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The effecs of residential schools

Uploaded: 5 years ago
Contributor: hoganshannon
Category: Anthropology
Type: Lecture Notes
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Filename:   literary essay.docx (15.87 kB)
Page Count: 5
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Shannon Hogan ID 3067999 English 102 (AS77) Colleen Irwin November 21, 2017 Word Count:968 The Effects of Residential Schools European colonization brought upon endless suffering to the Indigenous people of Canada. To assimilate the assumingly inferior Native culture, the Canadian government participated in a multitude of prejudice conducts; one of the most brutal actions used for assimilation was the introduction of residential schools. Residential schools were government established religious boarding schools, build to assimilate Canadian Aboriginal children. Government agents endlessly searched the country for Indian children, separating them from their families and culture, while subjecting them to the torture and abuse inflicted through these schools. Richard Wagamese, in Indian Horse (1996) explores the psychological torment imposed upon Native children through the residential school system. Which I will examine here with a focus on the abuse of Native children and the long-lasting effects of trauma survivors have experienced. Residential schools were introduced for the purpose of converting Aboriginal youth into exemplary Canadian citizens. They achieved this by completely isolating the children from the influence of both their parents and community. The schools were under the control of Catholic, Anglican, and Protestant priests and nuns who lacked any sort of compassion and drove to achieve assimilation of Native culture by any means necessary. Not only were residential schools responsible for the neglect of the children in their care, but also the loss of culture, language, and family that has been reflected through later generations. There has also been a growing number of psychological, physical and sexual abuse cases in the past years. Wagamese describes the appalling experiences Aboriginal children endured through the representation of Saul Indian Horse, who was exposed to the horrors of residential schools at a very young age. Saul describes many cases of abuse and torment that he witnessed throughout his time spent at St. Jerome’s, which lead to the death of many innocent children; “I saw kids die of tuberculosis, influenza, pneumonia and broken hearts at St. Jerome’s” (Wagamese p. 55). The insufficient funds that the government provided played a significant role in the high death toll of the children; malnourishment and disease had a substantial impact on the children’s health as well. Neil Funk-Unrau and Anna Snyder show in their paper how residential schools lacked any sort of basic education, instead Indian children spent most of their time participating in farming, cooking, or industrial tasks that were required to fund the institution. Residential schools were a harsh environment for children; the institutions replaced education with various methods of abuse that inevitably provoked academic failures. This form of assimilation presents ramifications which are continuously affecting current Aboriginal communities; a crucial point Wagamese made in his novel, was the idea that children did not survive the schools without a certain degree of psychological distress. The effects from residential schools produce the probability to form life long trauma within it’s survivors, this has been proven to cripple Aboriginal people and their culture. The abuse and neglect that was received by residents of the schools are a direct correlation between substance abuse and many other health problems experienced throughout generations of Aboriginal people. Many survivors seek various methods to escape from torturous memories and are often denied the mental health treatment they require. This results in a wide variety of destructive self- medicating techniques: many of which are related to substance abuse that Wagamese describes. The character Saul Indian Horse had been a victim of several types of assault and felt his only escape was through alcohol; “The ultimate device... It lets you go on breathing but not really living. It lets you move but not remember. It lets you do but not feel.” (Wagamese p. 217) The residential school system is a main factor that has greatly contributed to the high rates of fetal alcohol syndrome that is found among many Aboriginal communities, not only in its survivors but also to the parents of the children who were forcibly removed from their care. Caroline L. Tait discusses this at large in her book Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Among Aboriginal people in Canada. She explains that the disruption of a child’s early development can result in self destructive behaviour, anxiety, poor self-esteem, anger, hostility and suicide. These traits became increasingly evident in the character of Saul, his anger completely consumed him and lead to his dependency upon alcohol. Often, this type of abuse is passed through generations. There are still many Aboriginal people have yet to receive the treatment they require to regain their strong role in society. “Many Aboriginal people and societies have experienced a kind of trauma, in some cases for generations, which has had profound consequences for both individual and collective behaviors. This is a trauma that flows from colonialism and oppression” (Tait p. 103). Colonization has relentlessly oppressed the Aboriginal culture and its people; the residential school system in particular has resulted in high rates of alcohol dependency which has been passed through generations of Native people due to their inability to find or receive treatment. Residential schools have played a leading role in the depletion of the Aboriginal community. The loss of aboriginal language, culture and traditions have been replaced with European values and Christianity. Richard Wagamese depicts the life of a residential school student and survivor in his novel Indian Horse to consist of cruelty and hardship. The various forms of abuse inflicted upon these children have diminished aboriginal cultures in many ways: lower self esteem, substance abuse, intergenerational abuse and suicide. Saul Indian Horse was a direct representation of these occurrences, he endlessly ran from his memories until they eventually overtook him. His only release was to return to the closest thing he ever had to a family and release the trauma he experienced; finally submitting himself to a long road of recovery, that many other aboriginal people have yet to receive. Work Cited Funk-Unrau, Neil and Anna Snyder. “Indian Residential School Survivors and State-Designed ADR: A Strategy for Co-Optation?” Conflict Resolution Quarterly, vol. 24, no. 3, Spring 2007, p. 285-304. Business Source Complete, library.macewan.ca/library-search/detailedview/bth/24566015 Tait, Caroline L. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome among Aboriginal People in Canada: Review and Analysis of the Intergenerational Links to Residential Schools/ Prepared for the Aboriginal Healing Foundation. Ottawa, 2003. Macewan University’s Catalog, library.macewan.ca/library-search/detailed-view/cat00565a/7686363/. Wagamese, Richard. Indian Horse. Douglas and McIntyre, 2012.

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