Section 4. History of the Residential School

A) The Beginning

In 1876, the Indian Act was established by the Federal Government, in an attempt to assimilate the Native people into the European way of life. It confined the people to tiny reserves and outlawed the practice of traditional ceremonies like the potlatch. In following years, the Federal Government amended the Indian Act to include the education of Native people and set out to establish schools for that purpose. These institutions would provide religious teachings and would have special laws that would govern them. Before 1920, these were called Industrial or Boarding schools and were scattered throughout the country. After 1920, they were called Residential Schools because the children would be transported there to live all or a majority of the year. How the students would learn and what they would learn remained in the hands of the Government throughout the stages of the residential schools system.

B) Assimilation

The Industrial schools were based upon a policy of assimilation and missionaries made a commitment to Christianize and " civilize" Indian children. This involved the destruction of their language, culture and beliefs in an attempt to groom them for a place in the European society where they would no longer be an obstacle to European settlement and obtaining of lands and resources. The "education" of children leaving the Industrial schools thrust them to the lowest rung of the non-native society. In 1896 there were 24 of these schools in Canada, 4 in Ontario, 20 in the Northwest Territories, Manitoba and British Columbia.

These schools focused on teaching boys blacksmithing, carpentry, shoemaking, ranching and farming. Academic studies consisted of reading, writing and speaking in either French or English. Later on, girls attending these schools learned things such as homemaking, cooking, cleaning, sewing and practical nursing. Speaking the Shuswap language was forbidden. Extra curricular activities for the boys included gymnastics and dancing for the girls. Shuswap traditional dancing was not permitted.

Children attended school until they were at least 14 or 15 years old, often being held back to enable the administration more funds from the government. Graduation was not encouraged and continuing higher education meant losing their status as Indian people; this was called "enfranchisement". By losing status, the children would no longer be Indians and they certainly would not be accepted as "white" in the European society.

C) Isolation and Segregation

The next period of Indian education began at a time when disease and starvation dramatically reduced the population on reserves, and lack of financial resources also changed the course of native education. The outcome was the shift towards isolation and segregation in preparation for returning children to their communities. However, they did not fit into either the Indian world or the white society.

In the 1920's, the Indian Act was amended to include compulsory attendance at residential schools by Indian children which included ages 7 to 15. Most often these children were forcibly taken from their families by priests, ministers, Indian agents and police. Parents tried to hide their children but most were intimidated into giving them up after being faced with fines or imprisonment or both. Students would not see their homes or families until Easter or Christmas and others would spend the whole year there. Siblings were separated upon arrival and boys could not even speak to their own sisters.

A summary of the Indian Act of 1927 states that, "Any parent or guardian refusing to send their children to school face a fine of not more than two dollars plus costs, or imprisonment for a period not exceeding ten days, or both, and such child may be arrested without a warrant and conveyed to school by a truant officer".

In 1940, an estimated 8,000 children or half the Indian student population were enrolled in residential schools and by 1950, one sixth of the British Columbia's entire native citizenry was in residential schools.

D) Integration

In about 1951, the policy of the Residential Schools changed again to "integrate" Indian children into the education system. Whenever possible, Indian children were placed into the public schools. Children remaining in residential schools usually were bussed to public schools and usually, if possible, they went home for the weekends and holidays. Previously, most students lived at the school year round. To allow this change, the Indian Act was amended to include an agreement made with the provincial governments to allow Indian children to attend public schools.

Kamloops Industrial School 1890

E) The Kamloops Indian Residential School

On June 1, 1890, the first Industrial school was built on the Kamloops Indian Reserve as a government run institution under Michael Hagan, a Kamloops newspaper editor and a Catholic layman. During the early years, the Oblates became more frustrated by the school's management and withdrew their services in protest, as did the Sisters of St. Ann in February 1891. This forced the principal to combine the boys and girls into one class. Later, it was alleged that boys were visiting the girl's dormitory and the resulting scandal enabled Father LeJeune to approve the withdrawal of the children to be sent home. The result of these events was the foreclosure of the school. In 1893 the school was taken over by the Oblate Missionaries and the Sisters of St. Ann. A new school was built and opened in 1923. The large brick structure contained full kitchen facilities, laundry, separate dormitories, staff living areas, recreation rooms, classrooms and a chapel. Later in the 1940's a gymnasium was built with the majority of the work done by the students.

Children from around the province attended the school including the coast, northern BC, the Okanagan and, of course, the Shuswap. Children were brought in by cattle truck from remote areas after being chased down by priests and Indian Agents and taken by force. The Kamloops Indian School was finally closed in 1977 after the National Indian Brotherhood formally ended Federal Government control over Indian education.

Today the former Kamloops Residential School is owned by the Kamloops Indian Band and houses several Native organizations and businesses that serve the needs of the Native people. The complex is now called the Chief Louis Center.

The annex or the 'Secwepemc Building' houses other organizations that were formed in the 1970's and '80's including the Shuswap Tribal Council, the Secwepemc Museum and Heritage Park, part of SCES.

The Secwepemc Cultural Education Society was established in 1982 to preserve, enhance and perpetuate the Shuswap culture, history and language. The Secwepemc Museum began in 1986 and was expanded to include the Heritage Park in 1993.

SCES also serves Secwepemc people by providing educational programs associated with Simon Fraser University, University of BC and the University College of the Cariboo. These institutions provide several degree programs and basic needs such as upgrading and adult education. The Native Indian Teacher Education program (NITEP) is affiliated with UBC.

Trefor Smith, History of the Kamloops and Williams Lake Residential Schools, SCES
Elizabeth Siglet, Lisa McBain, Robert Simon, Lori Pilon, Cross Cultural Presentation , SCES