Tag Archives: residential schools

Module 2 – Post 1 – From Residential Schools to the First Nations Education Act

My first post for this module is a blog posting I found on rabble.ca.

http://rabble.ca/blogs/bloggers/apihtawikosisan/2013/10/residential-schools-to-first-nations-education-act-colonialis

A fact filled blog post regarding First Nations Education. Not just an Op Ed piece, the blog post includes statistical information on outcomes and fund. Also included are links to various educated related documents including an Assembly of First Nations 2012 report on Education.

A few interesting points in the blog are:

– 40 per cent of Aboriginal students aged 20-24 do not have a high school diploma compared to 13 per cent of non-Aboriginal people.

– 9 per cent of the Aboriginal population have a university degree compared to 26 per cent among non-Aboriginal students. 63 per cent of Aboriginal university graduates are women.

– The federal funding formula for on-reserve schools has been capped at 2 per cent growth per year since 1996 despite the need having increased by 6.3 per cent per year, creating at $1.5 billion shortfall between 1996-2008 for instructional services alone.

If you’re looking for information on First Nations Education, this blog post is a worthwhile read.

Connecting Weblog to Research

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As mentioned in module 1 postings, I am interested in the residential school history in Canada. As a child growing up in New Brunswick and living close to a reserve, we had a number of native students in our school and classrooms. As a child, I didn’t like it at all and I didn’t understand why the native students were in school because it was obvious, even to a primary school child, that they really didn’t want to be there.

My education about native Canadians is very weak and I do not recall ever studying or learning about their history or culture while in school. I know only a small amount about the residential school programme in Canada and this is an area I would like to research more. I would like to look at the government’s purpose for these schools, how they operated, the curriculum taught, treatment of the students and their eventual closer and government apology for them.

Government Interventions with Indigenous Peoples

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At this point in the course, my interest lies in Government ‘interventions’ with Indigenous peoples. Specifically, I am considering residential schools in Canada and Australian intervention with mixed-raced Aboriginal children being removed from their homes and put into state institutions. I am intrigued by the governments’ rationale and thinking behind these policies as well as the length of time that they were enacted. I am curious as to how policies that today seem to be oppressive and against human rights were enforced by a government under the premise of being in the best interest of its citizens, for over one hundred years. As a historian, I am interested in the historical context and societal beliefs that fostered these policies for so long. Personally I am interested in residential schools as one of the largest/most notorious schools was in my hometown.

I am not quite sure just yet how I will narrow the topic, but am hopeful this will naturally become apparent in the early stages of my research.

Some resources I think will be useful are:

– Cassidy, J. (2006). The stolen generations – Canada and Australia: The legacy of assimilation. Deakin Law Review, 11,1, 131-177.

– Indigenous Foundations – Comprehensive website from UBC that considers varied Indigenous topics (government policy, culture, community and politics, global indigenous issues)

– Jacobs, M.D. (2005). Maternal colonialsim: White women and Indigenous child removal in the American west and Australia, 1880 – 1940. The Western Historical Quarterly, 36, 4, 453-476.

– Miller, J. R. Shingwauk’s Vision. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1996.

– Milloy, John S. A National Crime: The Canadian Government and the Residential School System, 1879 to 1986.Winnipeg: University of Manitoba Press, 1999.

– Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council, Indian Residential Schools: The Nuu-Chah-Nulth Experience. Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council, 1996.

– Report of the Royal Commission of Aboriginal Peoples – Report created by the department of Indian and Northern Affairs

– Where Are the Children – An interactive website that looks at the residential school experience, by Library and Archives Canada.

Module 1

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Like many of us, my elementary school in New Brunswick had a number of aboriginal children in attendance. At the time, my feelings toward my aboriginal classmates were dictated by the actions of the aboriginal students towards myself and others in the class/school, and we were mostly afraid. The aboriginal students didn’t want to be there (I realised later) and it showed.

I have often thought back to those days and I have an interest in finding out more information about school and education systems that were put in place (or attempted) for the aboriginal children in my area. Thus, I am looking at researching into the history of residential schools in Canada.

1. The CBC has an article that is a pretty good starting point for information on the residential school history. This page is from 2008 but contains an archive of links for further information.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/a-history-of-residential-schools-in-canada-1.702280

2. Wikipedia, though certainly not always a reliable source, contains a list of residential schools in Canada.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Indian_residential_schools_in_Canada

3. UBC has an indigenous foundation with a wealth of information on residential schools and includes a good list of recommended resources, from books to websites and different organisations.

http://indigenousfoundations.arts.ubc.ca/home/government-policy/the-residential-school-system.html

4. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) has the following mandate “The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada has a mandate to learn the truth about what happened in the residential schools and to inform all Canadians about what happened in the schools.”

