Why were Residential Schools made?
I like Darrell’s answer, but there is more to add. The assimilation policy was only part of the story, albeit a large part. The Residential Schools were also a vehicle for the churches to recruit members. Both the churches and government sought to “kill the Indian in the Indian” and destroy the First Nations cultures. I believe the Residential Schools were part of a genocidal attack on First Nations peoples, where efforts were made to destroy the languages and cultures, as well as the families. It was not unlike the prisoner of war camps where the captors seek to break the prisoners. There is a Japanese story about an old tree that seemed dead. The old monk told the younger one to water the tree. “Why, Roshi, should I water a dead tree?” “It is not dead,” came the answer. The old monk died and the young monk continued to water the tree for many years. When the young monk had gotten old, he told a younger monk to water the tree. The same question and answer were given. One day, when the
The reason given at the time was that the Federal Government had an obligation to educate aboriginal children – but this doesn’t tell the full story of the Residential Schools. The following excerpt from the Government’s official Statement of Apology for the Indian Residential Schools may help answer your question: “Two primary objectives of the Residential Schools system were to remove and isolate children from the influence of their homes, families, traditions and cultures, and to assimilate them into the dominant culture. These objectives were based on the assumption Aboriginal cultures and spiritual beliefs were inferior and unequal. Indeed, some sought, as it was infamously said, “to kill the Indian in the child”. Today, we recognize that this policy of assimilation was wrong, has caused great harm, and has no place in our country.” Link to the full statement of apology is below. .
