Residential School System in Canada

This paper examines the healing process of Aboriginal communities from the devastating inter-generational effects of residential school system. The paper begins by evaluating the formation and purpose of residential school system in Canada. In this case, the establishment of the residential school systems to help assimilate Aboriginal children into the dominant culture in Canada is discussed. The development of the school system into residential school abuse is also examined and its devastating impacts evaluated. Traditional and non-traditional healing practices utilized by Aboriginals to deal with these effects are also discussed with respect to their effectiveness. The paper demonstrates the significance of utilizing healing practices developed by and within Aboriginal communities to cope with the historical trauma of residential school abuse in Canada.

Keywords: residential school abuse, residential school system, Aboriginal communities, healing practices, devastating impacts.

The Healing Process of Aboriginals from Residential School Abuse
The residential school era in Canada was characterized by the establishment of a network of boarding schools that were targeted towards Indigenous peoples. The school system was centered on removing and isolating Aboriginal children from their own traditions and cultures and assimilating them into the dominant culture (Hanson, 2009). This school system eventually had devastating impacts on Aboriginal communities to an extent that its commonly known as residential school abuse. Existing literature demonstrates that residential schools abuse contributed to the emergence of a generation of Aboriginals devoid of traditional or cultural means of coping with their daily existence. According to Goforth (2007), residential school abuse created devastating impacts on entire Aboriginal communities due to its inter-generational effects. However, existing literature also shows that Aboriginals have struggled to identify suitable healing methods for dealing with residential school abuse. Therefore, Aboriginals healing methods and strategies for residential school abuse should be determined and established by and within Aboriginal communities.
Residential School Abuse
One of the most important features in the history of Aboriginal communities is the residential school era, which was financed by the Canadian Government’s Department of Indian Affairs and implemented by Christian churches. The residential school system was established in order to remove and isolate Aboriginal children from the influence of their own traditions and cultures and assimilating them into the dominant Canadian culture (Hanson, 2009). The placement of Aboriginal children in residential schools was fueled by the assumption that Aboriginal traditions and beliefs were unequal and inferior. Through this process, Aboriginal children were forced to assimilate into Western culture, which was the dominant culture.
Since a huge population of Aboriginal children were placed in the residential school system, residential school abuse emerged because these children were subjected to practices that ended up having intergenerational effects. This school system systematically weakened the Aboriginal culture throughout Canada and disrupted families for several generations. Most of the Native Indian children who were forcibly placed in these schools wouldn’t see their families again for the next 10 years while others never reunited with their families (Pulitzer Center, 2016). In some cases, these children were punished for speaking their native languages or following their indigenous traditions and cultures.
Residential school abuse ended up having devastating impacts on the entire Aboriginal communities. According to a publication by Pulitzer Center (2016), residential school abuse had immeasurable impacts on Aboriginal populations or communities. Dionne (2008) states that the residential school system left many Aboriginal children devoid of cultural or traditional measures for coping with their daily lives. While some of these children died while in the residential schools, survivors of the system remain lost within the dominant culture (Dianne, 2008; Pulitzer Center, 2016). Spear (2008) states that residential school system left Aboriginal people with historical trauma that is characterized by a legacy of destruction, despair, and pain. Some of these devastating impacts include addictions, suicide, poverty, difficulty in establishing healthy relationships, crime, poor parenting skills, self-abuse and violence, and poverty.
The Healing Process
Given the devastating, inter-generational impacts of residential school abuse, Aboriginal communities have faced the need for utilizing appropriate healing procedures to overcome the social and cultural harm caused by Europeans. Most of the existing generations of Aboriginal children have grown up with a sense of worthlessness since they feel that they neither belong to the Aboriginal communities nor are part of the dominant culture in Canada. The feelings of a sense of worthlessness have in turn contributed to complexities on the healing process for Aboriginal communities. The healing process for these communities commenced in 1996 when the Aboriginal healing movement emerged after the last residential school was closed. The movement started focusing on some of the devastating impacts of residential school abuse.
The Aboriginal movement focused on additions and mental health problems generated by residential school system. The sense of worthlessness among Aboriginal children forced them into additions and substance abuse as a means of coping with the cultural difficulties brought by the assimilation into the dominant culture. Following the emergence of the Aboriginal healing movement, one of the healing methods and practices utilized to deal with these devastating impacts is Aboriginal teachings. These teachings were adopted as part of measures to promote a return to Aboriginal tradition and cultures and were fueled by a renewed commitment to regain the cultural traditions of Aboriginals (Spear, 2008). In addition to promoting a return to the traditions and cultural practices of these communities, Aboriginal teachings were also focused on promoting a holistic view of individual and community wellbeing.
