Residential schools in Canada were government funded, religious schools that were created in order to assimilate First Nation, Inuit and Metis children into Euro-Canadian culture. From 1880-1996, 150 000 Indigenous children were taken from their families and forced to attend these schools (qtd. Bowers and Mitchell). Due to generations of emotional, physical and sexual abuse from the staff at residential schools. Residential schools stand today to remind Canada of its dark history, which should be remembered, and reconciled by all. As a result of residential schools, indigenous Canadians experienced a loss of their culture, which led to the intergenerational trauma, and discrimination that continue to significantly impact their lives to this day. This essay will
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Indigenous children were forcibly removed from their families and communities and placed in institutions where, “In some cases, they were forbidden to speak their first language, even in letters home to their parents”. Miller, which created separation from the language that they have spoken since birth, sparking the initial loss of culture that they faced. The suppression of Indigenous cultural identity then inflicted a profound loss, not only severing connections between generations and disrupting the passing of traditional knowledge and values, it “criticized or denigrated Indigenous spiritual traditions”. (Miller) Because of this, many indigenous people had not only forgotten, but were embarrassed for their cultural traditions because of what they were taught in the residential schools. Another large part of indigenous culture was their long hair, but even this was stripped away from them when they were sent off to residential schools. “the closer the relative, the closer the cut”. After my haircut, I wondered in silence if my mother had died, as they had cut my hair close to the
Indigenous children were forcibly removed from their families and communities and placed in institutions where, “In some cases, they were forbidden to speak their first language, even in letters home to their parents”. Miller, which created separation from the language that they have spoken since birth, sparking the initial loss of culture that they faced. The suppression of Indigenous cultural identity then inflicted a profound loss, not only severing connections between generations and disrupting the passing of traditional knowledge and values, it “criticized or denigrated Indigenous spiritual traditions”. (Miller) Because of this, many indigenous people had not only forgotten, but were embarrassed for their cultural traditions because of what they were taught in the residential schools. Another large part of indigenous culture was their long hair, but even this was stripped away from them when they were sent off to residential schools. “the closer the relative, the closer the cut”. After my haircut, I wondered in silence if my mother had died, as they had cut my hair close to the