Introduction
Until recently, the well-kept secret of Canadian residential schools had been securely hidden by the House of Commons. However, recent discoveries of mass graves have revealed a horrific truth concealed from the Canadian public for a century. With their secret exposed, facing an indignant and betrayed Canadian public, the government has promised reparations for the actions of their predecessors. But can government stipends and papal apologies possibly rectify decades of inhumane atrocities?
The Canadian Residential Schools were government funded boarding homes for young indigenous children with the aim of erasing Native culture and assimilating the youth into western society. The boarding schools were operated and directed by Christian pastors and affiliates of the Christian Church. Native youth were stripped from their families and forced into these schoolhouses, where they were isolated from any indigenous influence. The schools eradicated all traces of Native language, culture, and lifestyle, leaving the young indigenous children broken, and, in some cases, dead. The residential school network claimed the lives of over 6000 indigenous children, many of which were buried in unmarked mass graves.
Initial Colonial Contact:
Since colonialism and the sentiment of cultural supremacy that stemmed from it were direct causes of the school system, exploring colonial relations between the natives and their foreign occupants is helpful in achieving the most rounded perspective possible. The Native population of Canada can be categorized into three distinct groups: the Inuits, the Metis, and the Indians, alternatively known as the First Nations.
The first Europeans seeking to establish permanent settlements arrived in the 1500’s. Attracted by the copious amounts of natural resources, these explorers established informal trade partnerships with the First Nations and other natives along the eastern seaboard. Most of these North American colonies had been chartered by either France or Great Britain, both employing sensitive diplomacy with the natives. Peace settlements between the dominant powers and the First Nations ensured economic cooperation and success, especially in the lucrative fur trade.
The European powers allied with rival native factions; the British aligned with the Iroquois Confederacy, an amalgamation of First Nation members, while the French settled with First Nations north of the St. Lawrence River. Competition between European superpowers inevitably culminated in conflict, pitting Native tribes against one another in a war they were forced to partake in. Economic partnerships morphed into military alliances as both European powers geared for war, arming the Canadian natives with rifles and ammunition. British - French relations finally erupted in 1756 with the beginning of The 7 Years War. The fall of Montreal, the final French stronghold situated on St. Lawrence River, ended France’s colonial holdings in Canada, leaving the British victorious. France formalized its removal with the Treaty of Paris in 1763. As the only remaining foreign power, Britain reorganized the First Nations into manageable components. Initially, the British (valued) their relationship with the natives, harnessing the economic potential of the partnership. But this collaborative attitude transformed into a superiority complex as the colonies continued to expand, demanding more land from the First Nations. The Native Americans became an impediment to colonial progress, leading to the birth of discriminatory attitudes among the colonists. The British Crown continued to seize land from First Nation territories, further displacing the Indians. After a failed attempt to relocate the displaced natives to Manitoulin Island, the British Department of Indian Affairs devised a new system to control and civilize the native population. This system stemmed from the belief that European culture was superior to the Indian lifestyle; so it’s not surprising that the Europeans felt obligated to elevate Native society in return for their economic and military assistance. A number of government bills were passed throughout the 19th century in an attempt to civilize the Native population; these reforms placed a new emphasis on assimilation through education, leading to the introduction of residential schools.
Native Life Prior to the System:
The precursors to these nationwide boarding schools were locally-operated missionary schools, tasked with civilizing the unruly native youth, a perspective rooted in bigotry and ethnic supremacy. Since the European lifestyle was perceived as the epitome of civilization, these missionary schools indoctrinated the native children into Christian European ways of life, with the goal of assimilating the natives into the overwhelmingly white Canadian populace. These missionary schools were popularized during the 1800’s in conjunction with other attempts to civilize the Canadian Natives including an 1844 Government bill, which promoted agriculture and crop cultivation, discouraging the traditional nomadic lifestyle of those native people. This legalized assimilation progressively worsened until an 1880 amendment to the Indian Act of 1876 officially formalized the residential school system.
Before you read, it is important to acknowledge the fact that the Native American population of Canada is not a single, uniform ethnic group. The broad demographic is comprised of hundreds of unique ethnic groups, each with their signature cultures and traditions. So when I refer to the “Native American population of Canada”, please note that I recognize the integral differences between the various tribes of Canada and that these differences are something to celebrate in and of themselves. Do not misconstrue the use of the word as a generalization.
