Residential Schools
Author: Anna Flaminio
SINCE TIME IMMEMORIAL...
Creator
Creator as Source of Life and Laws
Mother Earth
Indigenous peoples' Jurisdiction and Stewardship of Land, Air, Water, Fire
Sovereign Nations
Indigenous Nations as Sovereign Nations
Independent Nations
Determination of all Political, Economic, Social, Educational, and Familial realms
Nations
Balanced Individuals, Families, Communities, Nations
RESIDENTIAL/BOARDING/INDUSTRIAL SCHOOLS
Euphemism:
"Schools"
More accurately deemed
(Total) Institutions
Tool of the Colonizer
Forced Removal of Children
Deliberate Abduction and Captivity
Cut off from Land, Family, Community, Language, Culture
Tool of the Colonizer
Intended Incarceration of Children
Deliberate Death and Disease
Imposed Sexual Physical Emotional Spiritual Violence
Euphemism:
"Assimilation"
More accurately deemed
(Attempted) Genocide
TRAIL OF COLONIZATION AND DESTRUCTION
COLONIZATION
Systemic attack on the LANDS, CULTURES, BODIES, MINDS, HEARTS and SPIRITS of Nations
PRE-CONTACT
Papul Bull issued by Pope in 1493 to DISPOSSESS Indigenous peoples of their lands
CONTACT
Land was NOT DISCOVERED; Lands were OCCUPIED by Indigenous Peoples
INDIAN ACT
Imposed system of Apartheid to Dominate, Subjugate and Eradicate Indigenous peoples and Nations
TREATIES
International Peace and Friendship Agreements; State claims Lands were surrendered
MISSIONARIES
Eurocentric, Paternalistic Mission to Denigrate Indigenous Spiritual, Cultural, and Familial Laws
RESIDENTIAL SCHOOLS
Tool to Divide and Decimate Individuals, Families, Communities and Nations
CHILD WELFARE SYSTEM
Systemic Removal and Custody of thousands of Indigenous Children
POLICE/ COURTS/ JAILS
Oppression, Control and Over-Incarceration of Indigenous peoples
CONTINUED LEGISLATION
Past, Current, and Proposed Law intended to usurp Indigenous Lands and Jurisdiction
GENOCIDE and RESIDENTIAL SCHOOLS
The United Nations Convention on Genocide states Genocide means the intent to destroy a group by:
- Killing members of the group;
- Causing serious bodily or mental harm;
- Inflicting conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction;
- Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group;
- Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.
CANADIAN CRIMINAL CODE
Sections b), d), and e) of the Genocide Convention are NOT included in the Criminal Code
INSTITUTIONALIZATION BACKGROUND
Number of Schools
130+ Residential Institutions in Canada that were operated by four main Churches:
Churches Collaborating
The Roman Catholic Church
The Anglican Church
The United Church
The Presbyterian Church
Funding
Churches were funded by the Federal Government to run the schools
Attendance
More than 150,000 children attended the schools
Almost 80,000 of those children, now adults, are still alive today.
INSTITUTIONAL TIMELINE
1620 – Franciscans establish the first known boarding school in New France
1800's – Missionaries running several institutional schools
1842 – Bagot Commission recommends training children in manual labour schools far from parents
1857 – Gradual Civilization Act legislates the assimilation of Indians
1876 – Indian Act legislated all Indian peoples as Wards of Federal Government
1879 – Davin Report calls for church-run, off-reserve, ‘aggressive civilization' schools
1883 – Industrial Schools are built far from reserves to limit parental and cultural influence
1920 – Indian Act legislates compulsory attendance; Children forcibly taken/ parents fined or jailed
1931 – 80 residential institutions in operation
1980's – Adult students begin disclosing sexual and other abuses while attending the schools
1996 – Last government-run institution in Saskatchewan closes
INSTITUTIONAL ATROCITIES AGAINST CHILDREN
Substandard Living Conditions
Poor Construction and Ventilation
Malnutrition
Separation from Siblings
Manual Labour for Half of School Day
Physical Assaults
Sexual Violence
Emotional/ Mental Abuse
Forced Confinement
Religious Fear and Indoctrination
Cultural Theft
Language Tortures
Hatred, Racism, and Oppression
Forced Sterilization
Medical Experimentation
Disease and Inaction
Unsolved Child Deaths and Burials
INSTITUTIONAL AFTERMATH
Litigation / Alternative Dispute Resolution/ Class Action
Thousands of legal claims against the Church and Government
Common Experience Payment
In 2007, approval was received for a settlement payment to only eligible survivors
Truth and Reconciliation Commission
In 2008, the Settlement Agreement's Truth and Reconciliation Commission begins
National Survivors Support Line:
1-866-925-4419
SINCE TIME IMMEMORIAL...
Creator
Creator as Source of Life and Laws
Mother Earth
Indigenous peoples' Jurisdiction and Stewardship of Land, Air, Water, Fire
Sovereign Nations
Indigenous Nations as Sovereign Nations
Independent Nations
Determination of all Political, Economic, Social, Educational, and Familial realms
Nations
Balanced Individuals, Families, Communities, Nations
References
Chrisjohn, R. and Young S. (1997). The Circle Game: Shadows and Substance in the Indian Residential School Experience in Canada. Penticton, BC: Theytus Books Ltd.
Churchill, Ward (2004). Kill the Indian, Save the Man: The Genocidal Impact of American Indian Residential Schools, City Lights Books.
Fournier, S, and Crey, E (1997). Stolen From Our Embrace: The Abduction of First Nations Children and the Restoration of Aboriginal Communities. Vancouver, BC: Douglas & McIntyre Ltd.
Miller, J.R. (1996). Shingwauk's Vision: A History of Native Residential Schools. Toronto, ON: University of Toronto Press Inc.
Royal Commission on Aboriginal People. Volume 1, Part 2, Chapter 10. Retrieved on 15 March, 2008 from http://www.ainc-inac.gc.ca/ch/rcap/sg/sgm10_e.html.
United Nations (1948). Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. Retrieved on 27 March, 2008 from http://www.hrweb.org/legal/genocide.html.
Resource Websites
http://www.afn.ca/residentialschools/history.html