Self-determination and Residential Schools Paper

EDUC 3502

Dr. Jeffrey MacCormack

Jarred Wenzel

November 15, 2019

 What term does society allocate to a cultural group who was completely stripped of their

values and beliefs; only to be forced to take on the ideologies of another? Although the term may

still be challenged, when one group is forcefully removed from their cultural setting only to be

assimilated to another groups beliefs and values is seen as cultural genocide. The American

Genocide Museum-Institute defines cultural genocide as, “Acts and measures undertaken to

destroy any nations’ or ethnic groups.” (The American Genocide Museum-Institute, 2019). There

have been several examples of this throughout history which include the Holocaust and the

Rwandan Genocide, where one culture looked to completely eliminate an entire other cultural

group by any means necessary. Although the Holocaust and Rwandan Genocide serve as credible

examples of cultural genocide; for Canadians there is no harsher or unfortunate example of

cultural genocide than the Canadian residential schools. The residential school system was

funded by the Canadian Governments Department of Indian Affairs and upheld by the Christian

churches. These schools were created and designed to assimilate young indigenous individuals

away from their traditional values and way of living, only to replace their former beliefs with a

more “Canadian” set of values and beliefs. The indigenous people’s culture was viewed by the

Canadian government to be worthless, so rather than share in their culture, they looked to

inevitably exterminate it through inhumane means. With the use of residential schools, the

Canadian government attempted to assimilate indigenous culture through the removal of their

cultural competence, sense of belongingness and autonomy. Even though residential schools are

now a thing of the past in the present day and age, the catastrophic lasting effects are still felt

each and every day by and individual or family that experienced such hardship.
 One of the most effective and efficient ways residential schools were able to assimilate

the indigenous culture was by ridding all the students of their sense of belonging. The residential

schools strategically would put restrictions on its indigenous students to make them feel alone

and abandoned and removed any sense of their indigenous identity. The assault on indigenous

identity, “began the moment the child took the first step across the school’s threshold. Braided

hair was cut, homemade traditional clothing was exchanged for a school uniform, Aboriginal

names were replaced with Euro-Canadian ones.” (The Survivor Speaks, 2015, p. 9). As soon as

the students entered the school, they were completely stripped of any sense of belonging they

had from their indigenous culture and any sense of freedom that once embodied them was

replaced with the strict rigid rules. Residential schools implemented these practices because they,

“sought to civilize and Christianize, and ultimately, assimilate Indigenous people into Canadian

society.” (Residential Schools Overview, 2015). That sense of freedom that once was part of

everyday life for the Indigenous students, was quickly snatched from them leaving them

shackled to the ideologies of the school.

Going beyond stripping the Indigenous children of their clothes and names; they were

also forcefully separated from their siblings and parents. By denying the students their right and

opportunity to interact with their siblings and parents, removed any last sense of belonginess

they had. This idea is further cemented through Archie Hyacinthe recounting his first

experiences at the residential school in Kenora, “I think that’s when the trauma started for me,

being separated from my sister, from my parents, and from our, our home. We were no longer

free.” (The Survivor Speaks, 2015, p. 36). This was the most integral implementation by the

residential schools in order to assimilate their indigenous students. Everything they identified

with was removed from their environment, and by reducing any form of family interaction was
looked at as a positive way to keep them from reverting back to old traditions because, “even

though you have family, you still feel separated, you still, you don’t have a name, you don’t have

an identity, you just have a number.” (The Survivor Speaks, 2015, p. 67). These students were

put in an environment that was not conducive for them to learn. This idea is supported by

Niemiec and Ryan saying that, “under such controlling conditions, however, the feelings of joy,

enthusiasm, and interest that once accompanied learning are frequently replaced by experiences

of anxiety, boredom, or alienation.” (Niemiec & Ryan, 2009, p 143). Losing the sense that you

belong can have a detrimental effect on ones learning process. Even though the residential

schools thought removing any sense of belonging to their original cultural ties would create a

more efficient learning environment, it ultimately removed any sense of autonomy or motivation

for them to learn.

