School System Established by the Canadian Government and Managed by Churches - Coursework Example

Residential schools Residential schools refer to the widespread school system established by the Canadian government and managed by churches with an ostensible purpose of educating aboriginal kids as well as training them on the Christian and Euro- Canadian ways of life. The main aim was to assimilate them into the conventional Canadian society (Hanson 1). These types of schools functioned from the 1880s until their closure in the 20th century. Residential school system had children forcibly alienated from their families for long periods and banned them from recognizing or acknowledging their aboriginal culture and heritage or even communicating in their native languages. The children faced severe punishment in case they violated the stringent rules and regulations. Thus, the schools were centers of torture as confessed by former students of residential schools. These students confess of the horrendous abuse by the school staff with such abuses including sexual, psychological, and physical. The schools also offered inferior education to aboriginal students whereby such students only reached grade five (Fontaine 45). Grade five only provided students with the skills and experience of performing only manual labor in the sectors of agriculture, as well as light industry. Thus, kids from the residential schools only worked as agricultural laborers as well as workers in light industries dealing in woodworking as well as domestic work including work, sewing, and laundry. Causes of the residential school The invasion and settlement of European settlers within Canada brought with them the devilish thought of the school. The settlers considered that their civilization as the pinnacle of human kind achievement. It is due to that misinformed perception that forced them to interpret the socio- cultural differences between their culture and that of the Aborigines and consider the latter as savage, ignorant and children like who need guidance (Canada 5). Thus, they felt that the Aboriginal culture and lifestyle is naïve and child like and thus must be shown the direction in order to fit properly in the Canadian society. Therefore, they felt an obligation and duty to civilize the Aborigines by offering them education, which constituted a federal responsibility in ending such ignorance within the Aborigines. The then Canadian Prime Minister Sir John Macdonald requested journalist and politician known as Nicholas Davin to examine the industrial schools meant for the Aboriginal kids within the U.S. Later, Davin recommended that Canada should emulate the U.S system of aggressive civilization (Fournier & Ernie 31). This led to funding and establishment of the residential school system. The establishment of the schools was enhanced by the belief that if anything was conducted or performed to the Indians; it had to start with the young individuals. Thereafter, the kids need to be put regularly within the environment of civilized conditions. Therefore, in 1880s, the federal government in assistance with various assimilation policies commenced the establishment of the residential schools in the whole of Canada. The Canadian authorities forcibly separated children from their families and shifted them far away from their respective homes, thus accomplishing the strategy of alienating them far away from their families, as well as unique surroundings (Fournier & Ernie 31). The attendance to residential schools received a boost from the establishment, passage, and implementation of the Indian Act in 1920. According to the Act, attending residential school became a mandatory for every Indian child and thus attending a different educational institution became illegal. Living conditions within the residential schools The purpose for the establishment of the residential schools was to eradicate every aspect of the Aboriginal culture. Within the system, students’ hairs remained short and were dressed in uniforms while their days were strictly controlled by timetables. Boys and girls never interacted as the staff ensured rare interaction among siblings thus weakening family ties. According to Chief Bobby Joseph, an alumnus of the system claims he lacked the idea of interacting with girls and even never got an opportunity to discern his own sister (Haig-Brown 37). The only chance they had was to wave to the girls while in the dining hall. Consequently, speaking in native languages was strictly forbidden despite the kids not knowing one another or even the Aboriginal traditions and customs. In case one disobeyed the rules, he or she became prone to severe punishment. Students in the residential school system received a different education system compared to that in the public schools. Moreover, such schools remained underfunded with trainings primarily focusing on practical skills. The staff trained girls on domestic chores such as laundry, and on how to cook, sew, and clean (Manitoba 45). Within the residential school system, the students worked involuntarily and without pay. The work was designed as part of training, but the school could not operate without the free services of the students. Since they spent little time in class, most of the time is spent working thus many students turned 18 years while still in grade five. At this stage, the schools force the Aboriginal students to leave the school and discourage them never to proceed with education (Manitoba 47). Consequently, the kids experienced pervasive emotional, physical, sexual, and psychological abuse while in the school system. For instance, some students had needles shoved into their tongues for communicating in their mother tongue. The residential school system undermined the Aboriginal culture within Canada. Moreover, such schools disrupted aboriginal families for a long time thereby severing the ties and avenues through which the aboriginal culture becomes taught and sustained through