What happened to the Indigenous peoples at the residential schools?

Children’s dining room, Indian Residential School, Edmonton, Alberta. Between 1925-1936. The system forcibly separated children from their families for extended periods of time and forbade them to acknowledge their Indigenous heritage and culture or to speak their own languages.

What can we learn from residential schools?

In addition to fostering healing, it is important to teach about the history of residential schools in order to fully understand the current state of Aboriginal concerns within Canada. By educating citizens on this history it allows for the exposure of the tragic events that occurred within the schools.

What happened to natives of Canada?

For more than 100 years, Canadian authorities forcibly separated thousands of Indigenous children from their families and made them attend residential schools, which aimed to sever Indigenous family and cultural ties and assimilate the children into white Canadian society.

When did Canada apologize to indigenous people?

On June 11, 2008, Canada’s Prime Minister, the Right Honourable Stephen Harper, publicly apologized to Canada’s Indigenous Peoples for the IRS system, admitting that residential schools were part of a Canadian policy on forced Indigenous assimilation.

How did residential schools end?

The last school closed in Saskatchewan in 1996. First Nations, Métis and Inuit children were removed, often against their will, from their families and communities and put into schools, where they were forced to abandon their traditions, cultural practices and languages.

What were the negative effects of residential schools?

Physical health outcomes linked to residential schooling included poorer general and self-rated health, increased rates of chronic and infectious diseases. Effects on mental and emotional well-being included mental distress, depression, addictive behaviours and substance mis-use, stress, and suicidal behaviours.

Why are residential schools so important?

Why do you think it might be important to learn about Indian residential schools?

Why is residential schools important?

The purpose of residential schools was to educate and convert Indigenous youth and to assimilate them into Canadian society.

Is Indigenous Canadians politically correct?

Often, ‘Aboriginal peoples’ is also used. The Canadian Constitution recognizes three groups of Aboriginal peoples: Indians (more commonly referred to as First Nations), Inuit and Métis. However, the term Aboriginal is still used and accepted.