If there were one quality residential schools removed right away, it was any sense of

autonomy the students had. There was absolutely no tolerance or ability for the students to self-

govern their everyday life; let alone be responsible for their own learning. Residential schools

were a mode of assimilation, and any self-governing activities from the students would derail the

process to, “assimilate Indigenous people into Canadian society.” (Residential Schools

Overview, 2015). Residential schools ruled with an iron fist and any chance for the students to

express themselves through their indigenous culture was quickly shut down by the school

authorities. Rather than try to relate “westernized” ideologies with indigenous values to make the

students aware of the similarities and differences between the two to promote learning through

shared interests. This lack of appreciation for other cultures is highlighted in the memoir of

Augie Merasty, a former student of the residential school system, where he says, “Brother

Lepeigne was a man dedicated to preserving the image of Superiority of the Semi-Super Race of
Whiteman over Indian, like the German Super Race tried to establish during the time of Hitler's

regime. (Merasty & Carpenter, 2017, p. 48). It is no wonder why residential schools are now

synonymous with that of a concentration camp from the Holocaust, they removed any sense of

self and intrinsic motivation the students had to further their education. Margo Wylde, a survivor

from the residential school in Amos, Quebec, was forbade from speaking anything other than

French. This was a language she had no knowledge of, as she only spoke her native Indigenous

language. With restrictions such as this in place, the residential schools removed any sense of

autonomy that Margo or any student had left as she wondered, “How am I going to express

myself? How will I make people understand what I’m saying? And I wanted to find my sisters to

ask them to come and get me. You know it’s sad to say, but I felt I was a captive.” (The Survivor

Speaks, 2015, p. 47). These students were never put in a suitable environment to learn let alone

retain what was being taught to them. Once the Indigenous students were under the regime of the

residential school, they were automatically expected to conform wo the western ideologies. The

students were expected to speak an entirely different language than the one they knew and

“would be punished if they spoke their language, yet, that’s the only language they knew. So,

what were they supposed to do?” (The Survivor Speaks, 2015, p. 49). Intrinsic motivation and

autonomy go hand in hand when it comes to developing the learner. Since the students were

never invested in what they were learning they lacked the, “intrinsic motivation that is central to

humans’ inherent tendencies to learn and develop. (Niemiec & Ryan, 2009, p 145). Removing

the Indigenous identity of their students ultimately was a major downfall of the residential

schools. Rather than motivate their students through a cross curricular reform including both

Indigenous and Western ideologies to motivate learning, they controlled them through extrinsic

motivational factors that left the students physically, mentally and emotionally scarred. It was
negative and negligent practices such as this implemented by the residential schools that lead to

the students feeling incompetent.

While residential schools looked to eliminate any sense of belonging the Indigenous

children had through the means of cutting their braids, forcing them into a uniform, and giving

them a “Canadian” name; residential schools also looked to rid them of any trace their

Indigenous culture, beliefs, and traditions. With the limitations put forth by the schools, the

indigenous children began to feel a lack of relatedness to their culture. Indigenous students were

forbade to practice their cultural beliefs and traditions in any capacity. Instead, they were

mandated to practice Christianity and pray to the Christian God. This was made evident and

highlighted by one residential school survivor saying, “And were made, we were always praying,

we were always on our knees. We were told we were little, stupid savages, and that they had to

educate us.” (The Survivor Speaks, 2015, p. 41). To be made to feel they were stupid savages

that were considered lesser value to society with the belief system they practiced traditionally

vindicates the assertion of residential schools trying to take the “Indian out of the student”

(Merasty & Carpenter, 2017, p. 29). In creating this environment and subjecting the students to it

on a daily basis, they slowly began to forget their culture and reluctantly chose to accept the

negative connotations they were taught to associate with it. The students were essential

brainwashed to think that their Indigenous culture was immoral and sinful. Creating this

disconnect between the Indigenous students and their culture undoubtedly created the most

catastrophic separation of their sense of cultural relatedness. Inevitably, students began to accept

and openly accept the negative image of what it meant to be an “Indian”. When the residential

students would return home, the gap of cultural relatedness widened even more. The once strong

and loving relationship shared between the Indigenous parents and their children had grown
tarnished and weak. The children had forgot the “traditional ways” (The Survivor Speaks, 2015,

p. 103), and began to view their parents as insubordinate members of society to be embarrassed

of. One of the best and most explicit examples of this relationship came from Mary Courchene in

her excerpt in The Survivor Speaks. The constant shame she was meant to felt for being of

Aboriginal descent caused her to see her parents and immediately hate them. She mentions how

she looked at her parents and that she, “absolutely just hated my own parents…. I hated their

brown faces. I hated them because they were Indians.” (The Survivor Speaks, 2015, p. 105). This

controversial divide between children and parents was the residential school’s way of ensuring

the future would be rid of all Indigenous culture. Students would even challenge their parents to

only speak English in their household, “from now on we speak only English in this house.” (The

Survivor Speaks, 2015, p. 105). English was taught to be the superior language, and when

students went home, they had no aspirations to participate in their own culture due to a lack of

relatedness. The reasons the residential schools could so easily strip their students from their

cultural relatedness is due to the fact they were forced to learn English and stripped of all

Indigenous culture. Eventually the students succumbed to the pressure and rather than face

repercussions for not practicing English, they began to accept the values and beliefs being

bestowed on them. As Niemiec and Ryan highlight, “People tend to internalize and accept as

their own values and practices of whom they feel, or want to feel, connected, and form contexts

in which they experience a sense of belonging. (Niemiec & Ryan, 2009, p 139). Thus, with

parental visits at a minimum and corporal punishment a result of practicing anything relating to

Indigenous culture, the students began to conform as they wanted a sense of belonging where no

harm was done onto them.

