Language
Country/Area
No result found
Stories of 150,000 Children: How Boarding School Changed Their Lives
The Aboriginal residential school system is a deeply controversial issue in Canadian history. From the late 19th to the late 20th century, this system involved more than 150,000 Aboriginal children who were forcibly removed from their families and cultures and sent to boarding schools for what was known as an "assimilation" education. These schools were designed to match the dominant culture of the time, but the result was deep harm to Aboriginal communities.
"These schools exist to eliminate the influence of Aboriginal culture and transform children into people who meet the standards of mainstream society."
The residential schools were funded by the Canadian government's Department of Indian Affairs, but the actual operations were left to various Christian churches. The motivation behind this is to isolate Aboriginal children from their own culture and religion in order to integrate them into mainstream society. According to historical records, in the 1930s, about 30% of Aboriginal children attended residential schools. However, due to incomplete records, the number of school-related deaths remains unknown, with estimates ranging from 3,200 to more than 30,000, mainly Caused by disease.
The origins of this system can be traced to laws that predate Canada's Confederation, but it became more active after the passage of the Indian Act in 1876. The government's main goal was to achieve the assimilation of the Aboriginal people. Residential schools are often located at considerable distances from Aboriginal communities, arrangements designed to minimize parents' contact with their children.
“The school is located remotely and parent access is restricted in an effort to enhance assimilation efforts.”
In these schools, children are not only deprived of their native language but also exposed to the possibility of physical and sexual abuse. The poor conditions prevailing in schools lead to malnutrition and the spread of disease among students. Many children in these schools are exposed to an oppressive education system in which they are forced to learn English or French without being able to practice their culture and beliefs. By the time they graduate, they are often unable to integrate into their communities and remain affected by the deep-rooted racial discrimination in mainstream society.
Not only does this form of education system cause immediate psychological and physical harm, it also has far-reaching consequences for the future of Aboriginal communities. Many residential school survivors experienced issues such as post-traumatic stress disorder, alcoholism, substance abuse and suicide in their lives, which still plague many communities today.
“According to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s conclusion, the residential school system amounts to cultural genocide.”
Since 2008, Canada's political leaders and religious groups have begun to recognize the historical impact of the residential school system and have begun apologizing. On June 1, 2008, Canada's Truth and Reconciliation Commission was established to explore the historical truth of these schools. The commission collected some 7,000 survivor testimonies and issued a report in 2015 detailing the horrific consequences of residential schools.
With the joint efforts of the church and the government, the former boarding schools are no longer seen as places to provide education, but have gradually become platforms for reflection on past injustices in the movement to reveal the truth. In 2022, Pope Francis carefully reiterated his apology for the role of the Church in Canada and confirmed that the cruelty of the residential school system has reached the point of "extinction."
The discussion about these boarding schools did not end with the apology, but has intensified in recent years. The Canadian Parliament unanimously passed a motion in 2022 calling on the federal government to recognize the devastating impact of the residential school system and its genocidal nature.
“Learning from history and seeking the path to reconciliation is an important lesson for us to face the future.”
As we begin to reexamine this wounded history, the road to reconciliation with Aboriginal people remains a long way off. As a society, we should ask ourselves, how can we truly promote recovery and reconciliation in these communities and avoid repeating the same mistakes in the future?
