Stolen Children

Firstly, this section highlights the testimonies of survivors. Testimonies are very important as they tell the firsthand experiences of the treatment and conditions of the Residential Schools. Testimonies also show Residential School’s true purpose, which was to erase Indigenous cultures. In addition, different themes and topics spanning across the residential schools are examined through the Archives of the Shingwauk Residential School. Finally, this section focuses on the current oppression of Indigenous children and communities through the Child Welfare System (Adoption and Foster Care).

Foster care and adoption

There is a significant overrepresentation of Indigenous children in child welfare systems in all of North America. In 2021 in Canada, the total Indigenous foster child rate was 14.1 times greater than the non-Indigenous foster child rate, with some differences between First Nations, Inuit and Métis children. In the past decade, there was an increase……
Clothing

Clothing played a pivotal role in Canadian residential schools, where it served as a potent tool of assimilation. Clothing was forcibly replaced upon arrival and symbolized the imposition of Western values and the erasure of Indigenous identity. Uniforms, devoid of personal choice, reflected an agenda aimed at aligning children with Western notions of civilization. To……
Land and Water

Our team delved into the theme of “Land and Water” through an analysis of We Are the People of This Land, a poem by Roland J. Nadjiwon (May 1979) who is an Algoma University alumnus. We explored the poem’s different sections and linked them to the agricultural practices, the historical development of Algoma and the……
Farming

Indian Residential Schools in Canada employed a systematic focus on agricultural practices as a cornerstone of their assimilation efforts. Until the 1940s, most of these schools operated on a half-day system, with students spending half their time in classrooms and the other half engaged in farm labor and manual tasks, predominantly assigned to boys. This……
Sports

Feeling of Pride / Resistance Former students of the boarding schools often have positive recollections of the sports activities. Ex-students describe how sports formed a complex cultural practice that allowed Native Americans to express their identities in new ways and feel pride in their culture, all while allowing them to overcome an insensitive educational system….…
Resistance

Resistance both during and after the residential school takes on different forms for each individual person and is deeply tied to healing and reconciliation. The topic of resistance is hard to explore using primary sources because missionaries and priests omitted and denied any events that would reflect badly on them and the residential schools, therefore……