History

Indian Residential Schools were established to with the belief that the Aboriginal culture and way of life was unable to adapt to the rapidily, modernizing Canadian society.

 

These schools  used education to assimilate young Aboriginal children. Students lived in substandard contitions and endured physical and emotional abuse. Abuse from teachers,who were mainly nuns, and the priests; students were expected to join church services. Physical punichment was heavily enforced, along with criminal acts like rape and starvation.

 

Since the majority of residential school students were kepts at the facility for the entire school-year, they rare had the chance to see example of normal life.