By Maya Ramesh
While we all spend time with our families, relishing in the hot summer weather, we mustn't forget the many Indigenous children who weren’t able to do the same. In late May of this year, the bodies of 215 students of the Kamloops Indian Residential School were found in unmarked graves. This sparked a wider search within Canada with the objective of unearthing more. As of today, over 1,100 unmarked graves were found in Canada, with plenty of residential schools still needing to be investigated.
The first Canadian residential school was opened in 1831 under the name of “The Mohawk Institute” located in Brantford, Ontario. This institute—along with all other residential schools in Canada—was publicly funded by the Canadian government and under rule by the Catholic church. The original goal of these schools was to help make Indigenous children more economically self-sufficient. However, the purpose of these institutions quickly turned into a way to “educate” Indigenous children and conform them to a traditional European and Catholic lifestyle, rather than maintain their traditional Indigenous culture and beliefs.
While spending time in residential schools most, if not all children became the victims of several types of abuse. The children were laboured around the schools with the stated purpose being to “learn skills that will help in the future”, but the work they did contributed to keeping the schools running inexpensively, rather than teach them necessary skills for the future. Many of the teachers would sexually abuse the children in school. Children were also heavily beaten for a variety of reasons and were sometimes even chained as punishment. Many children who attended these schools did not make it to graduation either, as countless young lives were taken. Due to the poor record keeping of the Canadian government and Catholic church, it is still unknown exactly how many children passed away in Canadian residential schools. The Truth and Reconciliation Council’s (TRC) final report states that “between 4,000-6,000” children died in residential schools. However, with the many bodies being found buried deep within Canada’s soil, it is safe to say the numbers may be higher than expected.
Years of systemic racism and injustice for the Indigenous community didn’t end with the last residential school in 1996. As of today, 307 Indigenous women have either gone missing or have been the victims of hate crimes, resulting in their murder. 61 Indigenous communities in Canada still aren’t granted clean drinking water. The challenges that were created by colonialism haven’t just disappeared. They still exist, and still pose a threat to the rightful inhabitants of Canada. It is crucial for people around the world—not just in Canada—to educate themselves on the topic, learn the history behind the injustice, and help try to fix it. With more voices behind this issue, the faster it could get resolved.
You can start helping by sending letters to your MP/MPP, fundraise and donate to First Nations communities, spread awareness on social media and sign petitions dedicated to aiding First Nation communities.
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