Voices That are Never Heard
Mark DeWolf
An excerpt from a chapter to be found in the upcoming 2nd edition of “From Truth Comes Reconciliation”
B…
Voices That are Never Heard
Mark DeWolf
An excerpt from a chapter to be found in the upcoming 2nd edition of “From Truth Comes Reconciliation”
B…
Only through truth can there be reconciliation.
The Indian Residential Schools Research Group (IRSRG) seeks to gather and promote research into the residential, industrial, and day school systems run by or in conjunction with the Government of Canada for a 113-year period ending in 1996.
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The school’s logo features a stylized thunderbird.
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This is how the campus looks today. New buildings and residences.
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Bishop Fauquier Memorial Chapel abutting Queen Street East. There is a small cemetery to the left of the church that was in rough shape when I was a student in the 70s. It’s since been cleaned up.
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Shingwauk Hall stopped operation as an Indian Residential School in 1970 and opened as a post-secondary liberal arts school the next year. It was named for the district, Algoma.
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The KIRS dancers returning from their performances in Mexico. They flew in their costumes as part of the cultural exchange.
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Group photo of the Kamloops IRS Dance troupe in Mexico City. Sr. Mary Leonita an Father G. P. Dunlop accompanied the troupe..
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The KIRS dancers returning from their performances in Mexico. They flew in their costumes as part of the cultural exchange.
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Group photo of the Kamloops IRS dance troupe in Mexico City. Sr. Mary Leonita and Father G. P. Dunlop accompanied the troop.
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Senator Jim Gladstone pays a visit to the La Tuque IRS and the DeWolf family in the 1960s
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Events and menu from St. Paul’s banquet honouring Jim Gladstone on his appointment to Canada’s Senate – 1958
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Common Misconceptions
Misconception: Indigenous children were forced to attend residential schools against their wishes and the wishes of their parents.
For a student to be accepted to a residential school, the parents needed to complete an application requesting enrollment for their child and send that application to Ottawa for approval. Demand was such that many applications were declined due to a lack of capacity. 1 For the first 37 years of the Residential School operation […]
Misconception: The “knowledge keepers” are the only ones who can truly say what happened at the schools.
The term “knowledge keeper” has become common in recent years in discussion of Indian residential schools (IRS), unmarked graves, and missing children. The phrase may be defined in different ways, but it always refers to those versed in the traditions of First Nations, whether they are elders or have been instructed by elders.1 It is […]
Misconception: The Indian Residential School system was a tool to commit Cultural Genocide.
The use of the terms “assimilation” and “integration” to describe the purpose of the Residential Schools system has declined in recent years, replaced by the emotionally and politically inflammatory term “cultural genocide,” a concept synonymous with ordinary enculturation – learning about and internalizing features of a different culture — but one intended to maximize the […]
Misconception: The Residential School system was a tool to commit Genocide.
With both Pope Francis and the Canadian Parliament using the term “genocide” to describe Canada’s treatment of its Indigenous people, it is not surprising that many people believe it is an accurate descriptive term. However, in all established interpretations of the term “genocide,” an intent to eradicate a particular group of people must be shown.1 […]
Misconception: The residential schools were considered harmful by all former students.
Many former residential school students have spoken publicly about the benefits they received from their Residential Schools experience.1 Some have said that their residential school years were “the best years of my life.” 2 The Truth and Reconciliation Commission Report has a section, entitled “Warm Memories,” that is devoted exclusively to former students who spoke positively about […]
Misconception: The residential schools were responsible for a higher rate of disease and death among First Nations children.
All Canadian children suffered very high mortality before the twentieth century. From the early 1900s onward the Residential Schools were in the forefront of the battle to reduce childhood mortality, and were pioneers in several measures that helped achieve that end. In 1600, when Europeans began arriving in North America, the First Nations population of […]
