RESIDENTIAL SCHOOLS & IINTERGENERATION TRAUMA

As mentioned in the treaty section of this website the initial relationship of First Nation people and the newly arrived settlers relationship was positive. Unfortunately, over time the relationship between them would soon change and much of it by colonial belief, followed by policy. Policies were introduced and based on colonization and assimilation. Please see a brief time line below:

In 1876, the Indian Act policy was introduced and would give the Federal government control over every aspect of Indigenous lives. Further to this, residential schools were created to support the intentions of the Indian Act in effort to assimilate Indigenous people into Euro-Western culture. (Aguiar & Halseth). In part of these residential schools, it was mandated by the government to forcibly remove Indigenous children from their parents typically from the ages 6 –16.

Unfortunately

Many Indigenous children would experience years of atrocious treatment, such as:

Significant lower standards of education
Lower standards of education
Endured child labour
Experienced racism and maltreatment
Suffered from excessive discipline consequences.
Endured emotion, physical and sexual abuse.

(Aguiar & Haseth, 2015)

o watch a video on the impacts of residential schools, please follow think link: http://wherearethechildren.ca/en/stories/#story_31

Indigenous Children in residential Schools would attend residential schools for nearly 140 years. From 1857 - 1996.

The influence of the Indian Act, and other policies have been dire, and in particular the Indigenous children in these residential schools would dramatically impact their lives going forward, and would produce a ripple effect, termed as Intergenerational trauma.

Intergenerational trauma is the cycle of trauma experienced by those who attended residential schools in Canada, and that trauma is passed onto their children, and generations on. Symptoms include a variety of family dysfunction and violence, mental health problems, substance abuse and much more (NCCAH, 2015). Intergenerational trauma, in relation to education, is affecting many Indigenous children (Bombay et al. 2014).

Intergenerational Trauma & Education

It is estimated that two-thirds of Indigenous people experience trauma as a result of the residential schools (Quinn, 2007 ). In 2006, 1,172,790 identified themselves as Indigenous (Stat Canada, 2020), which means over 780,000 Indigenous people have been affected by intergenerational trauma!

Today, many Indigenous people and children are working through hurdles such as anxiety, depressive symptoms, discrimtination, , poor social conditions substance abuse and self destructive habits and more (Boka, Joober & Kirmayer, 2015) & (Aguiar & Halseth, 2015). The following can impact their learning:

Continuous (intergenerational) trauma can have adverse and severe effects on learning. The effects widely vary, and include some or more of the following :

less capable to concentrate because of the state of low fear they are in.
Can respond aggressively and with anger in any situations that make them feel unsafe.
Have varying degrees of social skills that are unfortunately lower than their peers.
An inability to set education goals
Feels of inferiority that cause damage to self-identity and their capabilities to be successful in learning.