Learning about residential schools near us

Today is Orange Shirt Day! A day for reconciliation, and honoring the survivors of Canada’s residential school system. A Government and church supported system that ripped indigenous children away from their families, stripped away their language, culture, and even their names. These schools continued to operate all the way into the 1990’s.

Orange Shirts are available at tsc.ca/wewearorange designed by Ojibwe artist Patrick Hunter available until October 16th. All net proceeds going to the non-profit Orange Shirt Society to help expand Indigenous education across Canada.

For Orange Shirt day I thought I would share some information about residential schools near our area, and a list of the documented children that lost their lives at these schools.

The Mohawk Institute

The Mohawk Institute, based in Brantford, opened in 1828. The school was destroyed by fire in 1858. The rebuilt building and barns were destroyed in a fire set by students in 1903. A new school was built and later expanded. The federal government took responsibility for the school in 1945. The federal government closed the school in 1970, although some students remained in residence until 1971. The Woodlands Cultural Centre operates out of the former school. Reports of abuse were abundant at the Mohawk institute, including accounts of shock treatment and a prison cell in the basement. 

List of documented students who lost their life at the Mohawk Insitute:

Mount Elgin Residential School

The Mount Elgin school in Munceytown, in what is now Ontario, was established in 1850. An 1858 government report concluded that the school was a failure and recommended that it be closed. By 1871 it was back in operation as a residential school. In 1902 an inspector concluded that the “boys of this school are not only working, they are being worked.” In 1908, students set fire to the school on three different occasions. In 1942 a senior Indian Affairs official described Mount Elgin as the “most dilapidated structure” that he had ever seen. The school was closed four years later.

List of documented students who lost their life at the Mount Elgin Residential School:

Wear your orange shirt today, and if you don’t have an orange shirt, take a few minutes to learn about these schools and how the effects are still being felt today. All information and photos courtesy of the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation

~ Daly