Aboriginal communities also utilized traditional and non-traditional healing practices, which have the potential of providing suitable care to survivors of residential school system (Dionne, 2008). In this regard, clinicians utilize collective healing approaches in which individual Aboriginals are not treated in isolation, but in the midst of family, friends, neighbors, and the community. Collective healing approach is utilized as a traditional and non-traditional healing practice to promote social inclusion and integration of Aboriginal survivors of residential school abuse. Some of the traditional healing practices that have been utilized to address the devastating impacts of residential school system on Aboriginals include Medicine Wheel, Sweat Lodges, Healing Circles, Talking Circles, Pipe Ceremonies, and Powwow. The traditional healing practices seek to address these devastating effects through providing a non-judgmental environment for the victims to reflect (Dionne, 2008).
On the contrary, the non-traditional healing practices include somatic therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). These non-traditional healing practices are primarily psychological interventions that are geared towards addressing psychological and/or mental wellbeing. Somatic therapy focuses on promoting physical wellbeing through addressing the psychological effects of the historical trauma from residential school abuse. CBT focuses on helping the Aboriginals to consciously identify and use coping skills when harmful conditions emerge while EMDR focuses on bringing the individual into the present moment through leaving the place of trauma (Dionne, 2008).
Effectiveness of Healing Practices and Need for a Better Approach
While these healing practices have been effective in addressing some of the problems associated with residential school abuse, they have failed to completely address these devastating impacts. Some of the traditional methods are considered irrelevant by the current generations of Aboriginals whereas some of the non-traditional healing practices are based on modern approaches that may not completely address the historical trauma. Additionally, the Aboriginal teaching approach has relatively failed to promote a renewed commitment to Aboriginal traditions and cultural practices. The relative failure of the healing practices to completely address the devastating effects of residential school abuse is the sense of worthlessness among some generations of Aboriginals. The relative ineffectiveness of these practices is also evident in the fact that nearly every health and wellbeing indicator shows that Aboriginal communities or Indigenous peoples in Canada have significantly poorer health and numerous social issues than other populations in the country (Canada’s University, 2017). Goforth (2007) states that there is limited literature regarding appropriate and effective therapeutic or healing strategies for Aboriginal communities to cope with residential school abuse.
Given these factors, there is need for better healing approaches and practices for Aboriginals to effectively cope with the impacts of residential school abuse. Since most of the existing healing approaches, particularly non-traditional healing practices, are based on Western approaches, the most suitable approach should be determined by and within Aboriginals communities themselves (Goforth, 2007). Suitable and effective therapeutic or healing strategies for residential school abuse should be developed by Aboriginal communities themselves. The suitability of such strategies is attributable to the fact that Indigenous peoples or Aboriginals want to exercise their own judgment and understanding of their own issues. Through such measures, these communities will utilize their own skills in dealing with their health and social problems. Spear (2008) states that community-based healing practices and projects are more effective since they are culture-based activities and prevention and awareness initiatives.
In conclusion, residential school era is a period in the history of Aboriginal communities in Canada when Aboriginal children were removed and isolated from their families and communities and placed in residential schools. These schools were established to assimilate Aboriginal children into the dominant culture in Canada. The school system ended up having devastating impacts on the traditions and cultures of various generations of Aboriginals. Given these devastating impacts, Aboriginals have utilized various healing approaches and practices to address the effects of residential school abuse. Some of these approaches include Aboriginal teachings and traditional and non-traditional teaching practices. However, these practices have relatively failed and resulted in the need for approaches developed by Aboriginals themselves.
References
Canada’s University. (2017, September 20). Introduction to Indigenous Peoples in Canada. Retrieved November 27, 2017, from http://www.med.uottawa.ca/SIM/data/Vul_Indigenous_e.htm
Dionne, D. (2008). Recovery in the Residential School Abuse Aftermath: A New Healing Paradigm. Retrieved from University of Lethbridge website: https://www.uleth.ca/dspace/bitstream/handle/10133/736/dionne,%20dee.pdf?sequence=1
Goforth, S. (2007). Aboriginal Healing Methods for Residential School Abuse and Intergenerational Effects: A Review of the Literature. Native Social Work Journal, 6, 11-32. Retrieved from http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/thesescanada/vol2/OSUL/TC-OSUL-392.pdf
Hanson, E. (2009). The Residential School System. Retrieved November 27, 2017, from http://indigenousfoundations.arts.ubc.ca/the_residential_school_system/
Pulitzer Center. (2016, July 17). Signs of Your Identity: Forced Assimilation Education for Indigenous Youth. Retrieved November 27, 2017, from https://pulitzercenter.org/project/western-canada-first-nations-residential-schools-identity
Spear, W.K. (2008). Historical Trauma and the Aboriginal Healing Foundation. “Aboriginal People” Issue of Visions Journal, 5(1), 26-27. Retrieved from http://www.heretohelp.bc.ca/visions/aboriginal-people-vol5/canadas-indian-residential-school-system