Rape, physical abuse, malnutrition and cultural genocide were prevalent in the tales told by many of the school survivors during the Truth and Reconciliation Committee’s tour of the nation.
Yet, the residential school era and its affects on First Nation, Inuit and Metis communities is not widely understood by the general population. Part of that disconnect is due to the lack of information that exists about that time. For decades, the government and the church distanced themselves from the whole affair, which suppressed the truth. Only in recent years have both institutions started to make amends and admit the crimes that were committed.
Student testimonials vary from brutal cases of rape and assault – even murder – to those who were grateful for the education they received. The lack of information and those varied accounts have skewed public perception. For that reason, commentary regarding residential schools remains divided and that controversy deepens when discussing reparations the government has made.
Only those who have experienced lifelong abuse can truly understand what aboriginals who were forced into residential schools have been through. Now make that abuse systemic and multigenerational with the goal of eradicating a person’s sense of self and cultural identity and you will begin to understand the affect those experiences have had on aboriginal communities as a whole.
Even without the abuse, the schools would still have been centres of forced institutionalization and cultural genocide that deprived young people of family nurturing and self worth. As a result, Canada has contributed to depriving many aboriginal adults of the community and family skills many of us take for granted. While residential schools can’t be blamed for all ills, they have been pointed to as the root to many addiction and family violence issues that are prevalent in First Nation communities.
Our government has worked hard trying to right the wrongs that occurred at those schools predominantly between 1884 and the 1960s. Though the last residential school did not close until 1998, conditions at the schools began to improve in the late 1950s after funding improved and forced student labour ended.
The decision to implement a nationwide residential school curriculum, while not without its critics, is perhaps the best method to help erase some of the ignorance that pervades the public perception when it comes to aboriginal communities.
The curriculum is part of 94 steps put forward by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission for Canadians to undertake to redress the legacy of residential schools. Also included is an Aboriginal Languages Act.
The combination of recommendations will help bridge the gap between aboriginal and non-aboriginal Canadians fostering understanding while hopefully reducing ignorance and prejudice.
The recommendations will also help to restore the sense of self-worth and cultural identity that was stolen from First Nation, Inuit and Metis peoples. Both those attributes are vital in building healthy and vibrant communities and families.
