The Truth Behind The History Of Residential Schools

RESIDENTIAL SCHOOLS
The truth of residential schools was a bitter portion of Canadian history. Residential school, first built by France missionaries in early 1620 but due to some reason it did not get success. After that in 1830 Mohawk institute in Brantford, Ontario and many other residential schools were built, for example Alberta residential school, Manitoba residential school , British Columbia residential school and others(They Came For The Children,TRC). Actually there was a different purpose behind the creation of residential schools, public works minister Hector Langewin stated that “In order to educate the children properly we must separate them from their families.
Even some people who worked in residential schools had aim to save and civilize aboriginal children and government also aimed to flourish aboriginal people as distinct group in Canada, for instance prime minister John A Macdonald stated that if school is on reserve , children lives with their parents who are salvage and even they learn to write and speak but because of their surrounding environment their mode of living and habits will never change and they live as a salvage who can read and write(1883). Schools were mainly operated by federal government of Canada as well as churches′ policy. There was also industrial school which was a kind of residential school for aboriginal children to provide training to older students (TRC). Aboriginal people believed that creation of residential schools will generate better opportunity for them and they also demanded that residential schools should be included in treaties (TRC). But residential school destroyed
Residential schools were mainly operated by religious organization i.e. nuns, priests, ministers and missionaries (TRC). Residential schools separated aboriginal children from their families and brought them in school where operators of schools forcefully took off their traditional clothes and cut their hairs which was the most insulting feeling for aboriginal children as traditional clothes and long hairs considered as a symbol of respect for aboriginal people in their culture. In addition to that aboriginal children were not allowed to speak their native language in schools if they did that they supposed to punish by head of schools (TRC). By doing all these, residential schools wanted to show that their culture was inferior to Canadian culture. In the residential school girls were not allowed to talk or look at boys even they were brother-sister. Simultaneously with the education they also had to do other works like cleaning and helping in kitchen. Children starved in schools as they did not get sufficient food and its quality. The reason for that was funding problem, schools did not get required funds from the government (TRC).Aboriginal children were abused physically, mentally and