Truth & Reconciliation
Throughout this examination, I will use the term First Nations except when paraphrasing my source material, or the use of terms as defined by the UBC First Nations Studies Program (2009).
I chose to start with a resource I have used with my classes for several years now, the Indian Residential Schools & Reconciliation Teacher Resource Guides by the First Nations Education Steering Committee and First Nations Schools Association (2015) in response to the Calls to Action by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (2015), which includes primary source documents also available through Library and Archives Canada. My focus is the beginnings of the Indian Residential School system in British Columbia, originally known as Industrial Schools, seeking to answer the question: what were the stated goals/purpose of education for First Nations children within the Industrial School System? Using Indian, Aboriginal, Indigenous, Industrial School, British Columbia, and B.C. as keywords for my search, I found two primary sources from 1888 that addressed my question, a letter to the editor of the of the British Colonist newspaper from Dr. John Helmken and letter from W. Lomas the Indian Agent for the Cowichan Indian Agency to Israel Powell, the Indian Superintendent in BC (First Nations Education Steering Committee and First Nations Schools Association, 2015a).
Helmken advocated for the establishment of schools modelled on the Industrial School system in Britain, designed to educate low income and orphan children to a degree where they could find work in factories (First Nations Education Steering Committee and First Nations Schools Association, 2015b, P. 9). He seems genuinely concerned for the First Nations of the Northwest Coast, describing them as intelligent, though lacking training, and producers who would be of benefit to Canada; an undervalued workforce who should have been educated by the government long before this, not left to the hands of religious organizations (FNES & FNSA, 2015b, P. 9). Helmken clearly expresses the colonial mindset of the British Empire, in which whites are superior to Indigenous populations, who should be laboring for the economic benefit of the conquerors.
Lomas is writing to Powell of news that a petition ‘signed’ by the local First Nations has been sent to the Department of Indian Affairs in Ottawa. He expresses his frustrations at the Catholic Church in manipulating Indian Council members into requesting any new school in the Cowichan Valley be a Catholic run school, and that a Protestant or secular school would be detrimental. Lomas shares the thoughts of Somenos Tom, one of the council members, that after decades of Catholic schooling, none of the graduates can read or write properly, and the best “scholars are the worst Indians” (FNES & FNSA, 2015b, P. 10), he would like to see a school not run by any church. Lomas takes a paternalistic view towards the peoples under his administration and is deeply upset at the actions of the Church.
Both letters agree that the government should establish and operate secular schools to educate the First Nations so that they can become productive members of society, and not simply function as a form of missionary work. Neither speaks of a desire to eradicate the existing culture of the First Nations, however there is the unstated hope that a British education would serve to aid in the assimilation process.
Examination of the letters led me to my second question: what was the prescribed curriculum for students at Industrial Schools? I found the 1894 Annual Report of the Department of Indian Affairs and searched for the keywords: curriculum, courses, subjects, Industrial Schools, children, studies, and programme. What I found was the Programme of Studies for Indian Schools.
The stated curriculum seems comparable to what a white child of the day would be taught elementary school. Though it is noted that the “unnecessary use of text-books is to be avoided,” preferring the use of the blackboard and ‘voice’ instruction (Dominion of Canada, 1895, P.428), this leaves little evidence of what was taught and gives great latitude to the teachers in what students were exposed to. Surprisingly the third grade History curriculum was “Stories of Indians of Canada and their civilization” (Dominion of Canada, 1895, P. 427), the lack of textbooks however makes it nearly impossible to determine what was taught in this regard. All checks on the quality and efficacy of the education provided to First Nations children at these Industrial schools were conducted by the local Indian Agent as a measure of their effectiveness in administering to the peoples in their Agency and are likely to emphasize the good.
There are several weaknesses in my examination. The limited number of sources/accounts on which my analysis has been based, for many reasons there is a lack of contemporary First Nations accounts/views available. In my searches there are likely missed keywords that would have yielded more results. I also cannot discount my own unintentional biases.
The lack of written evidence of what took place at these schools, beyond that recorded by those most inclined to make themselves look good makes the accounts of students who attended these schools even more important. We need to hear both sides of what occurred and that of the First Nations is one that has traditionally been ignored or silenced by the government and the public. Most pertinent to me personally is the Truth & Reconciliation Commission’s Call to Action #62i, Education for Reconciliation (Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, 2015), for which my initial resource was created and for which the government has recently announced a new Aboriginal Education graduation requirement in BC to be in place for the 2023-24 school year.
References:
Dominion of Canada. (1895). Annual Report of the Department of Indian Affairs for the Year Ended 30th June 1894. https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/aboriginal-heritage/first-nations/indian-affairs-annual-reports/Pages/item.aspx?IdNumber=9282
First Nations Education Steering Committee and First Nations Schools Association. (2015a). Indian Residential Schools & Reconciliation Teacher Resource Guide 11/12 Book 1. http://www.fnesc.ca/wp/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/PUBLICATION-IRSR-12-pt-1-rev-2b-Full-Document-2020-07.pdf
First Nations Education Steering Committee and First Nations Schools Association. (2015b). Indian Residential Schools & Reconciliation Teacher Resource Guide 11/12 Book 2. http://www.fnesc.ca/wp/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/PUBLICATION-IRSR-12-pt-2-rev-2b-Full-Document-2020-07.pdf
Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. (2015). Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to action. https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/british-columbians-our-governments/indigenous-people/aboriginal-peoples-documents/calls_to_action_english2.pdf
University of British Columbia First Nations Studies Program. (2009). Terminology. https://indigenousfoundations.arts.ubc.ca/terminology/