“Not a soul reasoned quietly with me, as my own mother used to do; for now I was only one of the many little animals driven by a herder.” These were the words of Zitkala-Sa, a Native American while recalling her ordeals during her formative years in a Missionary School.
After unsuccessful resistance against the cutting of her long and heavy hair, by the school authorities, she said these words. In her culture, only a coward has his hair cut or ‘shingled' as she says.
Discoveries made by man have proven to be a boon and a bane. After the discovery of fire and wheels, the discovery of new lands has been significant throughout human history. It allowed humans to interact and propagate their culture.
If not for it, the modern world, which we know today wouldn’t have come into existence. Human civilization has grown a lot because of it. Yet, this has led to the loss of identity by certain groups and at the same time, it has led to the rise of fraudulent groups who are narcissistic about protecting their homelands.
Colonization of new lands helped humans save fellow humans from their backward way of life. Education was used as a tool to achieve it. But this education came with expectations. Some were forced to change their way of dressing, mannerism and cultural ways. Unfortunately, this has led to some of the darkest events that are coming to the light.
One such has a dark event that has shocked International and Indigenous Communities is the discovery of about 215 remains of Indigenous Children under the grounds of a Residential School which was run by the Catholic Church in Canada. The Canadian Government led by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had called on Pope Francis to issue a formal apology. The Pope, however, came up short of an apology.
Residential Schools of Canada
In the 19th Century, residential schools were set up for the Indigenous people of Canada. These schools were run by the Catholic Church on behalf of the Canadian Government. What came to be known as the Canadian-Indian residential school system, funded by the Canadian government’s Department of Indian Affairs, took away about 150,000 school children from their homes for the next 165 years or so.
Such a school system aimed at making the students assimilate with the mainstream Canadaian society. Indigenous children were forcibly admitted to such schools. They were forced to adopt the mainstream white culture of Canada. They were forced away from speaking their native languages and faced violent discipline if they did so.
Harsh Treatment of Indigenous Children
Such children were subjected to harsh treatment by the school authorities. They were subjected to violence, verbal abuse, rape and malnutrition as mistreatment. Indigenous children were beaten up and were forced to convert to Christianity. Over time, such children lost touch with their parents and customs.
Some of the children lost their lives being subjected to such physical, verbal and sexual abuse. Schools hid the numbers of such deaths. Due to the incomplete historic record, the exact number of school-related deaths remain unknown. Such school-related deaths are estimated from 3,200 and range to upwards of 6,000.
Kamloops Indian Residential School
Kamloops Indian Residential School was one of the many 139 residential schools of the Canadian-Indian residential school system. Founded in 1890 it was run by the Catholic Church till 1969, when the government took over the functioning of the school. It was ultimately closed in 1978. This school has been the reason for all the controversies.
In May of this year 2021, proof of about 215 unmarked graves was found near the school grounds using the assistance of a ground-penetrating radar specialist. This has verified the rumours regarding the unmarked graves in residential schools. Excavations have not yet been carried out, but plans are underway to excavate and conduct DNA analysis of the graves.
“This one unmarked grave,…, is exactly what genocide looks like,” commented Professor Pamela Palmater, Chairwoman of Indigenous governance at Ryerson University in Toronto.
Call for an apology from the Pope
Following the discovery of the mass graves the Canadian Government had demanded that the Supreme Pontiff do a formal apology. In 2008, the Canadian Government had formally apologized to the victims of the Residential School System.
It was at the same time the Truth and Reconciliation Commission was set up by parties of the Indian Residential Schools Settlements Agreement.
In 2009, a delegation of Indigenous People had visited the then Pope Benedict who expressed his sorrow over the harm done by the schools on the Indigenous children. The Papal Apology was part of the 94 point recommendations made by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission or the TRC.
The TRC named the horrific events which had taken place in the Residential Schools as “Cultural Genocide”. Back in 2017, when the Prime Minister had visited the Vatican City, he had asked the Pope to consider such a gesture, which he refused.
Pope’s Words of Healing and the Anguish that followed
The current Pope is Pope Francis, whose Papacy began in March 2013. On Sunday the 6th of June, at a traditional prayer, the Angelus Prayer, Pope Francis had spoken about receiving news from Canada.
He said, “The sad discovery further increases the understanding of the pain and suffering of the past,”. He then asked the crowd to join in a silent prayer for all the children who had lost their lives.
The Pope had not called for a formal apology and transparency over the scandal by the Catholic Church. This was marked by a sharp response from Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who expressed his deep anguish over this.
The undeniable fact is that the traumatic past of the children has been the cause for the increasing poverty, alcoholism, suicide rates and domestic violence in such communities.
Written by - Chandrasekar
Edited by - Piyush Pandey
Edited by - Piyush Pandey
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