Tansi Nîtôtemtik,
Photo retrieved from: http://www.orangeshirtday.org/phyllis-story.html.
On September 28th and/or 30th, you may have noticed some people wearing orange shirts. What is the story behind these orange shirts, and what can they tell us about the harms suffered by individuals that attended Indian Residential Schools?
From 1973-1974, Phyllis (Jack) Webstad attended an Indian Residential School operated by a Christian Mission. Phyllis’s grandmother took her shopping at the Robinson Store to pick out a new shirt to wear to school. Phyllis chose a bright orange shirt with string laced up the front. When she arrived at the Mission, however, Phyllis was stripped of all her clothing, including the new shirt. Phyllis has stated that “[t]he [colour] orange has always reminded me of that and how my feelings didn’t matter, how no one cared and how I felt like I was worth nothing. All of us little children were crying and no one cared.” [1]
Phyllis’s remarks are illustrative of many experiences by Indigenous youth that were removed from their homes (in many instances, forcibly) to attend a Residential School. The Government of Canada, in conjunction with Catholic and Protestant churches, operated Residential Schools from 1867-1998. [2] Physical, sexual, emotional, and social abuse were rampant. Students were frequently subjected to harsh disciplinary measures that would not be tolerated for non-Aboriginal children. [3] Many schools had a specific “punishment room.” [4] Sexual abuse was often overlooked and complaints by children ignored. [5] The full extent of abuse that occurred came to light when, as of January 31, 2015, the Independent Assessment Process (“IAP”) established under the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement (“IRSSA”) received 37,951 claims for injuries resulting from physical and sexual abuse. [6]
Children at Residential Schools were frequently in poor health. The death rates for Indigenous children was far higher than that experienced by the general Canadian population. [7] Tuberculosis and other communicable diseases were rampant. This was due in large part to a broader Aboriginal health crisis resulting from colonial policies, but also from poor sanitation and inadequate nutrition within the schools. [8] Food was bland and often unpalatable to many students, who had grown up on traditional diets, which mainly encompassed foods that their parents had hunted, fished, or gathered. [9]
The “educational” component of the schools was generally poor; because Indian Affairs officials had expected the schools to be self-sufficient, pupils were often expected to maintain the school, prepare and grow much of their food, and to make and repair their clothing. [10] Many schools operated on the “half-day” system; intensive labour was performed for a half-day under the guise of “vocational training,” while the remainder of the day was allocated to classes. [11]
Staff of the school were also under strict instructions to suppress the use of Indigenous languages. As one school official stated, “[t]he forbidding of children to speak Indian, even during recreation, was so strict in some of the schools that any lapse would be severely punished — to the point that the children were led to consider it a serious offence.” [12]
On September 30th, we wear orange shirts to acknowledge this dark chapter in Canada’s history and to honour the experiences of survivors. We also do so to “[affirm] our commitment to ensure that everyone around us matters.” [13]
Until next time,
Team ReconciliAction YEG
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
[1] Orange Shirt Day, “Phyllis' Story: the Original Orange Shirt,” online: <http://www.orangeshirtday.org/phyllis-story.html>.
[2] Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, Honouring the Truth: Reconciling for the Future: Summary of the Final Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, (Truth and Reconciliation Commission, 2015) at 67, online: <http://www.trc.ca/websites/trcinstitution/File/2015/Findings/Exec_Summary_2015_05_31_web_o.pdf>.
[3] Ibid at 104.
[4] Ibid at 105.
[5] Ibid at 107.
[6] Ibid at 108.
[7] Ibid at 93
[8] Ibid.
[9] Ibid at 91.
[10] Ibid at 80.
[11] Ibid.
[12] Ibid at 84.
[13] Supra note 1.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Join the conversation by following us on Twitter: @ReconciliYEG; Facebook: www.facebook.com/reconciliActionYEG/; and Instagram: @reconciliactionyeg.
To receive daily alerts to our blog, email the words "add me" to reconciliactionyeg@gmail.com.
