Essay on Residential Schools and the Effects on Indigenous Health and Well-being in Canada

Imagine being forced to leave your family, how would you feel? Historically, first-nation children of Indigenous culture were forced into attending residential schools against their will and their parent’s wishes. The suffering they were experiencing in this condition later resulted in several of them dying. These Canadian residential schools have had a long-term negative impact on the Indigenous children from the elementary level through to their adulthood; today, some still struggle to find their identity and sense of purpose. This essay will explore the health and wellness of the children while they were in residential school, the effects of losing their cultural beliefs and practices and the lingering effects it had on them, individually and intergenerationally.

According to Hales and Lauzon (2020), “Psychosocial health is a complex interaction of processes or factors that are both psychological and social in nature and encompass our emotional, mental, social, and spiritual state” (p. 33). Mckegney (2002) wrote that “mental and emotional health were the most affected areas in residential schools” (p. 99). Haaima (2014) proved this to be accurate with the story of a Canadian residential school survivor, who shared that reading was her “safe haven” and that she was able to distract herself from the challenges she was facing through literature. This is an example of a side effect of residential school because mentally healthy individuals don’t try to avoid conflict and distress, instead, they cope with life’s transitions and traumas in a way that allows for emotional stability and growth (Hales & Lauzon, 2020, p. 34). Hales and Lauzon acknowledged that when an individual is in the red zone of the mental health continuum, it means that the individual is ill, and as a result, they may experience high levels of anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts (p. 34). Wilk, Maltby and Cooke (2017) identified that the mental health issues that some of the children experienced were: depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance abuse (p. 5). The information provided indicated that some Indigenous children were in the red zone of the mental health continuum. The health problems, substance abuse issues, and suicidal rates were the enduring effects the children in the residential school faced because of the physical, spiritual, and psychological abuse they experienced (Wilk et al., 2017, p. 2). It was further explained that the residential schools were sorely underfunded, which resulted in the children’s poor physical health, such as hepatitis, tuberculosis, epilepsy, and arthritis. The abuse, poor sanitation, severely inadequate food and poor health care contributed to a remarkably high death toll in residential schools (p.5).

In terms of losing their cultural belief & practices, more than 150,000 First Nations children attended the church-run schools between its establishment in the 1870s until its closure in the mid-1990. The government and church officials created residential schools with the explicit purpose to civilize and Christianize Indigenous children (Wilk et al., 2017, p. 2).  Rand (2011) noted that, although the residential schools were funded by the federal government, they were operated by churches (p.57).  She further stated that the churches forbid the children from speaking their native languages or performing traditional ceremonies, even though indigenous individuals "articulate their way of knowing in their unique language" (p.58). A residential school survivor reported that when she was caught speaking the Indigenous language, she was forced into a small closet with no windows or light for what seemed like hours, and when she finally got out, she was traumatized with fear (Mckegney, 2007, p.13). In the face of this abuse, many children could not speak their indigenous languages; this affected their relationship with their families and separated them from their cultural belief system. “Since language reflects and reinforces culture and culture reflects and reinforces language, denying children their language was instrumental in the objective of the eradication of Aboriginal culture” (Rand, 2011, p.58). Culturally Indigenous people are known to be spiritual; therefore, without knowledge of their culture, younger generations may not learn about the beliefs of their Indigenous forefathers that were passed down orally by elders through a variety of rituals and practices. Rand asserted that the indigenous children developed an identity crisis because of their isolation from families, the destruction of their cultural identity, and the indoctrination of Christian beliefs combined with Eurocentrism (p.59). In fact, Erik Erikson, a theorist known for his stages of personality development, explains how different stages of development affect an individual personality. Each stage of Erik Erikson's theory focuses on a challenge that one must overcome. The experience through those stages can determine whether a person experiences a sense of mastery or inadequacy as they grow. The 5th stage of Erik Erikson's theory focused on adolescence (12 - 19), where the challenge is identity versus confusion (Hales & Lauzon, 2020, p.38).  The accuracy of this theory would mean that Indigenous children of this age and stage who are enduring a loss of cultural belief may transmit this development inadequacy into adulthood, which could negatively impact their future and the future for subsequent generations.

In relation to the lingering effects of residential school on Indigenous children from an individual and inter-generational perspective, Wilk et al (2017) noted that they encountered profound effects at every level of their experience.  In a study conducted by Varcoe and Dick (as cited in Wilk et al., 2017), a participant associated her drinking and drug use to the sexual, physical and mental abuse experienced in residential school. In two other studies, participants described their addiction to drugs and alcohol as a “coping mechanism”. The negative impact of the Canadian residential school did not end with substance abuse; some people experienced anger, anxiety, low self-esteem, and depression, which resulted in a high rate of suicide (p.18). The concept of historical trauma implies that the effects of these disruptive historical events are collective, meaning that all the painful traumas are compounded, affecting not only individual survivors but also future descendants of the Indigenous culture (Wilk et al., 2017, p.2). Generations of residential school survivors struggle with residual trauma because they had little to no experience of being nurtured in a family environment, resulting in a lack of positive self-worth and self-esteem. Later as adults, many were unprepared to raise their children with these same values (Rand, 2011, p.59). It was noted that the problems that these families are currently facing could be related to events that occurred many years ago and have no connection to their current situation (p.62).  Indigenous people continue to face intergenerational and collective mistreatment in land disputes, over-incarceration, finding employment, and finding housing (Rand, 2011, p.61).

The survivors of residential schools are making steady progress in reducing the long-term impact of residential schools.  The Canadian residential school has hindered some survivors’ ability to comprehend the sensation of connectedness and true identity. The institutionalization of Indigenous children resulted in the loss of generations of Indigenous culture. Most children developed mental illnesses because of the emotional, physical, and mental abuse they endured. Others died before they had the chance to redeem themselves and their descendants. However, what happened to Indigenous nations cannot be undone. So, what the government and all Canadians can do now is support Indigenous people's efforts to preserve and restore the languages and cultural heritage lost.