Residential Schools

● Operated from the 1870’s to 1990’s

● About 150 000 First Nation students attended residential
schools
● Residential schools were all over Canada
● Used to assimilate First Nation students into the Canadian
society

This map shows the Residential

Schools across Canada.

What First Nation Kids learn in Residential Schools?

At Residential Schools, First Nation kids will learn how to speak english
and french. They will also be learning about the Christain or Catholic faith.
If the kids speak their own language and not english or french they would
often be punished. If students also practice their own religion they would be
punished.
This image shows a nun with a bunch of First
Nation students. If the students speak their own
language they would be punished.
If you are hating school right now, think about
what the students in residential schools have
gone through!
What punishments did the First Nation students get in
Residential Schools?
If a young student speaks their native language, they have to hold their
tongue for 30 minutes straight. If they let go of their tongue an additional 30
minutes will be added. An older student will receive more brutal
punishments if they disobey priests or the nuns and speak their own
language. The type of punishment that an older student will get is getting
hit by a strap multiple times in the hand. Sometimes, the priest would use
the strap to whip the students in the back.

Imagine how humiliating it

will be to hold your tongue
right in front of your class. It
will also be very disgusting
because all the saliva will be
dripping down your tongue.

An image of the strap. Imagine how

painful it will be to get hit by the strap 30
times in your hands. Sometimes the
injuries are so severe that some
students require to go the hospital.
And you thought going to the principal's
How Residential
office was bad!
Schools Assimilated
First Nation Kids?
One way that residential schools assimilated
First Nations students is by forcing them to wear
european clothing and bathing
them. At the first day of You can still get punished if
residential schools the priest you wet the bed, go to the
washroom when it is
bedtime or get caught
staying awake at bedtime.
and nuns would strip the traditional clothing of the First Nation kids and bath them. The
reason why they bath them is because they think the First Nation kids are dirty. They
will often use harmful chemicals to clean the kids. Priests and nuns will also cut the hair
of the First Nation kids to make them look more european. The second way residential
schools assimilated First Nations students is by forcing them to learn english and
french. They force the kids by giving them tokens. If they speak their own language one
token will be taken away. If all tokens were taken away the student will be punished.
This alone will make the kid not want to speak their own language. The third way that
residential schools assimilated First Nation kids is that they forcefully try to convert First
Nation students into becoming Catholics and Christains. The priest and nuns will often
criticize the religion and culture of the First Nations and tell them that their religion is
nonsense. If the students try to practise their religion they will be punished. The fourth
way residential schools assimilated First Nation students is that they change their
names to european names and not keep their original traditional names. (They also
refer First Nation students name as numbers)

The nuns and priest would bath the kids at residential

schools and use harmful chemicals because they think
the kids are dirty.

In residential schools the students were

forced into becoming Catholics and
Christians. If the students practise their
own religion they will often be punished.

How would you feel if you weren’t allowed

to practice your own religion?

These are kind of tokens that

residential schools use. If a student
How did Residential doesn't speak english or french one
token will be taken away. If all tokens
Schools abuse First Nation were taken away the student will
receive a punishment.
Children?
First Nation students in residential schools were often abused by priests and the nuns.
The nuns and priests physically abuse the First Nation students by hitting them with the strap.
The nuns and priests also mentally abuse the First Nation students by telling them that their
ways of life are savage and uncivilized. The priest and nuns also sexually abuse the First
Nation students. Sometimes the priest will often purposely lure First Nation children to
someplace and sexually abuse them. If the First Nation child tries to speak out on what
happened to them, no one would listen to them.

This image illustrates the

abuse that First Nation
kids went through in
residential schools.

Devastating effects that Residential

Schools have on the First Nation.
Residential schools have had a huge effect on the First Nations. Some effects
that residential schools have on the First Nation is that some of the kids who
attended residential schools forgot how to speak their own language. They forgot
their language because the school assimilated them into speaking french and
english. Now when they visit their parents again they cannot communicate to
them with their traditional language. The First Nation who attended residential
schools also forgot their culture and religion due to being assimilated into a
different religion. \
Due to the trauma from residential schools many first
nations often resort into alcohol to stop the trauma.

The image to left was what the

kid looked like before attending
residential schools and image to
the right was what the kid looked
like after residential school.
Notice how drastic the difference
is.
When did the last Residential School closed?
The last residential school that ever closed was in 1996. The name of
the residential school was called Gordon Residential School.

This is an image of Gordon

Residential School.
This school closed in 1996. That is
not far from today.

This video explains

intergenerational trauma the
First Nations went through in https://youtu.be/IWeH_SDhEYU
residential schools.