CANADA
The Tyee
By Kevin James Ward
Many Canadians know that from the later part of the 19th century through much of the 20th, the federal government and various Christian denominations used residential schools as part of a broader effort to subjugate native peoples and colonize their lands. Less known, however, is the reason for choosing this particular institution as part of facilitating the colonial process.
Research shows that prior to their arrival in North America, comparable institutions had been used in Europe for quite some time. But a deeper look into their design and purpose reveals why they essentially became Canada’s prime colonial instrument of choice.
James G. Gibb, in The Archaeology of Institutional Life, writes, “Institutions permeate our lives, and their actions — and inaction — ramify for generations.” This compels us to understand the influence of institutions on our lives, as well as their historical impact. In so doing, we must understand first the conceptual origins of the institution in question. Understanding the Indian residential school means inquiring into its root.
In A National Crime: The Canadian Government and the Residential School System — 1879 to 1986, historian John S. Milloy says early proponents of Indian residential schools believed they would be the “most efficacious educational instrument” to assimilate Indians into civilization, as well as being a “valuable tool of social control.” However, he says it is “not clear exactly what had brought the idea” to the government’s attention, nor could he locate a “single root from which the Canadian residential school system can be seen to have grown.”
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