Are you looking to learn more about [[History]] or [[Geography]]?The colony of British Columbia was founded in 1858 in response to the Fraser River Gold Rush. The colony established representative government in 1864 and merged with the colony of Vancouver Island in 1866. In 1863, St. Mary's Mission Indian [[residential schools->Residential Schools]] in Mission, BC was opened by the Oblates of Mary Immaculate, a Catholic missionary order. The purpose of residential schools was to educate and convert Indigenous youth and to assimilate them into Canadian society. By the nineteenth century, Indigenous Peoples in North America faced imminent destruction. At the arrival of Christopher Columbus, there may have lived more than 100 million indigenous people in the Americas. By the end of the nineteenth century, 90 to 99% of them were [[gone->Gone]].St. Mary's Mission Indian in Mission, [[BC->Geography]] was opened by the Oblates of Mary Immaculate, a Catholic missionary order in 1863 The purpose of residential schools was to educate and convert Indigenous youth and to assimilate them into Canadian society. Indigenous children were not allowed to speak their own language or wear their traditional clothing. They were often abused and mistreated. Indigenous people were oppressed during colonization because they stood in the way of the political and economic plans of European settlers.The demonym "Canadien" or "Canadian" used to refer exclusively to the indigenous groups who were native to the territory. Its use was extended over time to the French settlers of New France, and later the English settlers of Upper Canada. The name “Canada” likely comes from the Huron-Iroquois word “kanata,” meaning “village” or “settlement.” In 1535, two Aboriginal youths told French explorer Jacques Cartier about the route to kanata; they were actually referring to the village of Stadacona, the site of the present-day City of Québec. For lack of another name, Cartier used the word “Canada” to describe not only the village, but the entire area controlled by its chief, Donnacona. [[Turtle Island->Colonization]] is the name for the lands now known as North and Central America. It is a name used by some Indigenous peoples who believe their land was formed on the back of a turtle.What topic interests you? [[Colonization]] or [[Residential Schools]]?The Indigenous Peoples in Canada were killed in the largest numbers by European diseases such as measles, smallpox, and influenza for which they had no immunity. But they also were killed by European blades and guns and factors directly connected to colonialism—land theft on a gigantic scale, forced removals, and exhaustion of natural resources. Indeed, from the 1830s onward, the indigenous groups were encouraged—at times forced—to give up their old migratory habits, settle on reserves, learn farming and trading, and receive religious instruction. There were a number of other interesting suggestions and events leading up to the formal christening of our nation in 1867, starting from the naming of the country - [[Canada->Geography]].