Culture trumps Authority

                                                                                           Blog Post 6

 What were Residential schools in Canada? How were these institutions introduced to the Aboriginal people? Historical accounts state they were portrayed as a positive place for the aboriginal children to learn Canadian ways. In reality they were life damaging facilities, resulting in the extreme substance abuse and suicide problems in youth and young adults which had generational impacts, “Between 1879 and 1986, upwards of 100,000 children in Canada were forcibly removed and placed into Indian Industrial Residential Schools. Their unique culture was stripped away to be replaced with a foreign European identity. Their family ties were cut, parents were forbidden to visit their children, and the children were prevented from returning home.” http://www.fallenfeatherproductions.com/

Aboriginal people had lived in Canada for thousands of years longer then the European settlers to the region. They developed a rich lifestyle and culture that was passed down from generation to generation. Learning form your parents and community facilitates acquiring essentials skills and methods of survival that are key to sustaining life. As discussed by Lave and Wenger “…we emphasize the significance of shifting the analytical focus from the individual as a learner to learning as participation in the social world, and from the concept of cognitive process to the more-encompassing view of social practice.” (Lave & Wenger 1991, pg. 43). The Canadian Government implemented a relocation plan for the Aboriginal people. A majority of tribes were shipped to the worst patches of land, making cultivating and harvesting crops was next to impossible. Though the Aboriginals were on terrible land and were treated unkindly by society, they still had their culture and heritage.

         In the early 19^th century the Government of Canada believed it would be best if the Aboriginal people became assimilated with all other Canadian citizens. To accomplish this they developed an approach called “Aggressive Assimilation”. This approach made it mandatory for all first nations children to attend Residential Schools. The belief was that the schools could mold children to speak english and adopt the religious customs, predominantly Catholic.

Siblings in the school seldom saw each other, as well, boys and girls were separated at all times, making sibling relationships very difficult to maintain. When the students did contact their parents, it was usually though a letter, which had to be written in English. Most of the parents did not understand English, therefore interpreting a letter was next to impossible. During the 2 months of the years when the children were home they would feel socially awkward and out of place. The aboriginal youth did not having the proper knowledge to help their parents in their communities, in addition they would have feelings of shame towards their native culture. 

The Residential schools were eroding the Aboriginal culture. This form of assimilation and education was aggressive and authoritarian in its style. According to Bracher, “authoritarian pedagogy aims to perpetuate itself by establishing in students a desire for authority, teaching them that when they face practical problems in their jobs or difficulties in their lives, they should turn to authoritative texts rather than to their own experience, understanding and cognitive and emotional capacities”. The horrors of the Residential Schools resulted in families being destroyed. The schools caused complete and utter mental distraught to the children and families, these intense feeling were then handed down to their children and they handed down to their children and so on and so forth.  When the schools finally closed in the 1960’s, the students had no concept of family because they were away from their families for 10 months of the year. The education they received was also below the standards of non-aboriginals; this made it difficult for the aboriginal youth to function in an urban setting.

This chapter in history was a dark time for all Canadians, particularly the aboriginal people. Education, in many situations can be the key to success, however this extreme example of authoritarian education demonstrates it’s debilitating effects of the students and families, “…while the aim of this pedagogy may be laudable, its mode of operation is ethically questionable, because it functions to surreptitiously impose the master’s identity on the student”. (Bracher, pg. 89)

First Nations communities have struggled everyday since the sting of the Residential schools started to have its impact on the people. Fortunately, in recent time, the Canadian Aboriginal people have taken ownership of their education and culture. Building up their communities by dealing with the pain head on and striving to build a brighter tomorrow for future generations.

 References:

Bracher, M. (2006). Radical Pedagogy: Identity, Generativity, and Social Transformation. New York, NY: Palgrave MacMillian

Lave, Jean & Wenger, Etienne. (1991). Situated learning Legitimate peripheral participation. New York: Cambridge University Press.

http://www.fallenfeatherproductions.com/