thought best chance for success was

to learn English
adopt Christianity and Canadian customs
pass adopted lifestyle on to their children
native traditions would diminish
government developed a policy called "aggressive assimilation"
later called residential schools
thought concept of a boarding school was best way to prepare
for life in mainstream society
Residential schools , federally run, under the Department of
Indian Affairs
agents employed by government to make sure all native children
attended

government believed it was responsible for educating and caring for aboriginal
people
Residential Schools built in 1857 , ended in 1996.
Over 150,00 Metis, Inuit and First Nations Children attended Residential Schools
Rough life for many children
students forced to speak English or French
children taken away from families placed in schools far away from their
communities
Many did not have enough food or clothing to survive.
schools crowded and dirty
Schools so awful kids died from diseases
some tried to run away
tried to make Aboriginal Children talk, dress, think and act like non-Aboriginal
Canadians
last Indian Residential school closed in 1996
Steven Harper apologized and several of the churches
commission formed in 2008 to understand what happened in Residential Schools
considered to be Canada's greatest historical shame.

Approximately
25 Residential Schools in Alberta
12 in British Columbia
14 in Manitoba
14 in Northwest Territories
1 in Nova Scotia
13 in Nunavut
18 in Ontario
12 in Quebec
18 in Saskatchewan
6 in Yukon = 133 schools
In all, more than 150,000
children were removed
from their communities
and forced to attend the
schools

Similarities
Information taught
Schools are made the same way
All kids in an area go to a specific
school
Some schools have either
uniforms or specific everyday
clothes
Kids go to school to learn
Past Schools:
Beaten when speaking on
native language
Treated horribly
Very little respect to students
Some were sexually abused
whenever owners felt like it
Students have no freedom
Small schools
Very few teachers
Boys and Girls are kept
separate in all schools
Hair has to be cut short Large
Drinking fountains
About 45- 50 kids in a class
Todays Schools:
Much more Respect
Allowed to speak any
language
Owners/Teachers give
every bit of respect theyve
got
Big Schools
Certified and more
Teachers
Attendance was mandatory
Separated from families by long distances
Sick children sometimes sent to die
Only 3 of 100 students able to pass grade 6
Over 40% teaching staff, no professional training
Abuse experienced
sexual abuse
beatings
punishments for speaking Aboriginal languages
forced eating of rotten food
widespread hunger and thirst
bondage
forced labour
Forbidden to speak their language or practice
culture

Former students admitted:

Pencils jammed in their ears
Skin pinched
Heads banged
being locked in closets
Fed rotted food at times
Hair doused in Kerosene if coming back from short
home visit
Despite indoor plumbing had to use outhouses
Given single blanket to sleep
Had to bathe in the same water as other students

Victoria Crow, 79 years old described
her abuse during a two-day hearing
in Calgary
Abuse still haunts her
"They told me that if I ever said
anything to anybody, they would say
that I was lying. So I didn't say
anything. All I could do was cry," she
said.

"They punched me in the back of the head,
they punched me on the side of the head and
the ribs so hard that I fell down in pain and
tears. Darryl Brass, 69 years old.
Estimated there are 80,000 living
survivors, today.