Pop up Residential Schools Four churches were involved in the operation of residential schools for Indian children: the Roman Catholic Church, the Church of England (Anglican), the Methodist (United) Church, and the Presbyterian Church. These organizations were funded by the federal government,whose goal it was to assimilate Indian and Inuit people into mainstream society. The church-government partnership for Aboriginal education lasted from the 1840s to 1969, though the last residential school, Christie Roman Catholic school in Tofino, B.C. didn't close until 1983. It's estimated that 100,000 to150,000 Aboriginal children attended residential schools. The first residential school for Aboriginal children was set up in the 1840s in Alderville, Ont. By 1920, it became mandatory for all Indian children to attend school. the number of schools in operation peaked at 88. Their education [that of Indian children] must consist not merely of the training of the mind, but of a weaning from the habits and feelings of their ancestors and the acquirement of the language, arts and customs of civilized life.* To accomplish this goal, discipline was the answer in many missions. "Historians suggest that discipline was more harsh at residential schools than at other schools and would not have been accepted in Euro-Canadian institutions at the time. . . These methods included isolation cells, flogging and whipping, and humiliation."** *From a federal government report published in 1847. **From Residential School Update, AFN March 1998.   Mission Bean A little boy I was, just lost my home So the mission took me in, so I wouldn't roam A hair cut, a bath, new shoes on my feet Plaid shirt & coveralls, that was my beat Up in the morning, fall down on my knees Pray to the Lord the right way I see's Off to school after porridge, lard and bread Trying to pound math and Catechism in my head Never too brilliant was I in school But serving the Altar, I was no fool Our Father which art in Heaven, Amen I could 'cite that backwards - in Latin Yes, a little boy, lost with no mom or dad In the third year there, I became a "Wetbed" They swatted my bum with a big black strap The backside of me should be a horizontal crack Yes, I would jump and jig and howl in pain Then fly in a tub, hoping the Nun had right aim Sometimes the tub's faucets would bang on my head But that was the downfall of being a "Wetbed" Now it's 5:30 a.m. and we're off to pray Three times on Sunday, that was the way The Nun like my mother, the Priest like my dad With guardians like that, who could go bad The mission was army, we walked two and two Discipline was the order, what else could they do Some missions were good, some were bad Those who suffered, I feel real sad I have words for those who dwell in self pity That's not the answer, just say "tough titty" The $350 million we got to cure decades of scars The Vultures will get most of it to buy new cars They'll travel all over, eat up the fund in time The victims of missions will not see a dime For those of us left, not yet in our coffin These wise words, you will hear often Lift your chin high and proudly walk on Keep a smile on your face, like the sun always shone. - The Mad Trapper, (Fred Stevenson) Kinuso, Alta. The United Church of Canada was the first of the religious organizations to apologize for its treatment of Aboriginal children in residential schools. The apology was offered in 1986.   Many Aboriginal people have found great comfort from the religious teaching they acquired in the residential school system, as the thousands of Aboriginal people who attend the annual Lac Ste. Anne Pilgrimage in Alberta can attest. Not all residential schools were badly run. Some administrators encouraged staff to learn Native languages, allowed visits from parents and fought for more money for food and better shelter for the children. Hundreds of lawsuits have been filed against the federal government with settlements ranging from $11,000 to $400,000. The most prominant criminal action was taken against former Port Alberni Residential School supervisor, Arthur Henry Plint. He was sentenced to 11 years in prison after pleading guilty to 16 counts of indecent assault. Despite whatever good intentions the churches initially had, the residential school system as a whole had a tragic effect on Aboriginal people. Loss of language, traditional spirituality and culture was a result. In worse cases, children were physically, mentally or sexually abused. Generation after generation of children were denied parental love and attention during the most formative years of their lives. Canada was not the only country that had residential schools. In Australia, thousands of Aboriginal children were also taken from their families and educated under similar circumstances. The Australian government refuses to apologize for its assimilation policies and has offered only $52 million as its "healing fund." | Windspeaker Home Page | Top of This Page | More Classroom Topics | Comments: e-mail: edwind@ammsa.com