Canada’s residential schools were
established to assimilate indigenous
children into mainstream society. They
were run by a partnership between
Canada’s Department of Indian Affairs and
the Catholic Church, Presbyterian Church,
Anglican Church of Canada, and United
Church of Canada. The Catholic Church
operated more than 60 percent of all
schools.
Clergy members—often accompanied
by police officers—traveled to indigenous
villages to take children from their homes.
Parents could do nothing to stop them.
Although some children could return home
during the summer, others stayed at school
year-round.
After arriving at their schools, children
were stripped of their indigenous-style
clothing and given uniforms and haircuts.
Boys with braids or long hair had their
heads shaved. This was very traumatic
because hair is considered a source of
strength and power in many indigenous
cultures.
Daniel Kennedy was twelve when he
was taken to a residential school in 1886.
He said, “They went to work and cut off
my braids, which, incidentally, according
to the Assiniboine traditional custom,
was a token of mourning—the closer the
relative, the closer the cut. After my haircut,
I wondered in silence if my mother had
died, as they had cut my hair close to the
scalp.” Kennedy also had his name changed
from Ochankuga’he to Daniel. It was not
uncommon for children to be given new
Christian names at their schools.
At residential schools, children were
not allowed to speak their native languages
or practice indigenous spiritual traditions.
They were forced to speak English or
French and required to practice Christianity.
They spent little time in the classroom, and
most received no more than a fifth-grade
education. They spent much of their time
doing chores.
Many children who lived at residential
schools were physically and emotionally
abused. They also received inadequate
nutrition and poor health care. Because
many children were malnourished, they
were especially susceptible to diseases such
as tuberculosis. The poor sanitation that
existed at the schools also contributed to
the spread of disease.Mohawk Institute Residential School was one of more than
100 residential schools in Canada.A red cedar Reconciliation Pole tells the story of the time
before, during, and after the Indian residential school
system. It was raised during a ceremony in 2017.