generations (Miller 57). This resulted in a great loss and damage to the Aboriginal culture and language. Since the system forcibly removed kids from their families at a tender age, most of the students grew up lacking the experience of fostering family life as well as devoid of skills and knowledge of raising their individual families. The devastating effects ascribed to the residential schools are extensive and continue to have significant negative impact on aboriginal families. Since the government and the churches had the purpose of eliminating all forms of Aboriginal culture among the young people as well as distract its transmission from generation to generation, the school system proved to be a form of cultural genocide (Milloy 75). The residential school system started declining in the 1900s. By 1950s, it was certain that British colonists were failing in their purpose and intention for the establishment of the schools. Despite the amount of effort as well as the funding and resources directed at the institution, the aim of the British of assimilating the culture and traditions of the Aborigines failed. The culture remained despite the damages done on it. Moreover, the plight of the Aborigines became more recognized and received media attention and this lead to the amendment of the Indian Act in 1951 (Milloy 79). The Act led to the abolishment of the half-day school/ work system and permitted the Aboriginal kids to reside with their parents when possible. Consequently, the government decided to eradicate segregation and thus began admitting Aboriginal children into the public schools. During that period, the churches involved included Presbyterian, Anglican Roman Catholic and United started acknowledging their participation in a devilish education system designed to harm the Indian culture and lifestyle in kids (Milloy 86). The closure of the school system paved way for Sixties Scoop whereby a large number of Aboriginal kids got absorbed by the social services and thus removed from their respective families. During 1980s, survivors of residential school system sued the churches and the government for the damages occasioned by the suffering attributed to the schools (Regan 19). Various churches apologized to the Aborigines for their participation in the devilish school system. Moreover, the seriousness of the matter forced the government to apologize in parliament to the Aborigines in June 2008 (Secwepemc Cultural Education Society 45). The government begged for forgiveness for the damages done by the education system and thus admitting its failure in protecting a section of its citizens. Despite the existence of several pleas for forgiveness and apologies, the effects of the residential school system remain up to today among the Aborigines. Where are we now The government of Canada created the Aboriginal Healing Fund amounting to $350 million, which assisted the Aboriginal people. The Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement was reached between the government, churches, and the Aboriginal people whereby individual survivors of the system were to be paid for the suffering and misery they faced (Wells 94). Subsequently, the government promised to establish measures aimed at supporting healing process as well as institute a Truth and Reconciliation Commission. The establishment of the Survivors Society reduced the misery on the affected communities by offering crisis counseling, healing, and referrals initiatives as well as information to the affected (Wells 94). Today, these initiatives have bore more fruits and aided in the reconciliation process in Canada. We have moved several steps in the reconciliation process. Moreover, the initiatives have seen a reduction in the misery among the students as well as promoted cohesion among different communities leaving within Canada. Thus, the painful experiences caused by the residential school system have been a painful lesson and a form of embarrassment to the Canadian government as well as the churches. Thus, such systems are condemned forever and should never resurface again on earth. Works Cited Canada. Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples. Report of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples, Volume 1: Looking Forward, Looking Back. Chapter 10, "Residential Schools." Ottawa: Supply and Services Canada, 1996. Fontaine, Theodore. Broken Circle: The Dark Legacy of Indian Residential Schools : a Memoir. Surrey, B.C.: Heritage House, 2010. Print. Fournier, Suzanne and Ernie Crey. Stolen from our Embrace: The Abduction of First Nations Children and the Restoration of Aboriginal Communities. Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre, 1997. Haig-Brown, Celia. Resistance and Renewal: Surviving the Indian Residential School. Vancouver, B.C., Canada: Tillacum Library, 1988. Print. Hanson, Erin. The Residential School System. indigenous Foundations. Retrieved March 31, 2014 from http://indigenousfoundations.arts.ubc.ca/home/government-policy/the- residential-school-system.html Manitoba. Public Inquiry into the Administration and Aboriginal People. “Aboriginal Women.” Vol. 1, chap. 13, in Report of the Aboriginal Justice Inquiry of Manitoba. Winnipeg: Public Inquiry into the Administration and Aboriginal People, 1999. Miller, James R. Shingwauks Vision: A History of Native Residential Schools. Toronto [u.a.: Univ. of Toronto Press, 2000. Print. Milloy, John S. A National Crime: The Canadian Government and the Residential School System, 1879 to 1986. Winnipeg: University of Manitoba Press, 1999. Print. Regan, Paulette. Unsettling the Settler Within: Indian Residential Schools, Truth Telling, and Reconciliation in Canada. Vancouver [u.a.: UBC Press, 2010. Print. Secwepemc Cultural Education Society, Behind Closed Doors: Stories from the Kamloops Indian Residential School. Penticton: Secwepemc Cultural Education Society & Theytus, 2000. Wells, Robert P. Wawahte. Canada: Trafford Publishing, 2012. Print. Read More