PROJECT ON RESIDENTIAL SCHOOLS

RESEARCH IN THE ARCHIVES AND DIRECT TESTIMONIES

At the beginning of the 19th century the idea of educating indigenous children began to gain momentum in Canada. No longer after the idea changed radically, and since the end of the 19th century, the objective was to assimilate and absorb these local cultures. This new program had the name “the final solution” already in 1907 -decades before the nazis used the terminology-. Duncan Campbell Scott, superintendent of Indian Issues of the British Crown, was the driving force of the position the British Crown would have for the territory of Canada.

The plan was to take the kids between 6 and 16 away from their parents, and even in some cases until they turned 18. Even though since the 1970s the situation started to deescalate, it is indeed true that the last one of the Residential Schools did not close until 1996.

The Scream. © Kent Monkman. 2017. Acrylic on canvas. 84” x 126”. Image courtesy of the artist for the BLOG Unama’ki-Louisbourg.
 

The purpose of this policy was to bring children -the ones who survived, since the mortality rate was high- disconnected from their communities and cultures and children who could no longer speak in their native languages. In this process Indian Agents -among which there were nuns and priests- took part in taking children and bringing them to the Residential Schools. They were accompanied by the RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police), which had the authority of entering into the houses and taking the kids out. Moreover, they could bring parents to jail, if they refused to let their children go.

So, the destruction of indigenous cultures was made possible thanks to the policy of Residential Schools.

Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada logo. © Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada.
 

Nowadays, recognizing these aggressive policies, which are known as a cultural genocide, are part of the reconciliation process in Canada.

I have come to Unama’ki (how Cape Breton Island is known in Mi’kmaq) with this program by Jauzarrea with the intention of studying documents available in the archives and to listen to direct testimonies given by Survivors. The objective is to develop a paper which will help to disseminate this episode, so close in time, outside of Canada.