindianresidentialschools/wpcontent/uploads/2017/12/a023091.jpg) McKee, T., & Forsyth, J. (2019). Witnessing Painful Pasts: Understanding Images of Sports at Canadian Indian Residential Schools. Journal of Sport History, 46(2), 175-188. Miss, B., & Rose, D. (2019). [2.1] A Current and On-Going Affair: An Analysis and Critical History on the Effects of Residential Schools on the Indigenous Peoples of Canada....