The organisation’s site has a wealth of resources and artefacts that will prove useful in a better understanding of what happened in these schools and the Canadian government’s role in their development and forced attendance.

http://www.trc.ca/websites/trcinstitution/index.php?p=4

5. Just recently media reported findings that over 3,000 aboriginals died in dormitories in residential schools in Canada. The majority of deaths were due to the spread of disease. From the Spanish Flu to the spread of TB, the dorms were apparently a perfect breeding ground for disease.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/at-least-3-000-died-in-residential-schools-research-shows-1.1310894

Module 1 – Post 2 – The Importance of “Place”

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One very interesting subject to consider is that of Indigenous science in education and how it differs from more Western educational perspectives. This paper on the role of ‘Place’ in the treatment of Indigenous science is an effective document that outlines the challenges and effective strategies in developing curriculum on this subject.

http://aerc.usask.ca/downloads/Learning%20Indigenous%20Science%20From%20Place.pdf

This information contained within allows one to consider the variety of issues regarding Indigenous science and how it affects perspective. The article seeks to dispel some of the myths surrounding what Indigenous science is and how it differs from Western scientific practice. A very good primer for anyone who wants to understand the basics of this fascinating area of study.

Although the focus of this article is on Saskatchewan First Nations and Métis Communities, it has tremendous relevance to any comprehensive understanding of the Indigenous perspective.

Module 1: Post 3 – Australian Aboriginal Children – The Stolen Generations

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Each year in the Middle School where I work, students read the novel Follow the Rabbit Proof Fence by Doris Pilkington and learn about the tragic practice by the Australian Government of removing aboriginal children from their home without evidence of abuse or neglect and forcing them to live in state run facilities. The novel recounts the story of three young girls who were taken from their home and moved to a facility 1, 600 km away. The girls escape and walk home simply by following the rabbit proof fence that ran north to south in Western Australia. The novel, and film, captivates students’. They are as astonished that a government could have such a policy as they are that children their age and younger could walk that far.

This practice by the Australian government is all too similar to Canada’s residential schools. It is not surprising that more than one country had a similar practice of removing children they deemed to be raised in an unsatisfactory setting and putting them in state run schools/facilities. Not surprising, and not right. It is tragic that these children are then subjected to abuse at the hands of those who are meant to be caring for them. As the article “For residential school kids, a legacy of sex abuse” suggests, the abuse suffered by children at the residential schools impacts future generations. Many of my Indigenous friends are affected by the suffering their parents and grandparents endured at residential schools.

The belief that a government can single out the children of one group of people and forcibly remove them from their home and subject them to live their childhood in a state run facility is barbaric. That this practice happened for so long in so many countries is sad. I am hopeful that we are now learning from the mistakes of the past and realizing the long lasting impacts decisions can have on individuals and their families. I am hopeful that in learning from these mistakes future groups of people are respected and their traditions are valued and honored, not systematically destroyed.

Module 1 – Post 1: Reconciliation

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As I no longer live in Canada, I am often unaware of events/national news. In this era of intense social networking, Facebook is usually my initial place for learning of things that are happening or being discussed ‘back home.’ Such is the case for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Friends, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous, have been posting about the TRC throughout this week on Facebook. Through my classmates in MET 521 and this weblog I have learned that this week is Reconciliation Week in Canada. The notion of a national week for reconciliation intrigued me and I began to read further.

I discovered Reconciliation Canada, a charitable project that was created as a ‘collaboration between The Indian Residential Schools Survivor’s Society (IRSSS) and Tides Canada Initiative Society (TCI).’ I am impressed to see an organization that is devoting itself and its work to the task of reconciliation. I am also incredibly interested in the importance that is being given to reconciliation. As a historian, I have studied many groups throughout the world seeking justice for wrong doings, recognition for mistreatment or simply an apology for what has been done in the past. To have created a group that endeavors to ‘engage people from every part of Canadian society in an open and honest conversation about our diverse histories and experiences in order to build vibrant, resilient, sustainable communities‘, is an inspiring step forward.

As my search continued I came across an article titled, “Reconciliation Week a chance for ‘critical conversations’ on colonialism” by David P. Ball. Initially I was interested in the reference to colonialism, but the article seemed to touch on much more.

The article begins by introducing Reconciliation Week and refers to testimony from residential school students. Ball notes that the final residential school closed in 1996. This astonished me. Historically speaking, 1996 is not that long ago. That a residential school still existed less than two decades ago challenges my own beliefs that residential schools were an archaic way of thinking and existed in a different time and a different mindset. To have one exist so recently, unnerves me.

