Indian Residential School

Indian Residential School is a school system mentioned in Anishinabek News.

In Anishinabek News

• June 2015: The Union of Ontario Indians offers resources exploring the legacy of these schools, including the loss of language and culture. A monument at Nipissing First Nation lists former schools and their religious affiliations to honour those who attended.
• November 2015: Many students who died at these institutions were buried in school or mission cemeteries that were later abandoned. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada called for an online registry and protection strategies for these burial sites. Archival photographs from these schools often lack the names of the students pictured.
• December 2015: The schools were part of a notorious network analyzed by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. One in five Native children who attended these schools never came home alive.
• April 2018: There were 139 of these institutions in Canada, most of which were managed by the Roman Catholic Church. The system controlled the lives of more than 160,000 children and their families until the last school closed in 1996.
• July 2021: The Blinding Light Walk – Tiger Lily was organized to feel some of the pain felt by children in these schools. The walk aimed to create awareness as investigations continued to locate unmarked graves at former school sites.
• December 2021: Quilts for Survivors provides handmade items to people who survived these institutions to offer them warmth and comfort. Volunteers participating in the quilting project expressed that they learned about the history of these schools through their involvement. The project avoids using school-related or religious patterns on the quilts to prevent re-traumatizing the recipients.
• May 2022: A staff dedicated to the survivors of this system is carried during the Closing Ceremony at the Nipissing First Nation pow wow.
• March 2023: Fred Sasakamoose was separated from his family at age six to attend one of these institutions. Darren Nakogee spoke about the intergenerational trauma caused by the schools and the need for accurate historical teaching. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission issued specific calls to action regarding education and the legacy of these schools.
• July 2023: Sol Mamakwa highlighted the importance of facing denialism regarding unmarked graves at former school sites.
• September 2023: The system caused intergenerational trauma and the loss of Indigenous languages and cultural teachings. Survivors and their families were honoured during a 2023 ceremony at Lakehead University.
• August 2024: Many residents of the Wiikwemkoong Elders' Home are survivors of these institutions.
• August 2024: The project The Knowing examines how this system impacted the family of Tanya Talaga. The system was part of a coordinated effort to destroy the identity of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit people.
• October 2024: Survivors of these institutions shared their journeys during a knowledge exchange gathering in Thunder Bay. One such school was located within the city of Thunder Bay, attended by the father of Yvette Greenwald.
• December 2024: The system is explored in Brown Tom's Schooldays through the perspective of a young boy facing cleanliness, order, and discipline. The novel addresses the impact of disease, death, and hunger within these institutions.
• July 2025: These institutions damaged the identity and family connections of Indigenous children by separating them from their home communities. The schools were operated by Catholic and Protestant denominations. Survivors shared testimonies with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada regarding the trauma and loss of language experienced at these sites.
• April 2026: Wilmer Nadjiwon was a survivor of this system.
• June 2026: The system involved the inhumane treatment of children and the forced removal of students from their families. Communities like Fort William First Nation continue to work toward healing from the intergenerational impacts of these institutions.
• June 2026: The Anishinabek Nation argued that denying the history of these schools is a form of harm targeting First Nations survivors. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the Office of the Special Interlocutor spent years documenting the history and deaths associated with these institutions. Proposed amendments to Bill C-9, the Combatting Hate Act sought to criminalize the promotion of hatred through the denial of this system's harms.
• September 2026: The Chiefs of Ontario called for action to confront the rise of denialism regarding the harms of this system. The impacts of these schools remain embedded in the daily lives of First Nations people and communities as of September 2026.
• October 2026: Participants at the Fort William First Nation Fall Gathering held ceremonies to honour children who did not return from this school system.