Unit 2: The Canadian Tale (TG6_gr2)

 Truth and Reconciliation is Canada

The document under study is a testimony of Chief Robert Joseph, a member of the First Nations telling about his experience as a student in the former Residential school system in Canada. It was published in 2017 on CBC YouTube Channel.

The Residential schools were for children from the First Nations created by the Canadian government to force Aboriginal children to assimilate into the Canadian culture and to make them forget about their traditional cultures. There were 150,000 children who had to go through it for 100 years. The last school closed in 1996.

Chief Robert Joseph was 6 years old when he started to attend a Residential School. He had to suffer segregation, indeed, boys and girls were separated. He was not even allowed to exchange with his sister otherwise he could be punished. He had to be washed with a white liquid in order to change his skin color. He had to have his hair cut. On top of that, they had to forget about their traditional belief to convert to Christianity. As a result these children suffered from physical and psychological violence.

(We will continue the study of the video next time. Be ready!)

Homework: Learn the lesson.