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Residential School Syndrome

1408 Words6 Pages

In the past, Aboriginal communities in British Columbia were severely repressed and mistreated by the residential school system. In fact, the last residential school in British Columbia was not completely shut down until 1984 (Barton, 2005). This piece of statistical evidence shows that the trauma experienced by Aboriginals transpired not extremely long ago and memories are likely still vivid and fresh in survivors’ minds. Now, due to the aftermath of residential schools, Aboriginals must overcome numerous obstacles in order to survive. The loss of culture, language, and identity has impacted the lives of residential school survivors severely, and the road to recovery is an arduous one. Though the Canadian government has made modest attempts …show more content…

Research has shown that they could suffer from Residential School Syndrome, which has some symptoms that are similar to those of post-traumatic stress disorder (Barton, 2005). In turn, this can have a negative impact on some, if not all, aspects of an individual’s life, because these symptoms tend to remain with a person forever and are exceedingly difficult to eliminate in a short period of time. Moreover, residential school survivors have been noted to possess low self-esteem, bad parenting skills, and unsatisfactory social skills- all of which can be attributed to the detrimental and abrupt disruption of their childhood (Barton, 2005). Embodying these qualities is extremely toxic and will most likely affect a child’s ability to maintain a positive outlook on life once they reach …show more content…

Even now, it is easier to find French classes than it is to find any program devoted to learning Indigenous languages (Denis, 2007). In short, it is of upmost importance for the government to raise awareness of the Indigenous population by finding a practical procedure of integrating Aboriginal languages into current Canadian society.
In order for Aboriginal youth to flourish as strong and independent individuals in society after they mature, effective early education of Aboriginal culture is a necessary implementation that must occur in schools so that every child knows at least some background knowledge of Aboriginal culture and traditions. In Nguyen’s work, Closing the Education Gap (2011), she discusses how education for Aboriginal children must be centered around rebuilding their culture and identity, which will in turn empower and allow them to move forth confidently in Canadian

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I was told to embrace my culture and traditions and share them with my peers. However, this was not the case for Indigenous children who went through the residential school system. The Indigenous children were told that their “languages, their cultures weren’t relevant, [and] they were told that their people and their ancestors were heathens and pagans and uncivilized” (National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation [NCTR], 2019, 0:46). The

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This paper will review the first five chapters in J.R. Miller’s book Shingwauk’s Vision: A History of Native Residential Schools. These chapters examine the events that took place before residential schools were made, as well as looking into the historical context of Canada during this time period. The first chapter of the book explains the way in which indigenous communities educated their children before contact by the European settlers. The educational systems from these indigenous communities were much different than the European educational systems, in the sense of a formal, rigid, institution.

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“Indian School Road” by Chris Benjamin sheds light on the horrific experiences of Indigenous children and families at residential schools. It is a non-fiction book that explores the impact of the residential school system in Canada on Indigenous Communities. The author focuses specifically on the Shubenacadie Residential School in Nova Scotia, where Indigenous children were taken and forced to attend the school from 1930-1967. The Canadian government established these schools intending to indoctrinate Indigenous children into Christian ways, with churches as the main locations and priests and nuns as educators. The book uncovers the history of the Shubenacadie Residential School, exposing the responsible individuals, the government's passive

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Within the novel, as Lisa gets older, she begins to understand the struggles of her family that all connect and come back to the leading cause, which is the residential school system. Monkey Beach shows how “Historical trauma coupled with ongoing present-day traumas such as anti-Indigenous racism and a lack of clean drinking water [has] a massive negative impact on Indigenous communities, resulting in (and combining with) issues such as addiction, limited education, incarceration, violence, abuse, suicidality, homelessness and poverty. These symptoms are what many social agencies and service providers focus on addressing. But without considering root causes, one of which is intergenerational trauma, conventional solutions and treatments simply won’t work” (Seto). The residential school system aimed to assimilate indigenous peoples into Western society and strip them of their culture.

