Arlena Bateman

T00554734

Research Proposal

History 3510

Tracy Penny Light

October 3, 2017

 

The topic I have chosen for my research paper is how Canadian Residential Schools affected the indigenous children who attended and as they developed. I have researched multiple articles, textbooks and novels that have pertinent information and first-hand accounts of what the children and families experienced from being subjected to these schools. It is important to explore the impact on what this education system had on these students and families in relation to more than mental health, but also socially and culturally. It can be argued that not all indigenous children had negative experiences in Residential Schools. However, from the majority of the sources I have read states otherwise. Therefore, my primary focus will be on the students who experienced traumatic events in Residential Schools and examine how it affected them once they had been released from these schools as they continued throughout life. To understand the effect, the cause must be examined. To examine the family dynamics, such as how children behaved when visiting their parents as well as how they integrated back into society after being in Residential Schools gives insight on the challenges many factors have on the child’s development. The implications of being torn from a family, their belief and cultural ideologies is another factor or cause of how these individuals suffered both in school and their experience when they were freed. This is explored in my primary source by Carl Alexander, in Sqweqwel’ Muta7 Sptakwlh St’ at’imcets Narratives which consists of two short stories of provided insight on the challenges these survivors from these schools show residential schools faced. The other primary source I found by Jeffry Keshen and Suzanne Morton, Material Memory: Documents in Post-Confederation History which addressed a different perspective. It examined the effects on the children who were forced into Residential Schools versus the ones the parents willingly placed. The motive for those Aboriginal families who requested their children to be put in these schools at an extremely young age was in order for them to be taken care of “properly”. Similarly, to the chapter “Killing the Indian in the Child” in the novel Broken Circles by Theodore Fontaine depicts first-hand of what happened in these schools with direct accounts of student who tells their struggles throughout their life as a result of attending the Residential Schools. Identifying who they chose who to blame for the trauma they experienced at such a pivotal time and how this dissociation from family, culture gravely affected them socially and mentally as a result. This was a time where children and parents both had a difficult time transitioning from children being taken away from their parents, or forced back to school once their vacation time was over. From time spent with their loving families then shifting to a school which neglects, abuses mentally and physically, and deprives them of nutrition; all while manipulating these young children to forget about the importance of their culture and to learn English. In John Burrows article, “Residential Schools, Respect, and Responsibilities for Past Harms” explores different outlooks on the positives and negatives of these schools as it shows the raw experience of residential schools. For example, he describes his aunt who attended a Residential School who continued to enforce no such talk on the topic of residential schools for all it does it “bring me heartache.”[1] The Indigenous people were constantly being told to not discuss their experiences and what occurred in these places; how could this allow them to heal? The article above relates to “Indigenous Identity Transformations: The Pivotal Role of Student-To-Student Abuse in Indian Residential Schools” by Kimberly Matheson discusses how Indigenous people are supposed to keep quiet about their experiences. Although, it became known when A Truth and Reconciliation Commission opened discussion for what really occurred in the Residential Schools and a shift of a recovery stages started to begin.

The article, “Suicide Ideation and Attempts among First Nations People Living On-Reserve in Canada; The intergenerational and Cumulative Effects of Indian Residential Schools” explores how intensely indigenous people suffered mentally from these environments as young children. This article consists of data focusing on higher suicide rates among the indigenous people. In contrast, the article, “Residential Schools Impact on Aboriginal Students’ Academic and Cognitive Development” by Rosemary Barnes, Nina Josefowitz, and Ester Cole, focuses more so on the curriculum of the schools and similarly to all the obstacles the staff had to bypass. This article gives insight on the problems that the children will have once they are out of the schools and integrated back into society as an adult who requires an education higher than what they received at the Residential Schools, in order to get a job. Being involved with the abuse at such young ages left a huge impact on these students and caused many problems within their quality of life.

Lastly, a book which discusses problems in Kamloops Residential Schools, Behind Closed Doors: Stories from the Kamloops Indian Residential School. This book has multiple stories from different survivors who attended the school to give their positive or negative experiences depending on their family life. The focus of these stories is to enable healing of the indigenous people.

Bibliography:

Books:

Fontaine, Theodore. “Killing the Indian in the Child.” In Broken Circle: The Dark Legacy of Indian Residential Schools, Toronto: Heritage House of Publishing Company Ltd, 2010.

Keshen, Jeffrey, and Suzanne Morton. “Isabelle Knockwood Remembers the Shubenacadie Residential School.” In Material Memory: Documents in Post-Confederation History,    Ontario: Addison Wesley Longman Ltd, 1998.

Alexander, Carl. Sqwéqwel’ Múta7 Sptakwlh: St’ át’ Imcets Narratives, Vancouver: UBCOPL       Vol. 3, 2016.

Thorner, Thomas, and Thor Frohn-Nielsen (Eds.) “The Whites Were Terrorists”. In A Country Nourished on Self- Doubt, Toronto: University of Toronto, 2010.

Agness, Jack. Behind Closed Doors: Stories from the Kamloops Indian Residential School, Montreal: Secwepemc Cultural Education Society on Behalf of the Story-Tellers, 2000.

