Aboriginal Residential Schools - Article Example

Aboriginal Residential Schools According to studies, residential schools came into existence during the 1870s, which was after the Canadian government came into agreement with Canadian churches. According to the agreement, churches were to run the schools, which were to be residential and only for the aboriginals (1000 Conversations, 2014). Apart from offering education to aboriginal students, the schools’ main intention was to isolate aboriginal children in a move to eradicate their culture. Life in the schools was unbearable; this is because apart from strict rules, the students also went through various types of torture and abuses. In the residential schools, “…it was an offence for one to speak a native language (UBC, 2009).” Hence, defaulting this rule normally came alongside severe punishment, for instance apart from receiving a thorough beating; one also had a needle shoved in his or her tongue. Cases of sexual abuse were also rife in residential schools. Besides elaborating on the history behind the introduction of aboriginal residential schools, the study also analyses the negative effects that aboriginal students went through. During the 19th century, the Canadian government had the perception that it could educate as well as care for aboriginal people who were residing in the nation during that era. According to the then Canadian government, the aboriginals were to learn so as to become literate thus have heightened chances of being successful. Besides Learning English, the aboriginals were also to adopt Christianity in addition to the Canadian customs (Douglas, 2013). According to Douglas (2013), the main reason as to why the Canadian government decided to educate the aboriginals was in a move to reduce the level of native traditions in the nation. This is because after adopting the Canadian way of life and customs, the customs was to shift from one generation to another. Since children were easy to mold compared to adults, the government only educated children. In a move to mold the children properly, the government introduced residential schools whereby children were to stay away from their parents. According to studies, “…residential schools were federally run by the department of Indian affairs…(CBC News, 2008).” In the residential schools, students were neither allowed speak their first language nor practice their native traditions. In a move to see these rules adhered to, schools introduced severe forms of punishments on students who defied these statutes. Throughout their stay in the residential schools, students lived a torturous lifestyle. For instance, besides substandard living conditions, they also endured not only physical but also emotional abuse, for instance, there were cases of sexual abuse rampant in these schools (Kirmayer & Valaskakis, 2009). Life in residential schools was unbearable to the students, most of whom were children. This was quite a traumatizing ordeal for they rarely had the chance of spending time with their families because schools were normally operational for ten months in a year. This implies that for a whole year students only had two months to stay with their families. Communication between students and their families was quite difficult, for instance, children correspondence was normally written in English, a language which many parents could not comprehend (CBC News, 2008). Life was even difficult for siblings learning in the same residential school. This is because brothers and sisters never saw each other for the entire duration due to gender segregation, hence instilling weakening of the then strong family and cultural ties. Apart from the feel of loneliness and abandonment, most of the students also lost their dignity. According to studies, the main objective behind the introduction of residential schools was to abolish all aspects associated with the aboriginal culture. Apart from being dressed in uniforms, “…the students had their hair cut short (UBC, 2009).” Similarly, their lives were directed by timetables. Education taught in residential schools was very different from that of the general Canadian school system. The schools only taught practical skills, whereby girls’ education focused on domestic services such as cooking, laundry as well as sewing and cleaning, whereas “boys were taught carpentry, tinsmithing and farming (UBC, 2009).” Students normally spent most of the time working for the school, hence spending little time in class. Although the work was involuntary as well as unpaid, residential schools normally termed it as a practical training, but this was not the case since most schools could not do without it. Since only little time was spent in class, students rarely finished their education, this is because once they attained 18 years, they were normally sent away. Cases of abuse in the residential schools were quite a common scenario. Apart from emotional as well as psychological abuse, there was also physical abuse that normally came in form of punishment as well as sexual abuse. According to the narration of survivors, punishments normally came in different forms, whereas the most common was caning and others included shackled in one’s beds. Since speaking a native language was forbidden, its punishment included shoving needles in their tongues, which was quite painful for the students most of who were children (UBC, 2009). It was due to these forms of abuses besides pitiable living conditions such as poor sanitation and overcrowding as well as inadequate food that resulted to massive death incidences in residential schools. According to studies, 24 per cent of healthy aboriginal children died in the residential schools, not including students who died after sent home for being critically ill. According to Bryce, 47-75 per cent of those students sent home died shortly afterwards (UBC, 2009). One aspect that came out during the era of the aboriginal residential schools is that of racism. Racism is evident in the manner in which the nation isolated certain groups of people in relation to their culture as well as language spoken (Regan, 2010). For instance, whereas Canadian children enjoyed quality education in general schools, this was not the case for those emanating from other states. This is because they were forced on residential schools where they were subjected to a lot of torture and abuse that resulted to death of many. Whereas in general schools, Canadian students were taught career related subjects, while the aboriginals only learnt practical skills (Kirmayer & Valaskakis, 2009). This was because aboriginal students were not trusted and it was due to this that they only learnt practical skills related courses. The Canadian residential school system was quite a sad chapter in the Canadian history. This is because although the schools aided in offering education to aboriginal schools, there were a number of negative effects that characterized the entire system. First were the cases of abuse, ever since the schools came to existence, cases of abuse were quite rampant. Apart from emotional and psychological abuse that most of the students suffered, there were also numerous cases of physical abuse as well as sexual abuse. Second was the lack of family connection, this was because the students were made to stay at home and in so doing, aided in weakening the aboriginal family ties. Finally was the case of discrimination, aboriginal students normally faced a lot of discrimination, for instance, while other students attended general schools, they attended residential schools where they were subject to a lot of torture. References 1000 Conversations. (2014). Brief History of Residential Schools. Retrieved on 19 July 2014 from http://1000conversations.ca/?page_id=48 CBC News. (2008). A history of residential schools in Canada. Retrieved on 19 July 2014 from http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/a-history-of-residential-schools-in-canada-1.702280 Douglas, V. K. (2013). Introduction to aboriginal health and health care in Canada: Bridging health and healing. New York, NY: Springer. Kirmayer, L. J., & Valaskakis, G. G. (2009). Healing traditions: The mental health of Aboriginal peoples in Canada. Vancouver. Regan, P. (2010). Unsettling the settler within: Indian residential schools, truth telling, and reconciliation in Canada. Vancouver : UBC Press. UBC. (2009). The Residential School System. Retrieved on 19 July 2014 from http://indigenousfoundations.arts.ubc.ca/home/government-policy/the-residential-school- system.html Read More