The legacy of residential schools in colonial settler society (Essay Sample)

The legacy of residential schools in colonial settler society Name: Professor: Subject: Date: Many government initiatives aimed to continue or increase control and dominance over indigenous peoples, not only through stealing their property but also by submitting them to the religion and culture of European Christians. However, removing kids from their families and First Nation tribes and placing them in residential schools was perhaps the most destructive of these forced assimilation techniques (Jewell & Mosby, 20200. This study will delve into the various implications of residential schools on the indigenous people's rights and well-being. The paper will highlight the reasoning behind its inception and the injustices the children brought to the schools during this time underwent. It reflects the role of the government and the church regarding the unjust deeds aimed at eradicating cultural ties amongst the natives. Finally, there is a reflection of the adverse effects that the schools had on the victims. The government's solution to what it saw as the "Indian issue" was to teach Native children in boarding schools, removing them "from the influence of the wigwam." Nothing could be done to "civilize" adult Indigenous people since they were illiterate and followed their customs, "which made civilization a conundrum of despair." But since the Indian had to be caught very early if anything was to be done with him, indigenous children might be educated and groomed to become like non-Indians (Dolloff, 2020). Residential schools aimed to "capture" Native Americans when they were still young enough to "civilize" them. The step resulted from the "aggressive civilization" program, which encouraged Native Americans to become citizens of the United States and renounce their tribal ties (Monchalin, 2016). A vital component of this approach was the industrial boarding school since it required complete absorption in what was viewed as "civilizing" education and was believed to be more efficient than conventional schools. In a day school, a youngster understands little, and whatever he does learn is quickly forgotten. His tastes are formed at home, and his innate dislike of labor is not ameliorated. Pratt believed that by removing Native Americans from their villages and placing them in an "Anglo-Saxon" setting, which would serve to "civilize" them, they might become progressive members of the populace. It would be necessary to uproot them from their cultural origins and make them learn English. Because Pratt believed in integration rather than elimination, non-Indigenous inhabitants considered him a visionary (Monchalin, 2016). Because he was worried that schooling "Indians" and African American peoples together might bind "Indians" and blacks in public, Pratt implored the federal government for a private institution for "Indians." From 1831 until the final school operated by the federal government closed its doors in 1996, residential schools were in use in Canada. The earliest institution was the Mohawk Institute, which opened as a residential school in Brantford, Ontario, in 1831 for boys from the Six Nations (Monchalin, 2016). Over the nineteenth century, these early boarding schools managed and financed by the church were integrated into the more extensive system of residential schools that was a component of Canadian federal policy. Through an order in council issued in 1892, the federal government, which had established its residential schools in the 1850s, formally joined forces with churches in charge of these schools. Indigenous families had no legal standing to contest the orders granted to their families and villages when their children were removed since, until the 1960s, "Indians" were not considered "persons" under the law but were treated as the government's wards (Gomashie, 2019). Indigenous adults were not even given the same legal protections that children did as adults and did not qualify as Canadian citizens. The government pulled youngsters away from their parents and compelled them to attend residential schools for around ten months. To prevent them from being affected by their cultural heritage, they were forbidden from speaking with their relatives while they were there. Many schools were distant from the pupils' homes, making it impossible for them to visit their relatives or participate in their customary rituals. Because it is observed in practice that the work of the schools would be useless unless these children were removed from the reserve a considerable distance to separate them from the impact of their families, the schools were purposefully situated at locations far away from the resources. The study and practice of the Christian religion were required in every school. Many Native students were given the incorrect impression that their culture was the devil's path. Some were warned that they would burn in hell if they kept following their conventional ways. Speaking one's native tongue was prohibited, and youngsters were compelled to learn English and French. Most other "educational" pursuits focused on industrial education and helped pupils prepare for life on the periphery of the dominant society. Children were given numbers upon entering the schools, and their original names were changed to English or French names. Long hair or braids were frequently buzzed off or chopped short. Traditional attire was seized and replaced with uniforms that became a common issue. Sacred relics and artifacts were set on fire. Numerous kids experienced sexual, physical, and emotional abuse. It has been discovered that sexual abuse in residential schools has reached pandemic proportions. Children were also subjected to harsh punishments for disobeying the rigid guidelines set down for them. Sticking needles into children's tongues was another punishment for this offense; the needles were frequently left in place for a long time (Monchalin, 2016). A youngster who wets the bed may be made to remove their trousers in front of classmates, so they might be severely spanked. Children who wet the bed were also made to wear diapers or dirty clothes. Some were employed in pedophile networks run by the police, administration, commerce, and the priesthood. Male power figures who had fathered female children were compelled to have abortions, and some were also sterilized against their will. Former pupils said that some of the institutions had hidden cemeteries were infants who had been slaughtered and born to Indigenous females whom clergy and other church authorities had raped were interred (Monchalin, 2016). Indigenous children suffered bodily damage even from residential schools that attempted to provide what was deemed at the time to be a proper education for "Indians." There were constant conflicts between maintaining standards and managing expenditures. As a result of being constructed using the lowest materials and designs, school buildings were frequently in bad condition. There have been reports of poor ventilation, overcrowding, and violations of safety standards, such as having insufficient fire exits and safety devices. Federal auditors of these institutions frequently suggested closings and making changes. The unsanitary environment of the institutions fueled the high rates of sickness that also afflicted the schools. The issue was worsened by overcrowding, which frequently resulted in TB outbreaks. "Many schools' poor hygienic conditions, particularly in the area of ventilation, have served as centers from which disease, particularly tuberculosis, has spread, whether directly from one individual to another or indirectly through the contaminated dust of floors, classrooms, and dormitories (Monchalin, 2016). The mortality toll was impacted because many kids in residential schools went without food. Scientists were concerned that offering sufficient dental care might affect the trial's outcomes, so they forbade students from receiving dental care and using sodium fluoride. As a result, residential schools were established to commit genocide and eradicate all Indigenous peoples in Canada, whether by assimilation, forced disease, "accidental" murders, or destroying cultures and languages. The Canadian government's numerous papers and public declarations made their intentions very obvious. This particular form of elimination was used in residential schools for generations. The federal government would be able to enfranchise "Indians," even against their choice, and compel "Indian" children to attend school under Bill 14, a modification to the Indian Act that was proposed to the legislature. The religions and governments were sued for their crimes against children by residential school survivors in the 1990s. Leroux had already been convicted of abusing kids at a residential school, so this wasn't a first. Leroux received a 10-year prison term in 1998 for molesting 14 boys at Grollier Hall. Henry Plint was found guilty of i...