Case Study : Fort Albany Residential School / St. Anne’s
Over 132 residential schools operated in Canada between 1880 and 1996, but one boarding home developed an especially horrific reputation that eclipsed any other.
Located in Fort Albany, Ontario, St Anne’s Residential School first opened in 1906, 30 years after the passing of the Indian Act. The school was operated by Catholic pastors in tandem with two Roman Catholic orders: The Oblates of Mary Immaculate and The Grey Sisters of the Cross. The children here suffered through decades of inhumane mental and physical abuse, including rape, forced abortions, and torture. Generations of children from the surrounding area were forced to attend the school, abandoning their families and way of life. The school deeply scarred the James Bay Native community, where cultural repairs and reparations continue today.
What was life like at St Anne’s?
Our knowledge of St. Anne’s primarily comes from the testimonies of the survivors, who all described a brutal and harsh experience. The morbid truth of the school was exposed following an investigation prompted by Fort Albany First Nation Chief Edmund Metatawabin in 1992. The subsequent investigation lasted six years and gathered commentary from over 700 survivors testifying to the inhumane abuse that occurred at the school.
The students at St. Anne’s attended the rudimentary classes that other Canadian children studied such as math, science, history, and grammar. The learning environment the native children were subject to, however, was terrifying and painful. Their Catholic instructors regularly beat them with whips and classroom objects if they performed poorly and forced them into restrictive straitjackets, a device of humiliation. Another method of punishment involved locking the children in the school basement for multiple hours if they misbehaved, leaving them starved and alone. The children were severely underfed, and the meager meals they did receive were often spoiled and unsafe for consumption, leading to severe nausea, vomiting, and sickness. The nuns and pastors often called on the will of God to justify their extreme behavior in dealing with the children. They framed their mission as a religious obligation to the Lord, which they would fulfill by any means necessary, even at the expense of the children. This attempt at justification, however, was only a guise for the sadistic and sexual desires that the instructors sought to satisfy. One survivor described her experience with sexual abuse at the school, recalling a night when she was molested by a nun who claimed to have been cleansing her of the devil. Abuse cases such as these occurred almost nightly at the residential school, in both the boys’ and girls’ dorms. One survivor confessed that one night she snuck into the boys’ dormitory to meet a friend and found two young boys tied to their bed with their clothes removed, an indicator of pervasive sexual abuse at the school. Life at the school became so unbearable, the children devised harmful ways to briefly escape their harsh reality. The children would choke themselves with a towel until they became dizzy and lightheaded; it offered some psychological liberation in a life troubled by sexual violence and assault. Another survivor described her experience with the school’s electric chair, possibly the most inhuman aspect of the school’s entire functionality. The makeshift torture device was used to punish the most unruly children. The pastors would bind students to the chair and shock them multiple times until they fell unconscious. One survivor described the excruciating sensation as, “A whole bunch of needles going up your arms.”
St. Anne’s Residential school finally closed in 1976 after permanently crippling hundreds of indigenous lives. The systematic violence, torture, and abuse that occurred at St. Anne’s was also present in virtually all of the 132 schools in the residential network. The recency of these events, however, is what makes the situation truly alarming. We have convinced ourselves that suffering to this degree could never occur in modern western society, especially in a stable and prosperous nation, but this belief is what allowed the atrocity that is the residential network to persist for so long. Systemic cultural eradication is not an issue of the past, and we must recognize and address its presence in modern society. To solve the international plight of suffering, we must abandon this attitude of modern denial that shields suffering from the public eye, and we must embrace the fact that modern society is imperfect, so that we may improve the lives of struggling individuals.
How Has the Residential School Network Affected the Canadian Perception of the Christain Church?
