residential schools
Indigenous child facilities
Residential schools were government-sponsored boarding schools, often run by churches, designed to assimilate Indigenous children into the dominant culture.
Children were removed from their families, forbidden to speak their languages or practice their traditions, and frequently subjected to abuse and neglect.
The term is most associated with the Canadian and U.S. systems that operated from the 19th century into the late 20th century: Thousands of children died at residential schools.
The schools are now widely recognized as instruments of cultural genocide.
Foreign territorial takeover
- assimilationAbsorbing into a whole
- cultural genocideDestroying identity without killing
- ChristianizationConverting societies to Christianity
- ethnocideDeliberate identity erasure
colonial legacy · education policy · church involvement · mass graves · unmarked graves · discoveries · closures · timeline
Sworn statement as evidence
- truth-tellingCommunicating only facts
- witnessOne who attests
- resilienceCapacity to recover quickly
- healing journeyGradual return to wholeness
elder · oral history · survivorship · advocacy · storytelling · memoir · disclosure · courage
Statement acknowledging wrongdoing
- healingRestoration of health
- acknowledgmentConfirmation of receipt
- memorializationPreserving in lasting tribute
- educationSystematic development of mind
awareness · dialogue · redress · reparations · land back · relationship building · commemoration
Cruel or violent treatment
- neglectFailure to provide care
- sufferingSustained experience of distress
- psychological harmMental or emotional damage
- physical punishmentPain-based behavioral correction
sexual abuse · malnutrition · disease · death · punishment · strap · shame · guilt
Destroying group identity markers
- identity lossLosing sense of self
- hair cuttingShortening one's locks
- disconnectionState of being severed
- family separationKin kept apart
intergenerational · cultural shame · assimilation policy · Christianization · English-only · forced assimilation
Student living building
- curriculumEducational program's content plan
- enrollmentAct of registering officially
- compulsory attendanceRequired participation by rule
- government policyOfficial course of action
Indian Act · missionary · day schools · superintendent · matron · child removal · attendance officer · isolation
colonization
Foreign territorial takeover
- assimilationAbsorbing into a whole
- cultural genocideDestroying identity without killing
- ChristianizationConverting societies to Christianity
ethnocide · colonial legacy · education policy · church involvement · mass graves · unmarked graves · discoveries · closures · timeline · documentation
testimony
Sworn statement as evidence
- truth-tellingCommunicating only facts
- witnessOne who attests
- resilienceCapacity to recover quickly
healing journey · elder · oral history · survivorship · advocacy · storytelling · memoir · disclosure · courage · strength
apology
Statement acknowledging wrongdoing
- healingRestoration of health
- acknowledgmentConfirmation of receipt
- memorializationPreserving in lasting tribute
education · awareness · dialogue · redress · reparations · land back · relationship building · commemoration
abuse
Cruel or violent treatment
- neglectFailure to provide care
- sufferingSustained experience of distress
- psychological harmMental or emotional damage
physical punishment · sexual abuse · malnutrition · disease · death · punishment · strap · shame · guilt · PTSD
cultural erasure
Destroying group identity markers
- identity lossLosing sense of self
- hair cuttingShortening one's locks
- disconnectionState of being severed
family separation · intergenerational · cultural shame · assimilation policy · Christianization · English-only · forced assimilation
dormitory
Student living building
- curriculumEducational program's content plan
- enrollmentAct of registering officially
- compulsory attendanceRequired participation by rule
government policy · Indian Act · missionary · day schools · superintendent · matron · child removal · attendance officer · isolation · regimentation
- Canadian HistoryConfederation, Rupert's Land, colonial era, colonial government, self-government
- Canadamaple leaf, maple syrup, hockey, beaver, Ottawa
- Deafnessdeaf education, deaf awareness, deaf rights, deaf culture, deaf pride
- Indian EducationNIT, UGC, primary schools, secondary schools, primary education
- Indigenous CanadaFirst Nations, Metis, Inuit, Cree, Ojibwe
- blind serviceswhite cane, Louis Braille, guide dog, guide dogs, braille alphabet
residential schoolsday schools
Schools without dormitories
local schools · community schools · home schooling · family homes · homeschooling
residential schoolsfamily homes
Residences housing related people
home environment · parental care · kinship care · domestic life · extended family
residential schoolstribal schools
Indigenous-run educational institutions
self-determination · land back · truth and reconciliation · repatriation
school, resident, schooling, residence, reside, residential, residency, residing, nonresidential