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Over the past few decades, there has been many distinct perspectives and conflicts surrounding the historical context between the Indigenous peoples in Canada and the Canadian Government. In source one, the author P.J Anderson is trying to convey that the absolute goal of the Indian Residential School system in Canada has been to assimilate the Indian nation and provide them with guidance to “ forget their Indian habits”, and become educated of the “ arts of civilized life”, in order to help them integrate into society and “become one” with their “White brethren”. It is clearly evident throughout the source that the author is supportive of the Indian residential school system and strongly believes that the Indian residential School System

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Indigenous people across Canada have been suppressed by the government, system, and settlers still to this day. The residential school system was a system of boarding schools that were established by the Canadian government and administered by various churches to assimilate Indigenous children into Euro-Canadian culture. Many of these children suffered physical, sexual, and emotional abuse from school staff. Even though residential schools have been abolished they can still affect indigenous people today. The book “Indian Horse” clearly represents the intergenerational trauma of Indigenous communities in Canada.

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The TRC’s “The History” author appeals to logos through the use quantitative findings. The use of logical evidence from the collection of testimonials made by former residential school students is an effective way to aid the persuasion of a reader. Throughout “The History”, the author describes the memories of known First Nations peoples Frederic Ernest Koe, Marlene Kayseas, Lily Bruce and many others. In addition, the author quotes Vitaline Elsie Jenner’s use of ‘kaya nakasin’ (TRC, 2015, p.38) in describing her experience with residential school. The author’s example that contains the use native language reaffirms his credibility and detailed knowledge of the

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The summer before eleventh grade, I was given the opportunity to travel to Tsawout, a First Nations reserve situated in Vancouver Island for a week on a short-term missions trip. While assisting to run a camp for the children in the reserve, I was exposed to the mental and emotional burden for those whom had experienced, and were victims of residential schools. Many of the Tsawout Elders witnessed the death of their culture and the brutality these schools wrought on those impacted: families and survivors. The Elders expressed their outrage and past struggles with passion, laying bare their innermost thoughts and ordeals. They challenged me to open my eyes to beyond the reaches of my comfort zone.

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-What are the challenges faced by indigenous languages and efforts to revitalize them? -What is the role of indigenous women in their communities and in advocating for indigenous rights? -How has residential schooling impacted indigenous communities, and what are the long-term effects?

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We Were Children, the documentary on residential schools, is a re-enactment of two aboriginal children and their first hand experiences in the residential school system. The kinds of problems this documentary presented include mistreatment faced by the children who attended these schools, corruption and scandal inside the administration of the schools, and the false perception about these schools that resonated amongst Canadian society. These two children talk about the bullying they had to endure from the nuns which show that the children were not seen as equal to a child of non-Aboriginal decent. Furthermore, the types of abuse administration would put these kids through was immensely disturbing considering this was a state run institution.

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Moreover, boarding schools were usually underfunded, which had a negative impact on numerous aspects of school life and on the health of children (Daniels, 151). Therefore, with their harsh discipline and poor living conditions, boarding schools had damaging effects on Native people’s lives, and they contributed to many of the problems Native Americans have to face the present-day both in the U.S. and in Canada.

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Imagine being ripped apart from family members, culture, tradition, and labelled a savage that needs to be educated. Imagine constantly facing punishment at school for being one’s self. Unfortunately, these events were faced head on for many First Nations people living in Canada in the late 20th century. These First Nations people were the victims of an extensive school system set up by the government to eradicate Aboriginal culture across Canada and to assimilate them into what was considered a mainstream society.

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Hi suja, I agree with you that being away from family during childhood can be very distressing. Lots of people are unaware of the existence of the residential school which can be overcome by adding it in nursing curriculum as you mentioned. I was reading one article from Ottawa citizen published on October 25, with a title 'High hopes' for Trudeau to act on residential schools report ‘’ in which Liberal spokesman Daniel Lauzon reiterated that pledge last Thursday, saying, “We believe it is time to act, without delay, to renew Canada’s relationship with First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples based on rights, respect, and co-operation to ensure we create a fair and prosperous shared future. ‎” this article developed some hope in the survivors

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As well as this , we should raise awareness to non-Indigenous students so they can be respectful of all cultures within their community (Diplock, 2015). I believe that a critical pedagogy when teaching Indigenous students can make a positive difference to their education. My teaching will emphasise theory and practice in new, collaborative ways (Diplock, 2015).

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