Another key point of the article is the relationship between the TRC and prominent oil and gas companies. Ball points out that the TRC is sponsored by Kinder Morgan – a large oil and gas company. To some this questions the validity of the entire process of the TRC, to others it gives prominence and attention to an important step that has thus far not received the attention it requires. To me this echoes our discussions from last week on the cultural neutrality of technology and the idea of bias. The fact that someone, or a group, choose which information to include on a website, in an article etc. leads to biased information being accepted as truth. The presence of oil and gas companies in the midst of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission can make on question their intentions and possibly benefits from being involved. Ultimately, this discussion on the involvement of these companies distracts from the main purpose of the TRC. It is not helpful to have the focus shift from truth and reconciliation to the intentions of oil and gas companies.

Although not easy to seek or achieve, a national movement for reconciliation is an inspired and important step forward. I hope that Canadians see the importance of having an open dialogue and are able to focus on moving forward.

Intergenerational Impacts of Residential Schools

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I would like to tread lightly on the topic of addictions, as it relates to Canada’s indigenous population. Deborah Chansonneuve has conducted research for the Aboriginal Healing Foundation and written an article entitled “Addictive Behaviours Among Aboriginal People.”

The article is well researched and includes several recounts from recovering clients of the Healing Foundation. These recounts suggest that addictive behaviours among Indigenous people are derived from this group’s strenuous history, and with the implementation of residential schooling.

One anonymous client spoke of how impacted she was by her mother’s experience in a residential school. Her mother had difficulty surmounting the anguish she felt toward mainstream society and was unable to support her own child emotionally. The client was therefore raised in foster and group homes for most of her life. Without a stable home environment, the client never learned how to express or manage her emotions – completing a cycle of abuse. The ultimate result was that she relied on alcohol as a means of ‘dealing with,’ or suppressing, her emotions. This correlates directly to what Dr. Lee suggested in his podcast, the idea that emotional awareness helps prevent addictions.

Evidence from Chansonneuve’s research has shown that “the most effective addictions prevention and intervention programming for Aboriginal people is grounded in the wisdom of traditional Inuit, Metis, and First Nations teachings about a holistic approach to a healthy life.”

The article outlines the impacts not only of residential schooling, but of other indigenous struggles throughout history, including the Metis resistance, the Indian Act of 1876 and the relocation of Inuit.

This article is informative and compelling. I would welcome anyone interested in the addictive behaviours of indigenous people to at least glance at some of the client stories it presents. It is well worth the read.

http://www.ahf.ca/downloads/addictive-behaviours.pdf **(pages 13-17 are particularly relevant to the topic)

Module 1 – Post 3 – A Sorry State

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I strongly recommend taking the time to watch this documentary by Canadian filmmaker Mitch Miyagawa. With a Japanese-Canadian father, an Aboriginal step-mother and a Chinese-Canadian step-father and three official Canadian government apologies to his family, he asserts that he has the most apologized to family in the country. His exploration of his family history and the meaning of an apology is at times funny and light and at others very moving and heart wrenching.

http://ww3.tvo.org/video/184814/sorry-state

A couple of the conclusions he comes to are:

There is a difference between an apology and acknowledgement. Sometimes, the acknowledgement is more important than the apology.

Apologies are more about the future than about the past. It’s about much more than just saying something.

Apologies, acknowledgement, stories and all the memorials and other ways we have of dealing with the mistakes of our past, they aren’t about endings, they’re about beginnings.

Module 1 – Post 2 – Margaret Commodore tells her story

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In my previous post I wrote about the TRC’s BC National Event happening this past week in Vancouver. In researching more about this event, I’ve come across blog posts written by a former journalist who highlights some of the stories that have emerged from the sharing circles.

This first one is especially meaningful to me because it describes the experiences of Margaret Commodore, who is part of the Sto:lo Nation and lives in my community. In her testimony at the sharing circle she describes her abuse, how she suppressed it and the unexpected resurgence of the hurt roused by paintings that reminded her of the residential school. She speaks of forgiving just about everyone, but not yet her abuser.

Margaret concluded with “I won’t apologize for my tears, because I deserve them.”

http://mickleblog.wordpress.com/2013/09/19/margaret-commodore-tells-her-story/

The next post from the blog author was entitled “Tears, but Laughter Too: Hearing from Survivors of Residential Schools”. It followed a similar strain, highlighting some of the emotional testimony from that day’s sharing circles. I won’t describe them all, but I thought I would include the paragraph that really jumped out at me:

“As many before her, however, she went on to tearfully apologize to her children for being a poor parent. I was strict. I didn’t know how to hug them. After she got up to leave, her husband Rollie leaned into the mike. She turned out to be a great grandmother he said.”

http://mickleblog.wordpress.com/2013/09/20/tears-and-laughter-at-the-trc/