Journal Articles:

Borrows, John. “Residential Schools, Respect, and Responsibilities for Past Harms.” University of Toronto Law Journal 64, no. 4 (2014): 486-504. http://eds.b.ebscohost.com/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=1&sid=717d3d63 6362428e9be5-b235e6e5f17e%40sessionmgr120.

Barnes, Rosemary, Nina Josefowitz, and Ester Cole. “Residential Schools: Impact on Aboriginal Students’ Academic and Cognitive Development.” Canadian Journal of School   Psychology 21, no. 1/2 (2006): 18-32.            http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0829573506298751.

McQuaid, Robyn J. “Suicide Ideation and Attempts among First Nations People Living On Reserve in Canada: The Intergenerational and Cumulative Effects of Indian Residential Schools.” The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry 62, no. 6 (2017): 422-430. http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0706743717702075.

Matheson, Kimberly, Amy Bombay, S. Alexander Haslam, and Hymie Anisman. 2016. “Indigenous identity Transformations: The Pivotal Role of Student-to-Student Abuse in   Indian Residential Schools” Transcultural Psychiatry 53, no. 5 (2016): 551-573.            http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1363461516664471.

 

A Statement of Process Document

  1. I took an interest in Residential Schools when I realized how little this topic was a part of the curriculum when I attended high school. It wasn’t until I started University that these issues were being addressed and openly discussed as our Prime Ministry issued an apology in 2015. These omissions obviously were not helpful or beneficial for those that experienced the damage and problems incurred from attending Residential Schools. To examine the impact the Residential Schools had on the children and families allow us to address the importance of allowing cultural and social diversity in the programs. By eliminating a child’s heritage, fragmenting families as the Residential Schools attempted to do had such negative implications on these children’s development. The problems that continue to exist as a result sheds light on the importance of understanding and using this information as a guideline to ensure proper treatment and development for all children. To learn the impact endured as a result of these school’s systems allow us to take in all factors for a child’s development. Understanding the importance of integrating different family values, cultural diversity is as important as learning about the child’s learning abilities. I want to be a teacher that understands both the problems and the successes in history in order to better our education system. Understanding past problems throughout history gives insight on placing importance on all the factors that contribute and benefit a child’s development. The mistakes from the past should be the opportunity to learn the valuable lessons from those that suffered. For schools to be more collaborative or inclusive with families, understanding that different values and cultures may influence how a child learns and develops. Ultimately, as much as possible the objective for teaching is to have a good outcome for all students from all backgrounds.
  2. Once I started to learn more about the Canadian Residential Schools and what many of the students endured was appalling. The fact these children were removed and put in the schools to get “the Indian out of them” is so unfathomable that I wanted to obtain sources that told firsthand accounts of the terrible things they were subjected to and how it affected them as adults. For anyone to dispel that implementing this type of school would not have negative implications on the children’s development is foolish. I chose sources that would give insight on the breakdown within the families, and the long term effects of being taken away and subjected to a loss of culture and language would have. Important to gain empathy and understanding in order to ensure children feel valued and well safe. The sources I chose, show the impact these residential schools had on families and the changes in their dynamics. The librarian was very helpful and assisted me in finding many primary and secondary sources that would benefit my research paper.
  3. A couple years ago, I knew very little of what occurred in Residential Schools and the motives behind the purpose of them. The main misconception that I had then (2 years ago), was I believed that the schools were to meant to offer education and thus opportunities to the Aboriginal population. A very naive understanding now that so much has been revealed on its true purpose and all the issues that surround them.  Going into this paper, I had already read about the residential schools and what they endured while attending. I now am looking beyond just the implications it had on them as children, but what problems the families faced and how this affected and shaped these children as they became adults. Looking at this from different angles and finding so many articles that showed the atrocities and conditions the children faced, it was difficult to believe there were possibly positive experiences. Therefore, II did request sources with positive experiences or positive outcomes to enable me to argue my side more accurately. I found one article that took a different approach on how to look at residential schools; in the sense that although previous Indigenous people suffered immensely, the indigenous people of today may be benefiting from the English culture as they are more equal in society and have more opportunities open to them. This supported my preconceived notion that these schools purpose was to provide opportunities in the long run. However, there is so much wrong with this ideology which worked in my favour for my paper.
  4. My view has not changed, as I mentioned prior to this research, I had already read about some of the problems in the Residential Schools. However, I had never done research on past students telling their stories which gives much more insight to the pain they endured throughout the years these schools were in place. I would be interested in learning more about the workers of the Residential Schools and their perspectives. If their ideologies conflicted with the curriculum they taught and whether they were remorseful of the negative impact they had on these children. It would be very interesting to find a teacher’s firsthand account of their time at these schools. It’s a whole other area that I hope to explore and continue to research in order to gain more knowledge in all areas of those involved.
  5. Next time I would like to examine more points of views. Whether or not it could all be used, I just want to have as much input as possible to make a strong argument. I would have really liked to interview someone who went to a Residential School and the impact it had on their life. Also, I would spend even more time with the librarian, who was a wonderful resource to help narrow down my sources.

Endnote:

[1] John Burrows, “Residential Schools, Respect, and Responsibilities for Past Harms,” University of Toronto Law Journal, (Toronto: University of Toronto, 2014), 486.