Since the Christian Church played a prominent role in the residential system, unveiling the atrocities that ocuured at these schools has deeply impacted the reputation of the Christian Church in Canada. Disgusted by the behaviour of the Church, many practicing Christains refuse to attend mass, leaving churches with insufficient donation money to pay maintenance fees, forcing closures. Cathedrals are being sold in order to pay reparations to the natives and other affected communities. Recently, The Basilica Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in St. John’s, Newfoundland was sold for over 3 million Canadian dollars, all of which will be distributed to survivors of sexual violence committed by the Catholic Church. The Basilica is one of twenty properties formerly owned by The Roman Catholic Episcopal Corporation of St. John's being sold to account for reparation costs. Not only has the Canadian Catholic Church experienced economic strife, but public trust in the Church has plumetted following the recent developments. Canadian Christians have begun questioning the legitimacy of their Church, for if it cannot adhere to the principles it embodies, how can it be worthy of religious loyalty?
To understand the psychologiacl effect of the school system on Canadian Christains, I contacted Mrs. Cathy Delaney, a Canadian relative of mine and foster mother of an indigenous child. The emotional impact of the situtaion was amplified by her adoption of an Inuk Child. The “alarming” and “disturbing” discovery of the residential system, “gravely affected [her] perception of the Christian (Catholic) Church,” continuing with, “Knowing that such evilness happened under the guise of God has really made me question the institution of my church.” Despite her lack of trust in the institution, her spiritual faith in God has remained intact, a perspective shared by many Canadians. Essentially, she has separated the actions of the Church from the purity of God. Mrs. Delaney expressed uncertainty concerning the future of the Church in Canada, noting the “dramatic decline in parishioners attending mass,” pondering whether, “many young people who grew up in the Catholic Church have become bitter towards an institution that has been at the center of so much evil.”
Reparations:
Both the Canadian government and the Catholic Church have taken steps to repair the damage dealt by the residential school system and reconcile with the indigenous people of Canada. In January of 2023, the Canadian government agreed to pay $2.8 billion Canadian dollars to settle a class-action action lawsuit filed by over 325 First Nations in 2012, following the discovery of mass grave sites at multiple residential schools. Although the First Nations had obviously been aware of the situation prior to 2012, the discovery reignited a decades-long investigation and provided ample evidence to pursue legal action. The 2.8 billion will be paid to a non-profit trust dedicated to healing, educating, and celebrating the indigenous community of Canada.
In contrast, the Catholic Church has historically been more reluctant in accepting responsibility for their role in the residential network. For years, Pope Francis refused to issue a formal apology, but finally granted their request in the spring of last year. In April of 2022, the Pope formally acknowledged and apologized for the crimes of the Catholic Church in Canada and their role in the residential school network. The Pope expressed his sorrow and remorse for the, “deplorable behavior of those members of the Catholic Church,” reiterating that,“the content of faith cannot be transmitted in a way contrary to faith itself.” Despite its long-overdue delivery, the apology was gratefully received by the indigenous leaders of Canada, deemed, “a monumental step-forward on the path to reconciliation.”
To discuss reparations and relating issues, I contacted Native American author, educator, and humanitarian Charles Robinson, from the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. In dealing with Native Americans, both the United States and Canada imposed harsh and culturally degrading restrictions, seizing land and discouraging Native values, the cornerstone of Native culture. For Mr. Robinson and the broader Native community, reconciling these Native values with contemporary American culture, “has always been a struggle,” especially when the capitalsitic nature of modern America fundamentally conflicts with the communal and shared lifetsyle of Native Americans. He highlighted the endemic racism of Americans living near reservations, which perpetuates demeaning stereotypes that depict Native Americans as, “public caricatures of [their] traditional selves.” Mr. Robisnon presented a solution to this dichotomy, insisting that, “setting aside the greed of self-importance and focusing on the benefit of sacrificing self for the community,” would nurture a more harmonious environment for the two to coexist. In pursuit of cultural harmony, reparations for the actions of our ancestors is crucial in achieving peaceful coexistence. When asked his opinion on reparations, Mr. Robinson discouraged the current approach of individual compensation, instead advocating for, “strategic land bases returned, along with funding for healing centers, educational opportunities, and addiction and mental health issues,” an opinion reflected by his emphasis on communal values.
Mr. Robinson encouraged the celebration of cultural differences rather than discarding them, asserting that, “you can have the pursuit of unity with extreme diversity,” a point which he soldified with a culinary metaphor: “Think of a stew. It tastes best when you have lots of different ingredients cooking together with a common goal. Remove the diversity and it tastes bland.” In summary, a uniform society has no passion, character, or potential.
- Hudson Honeybone