 It is quite obvious now that the damage sustained from residential schools has been long

lasting where the detrimental consequences that resulted from them are still being felt and

mended today. The idea to educate the Indigenous children was not horrendous or one of

ideocracy, but rather implementation of the education was. So how could the residential schools

have created an inclusive education program that supported their students sense of belonging,

autonomy, and relatedness?

The most obvious and impactful implementation would be to include and allow for the

indigenous culture, beliefs, and ideologies to be incorporated into the residential schools’

teachings. There is plenty of evidence to support that the parents of these Indigenous children

wanted them to receive an education; just not at the cost of everything they believed in. Ellen

Smith’s grandfather highlighted this by saying, “in the future she will help our people; she needs to

go there.” (The Survivor Speaks, 2015, p. 16). The openness the Indigenous parents had for their

children to be educated speaks volumes to the autonomy, sense of belonging, and relatedness that

they believed everyone shared; not just specifically to their Indigenous people. The most

effective way that the residential schools could have improved the self-determination of its

indigenous students would have been allowing them to keep their Indigenous names, clothing,

keeping all genders together, and allowing parents frequent visits. The residential school system

believed the easiest way to educate their students was to assimilate rather than incorporate. The

students initially rejected most of the teachings because they felt a loss of identity, and only

succumbed to accept the teachings out of fear as they were told they “were little, stupid savages,

and that they had to educate us”. (The Survivor Speaks, 2015, p. 41). Instead of referring them as

savages; if the residential schools appreciated the Indigenous culture from where their students

came and incorporated it into their teachings. This would in turn lead to a much more engaged
class where the students aren’t surrounded by foreign culture, but rather keep their sense of

belonging that they so desperately sought for. Incorporating Indigenous culture would have led

to a much more retentive education for the students as they would be able to utilize their prior

knowledge to enhance their learning of new “western” material. Allowing students the freedom

to express themselves with the ability to self-govern their own lives with their culture would

have saved many if not all Indigenous people from the lifetime effects of heartache,

psychological depression, and mental illness that are still felt by so many today.

All in all, residential schools were one of the most detrimental sources of cultural

genocide ever seen in Canada. They made it their goal to assimilate and remove any sense of

autonomy and belonging they had to their indigenous cultural roots. Instead of creating a

learning environment where both Indigenous and western culture could work together with a

harmonious understanding between both entities, the residential schools sought to supplant any

feeling of relatedness the Indigenous students had. I think the biggest thing to take away from the

impact of residential schools on the Indigenous comes from Hon. Justice Senator Murray Sinclair

when he says, "Education has gotten us into this mess, and education will get us out". (Sinclair,

Education is Key to Reconciliation, 2016). In order to atone for the tragedies of the past that

resulted from education; education must be used as the vessel to mend and heal the scars it has

left on the indigenous people and their culture. Educating students on the horrors of the past and

incorporating FNMI teachings into the modern-day classroom is a step in the right direction so

nothing like residential schools will ever repeat itself. By incorporating FNMI into the modern-

day classroom will begin the process of restoring the autonomy, relatedness, and sense of

belonging that was snatched from all members of the Indigenous community, past and present.
Works Cited:

Genocide Museum, The American Genocide Museum-Institute, www.genocide-museum.am,

Retrieved 04 November 2019

Merasty, J. A., & Carpenter, D. (2017). The Education of Augie Merasty: a residential school
memoir. Saskatchewan, Canada: University of Regina Press.

Murray Sinclair: Education is Key to Reconciliation. (2016, June 9).

Retrieved from http://rabble.ca/blogs/bloggers/kairos-canada/2016/06/murray-sinclair-
educationkeytoreconciliation?utm_content=bufferf50be&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twit
ter.com&utm_campaign=buffer.

Niemiec, C. P., & Ryan, R. M. (2009). Autonomy, competence, and relatedness in the classroom:
Applying self-determination theory to educational practice. Theory and Research in
Education, 7(2), 133-144.

Residential Schools Overview. (2015). Retrieved November 5, 2019, from

https://web.archive.org/web/20160420012021/http://umanitoba.ca/centres/nctr/overview.
html.

Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. (2015). The Survivors Speak. Ottawa.