And after I was taken there, they took off my clothes and then they deloused me. I didn’t know what was happening, but I learned about it later, that they were delousing me; ‘the dirty, no-good-for-nothing savages, lousy.’ – Campbell Papequash
The Survivors Speak: A Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, p 48
In 1828, the Government of Canada established the first Indian Residential School, the Mohawk Institute Residential School, to assimilate Indigenous children into the European Canadian society. In the ensuing years, and with increasing tenacity and dedication, the government pursued this course of colonization with devastating effect. In 1883, Prime Minister Sir John A MacDonald spoke in the House of Commons (Residential Schools, p2) defending the system: that by removing Indigenous children from their parents, they would “acquire the habits and modes of thought of white men.” The last school, Kivalliq Hall, closed in 1997, leaving an over 165-year legacy of genocide.
The Government of Canada established the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in 2008 to collect the stories of residential school survivors, releasing its final report in 2015. Campbell Papequash’s story is only one of thousands of stories shared with the TRC Commission, which details the mistreatment of Indigenous children: humiliation, starvation, sexual and physical abuse, child labour, cultural erasure, and many more human rights violations. The TRC Report details 94 Calls to Action to start the process of healing from these trauma, and to begin to create a society that respects Indigenous Peoples as the autonomous societies they are, and have been since long before strangers arrived on these shores.
In 2021, the Government of Canada legislated September 30 as the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, a federal holiday for all Canadians to commemorate the lamentable history of the Indian Residential Schools. The Province of BC followed suit in 2023.
September 30 also commemorates Orange Shirt Day, which highlights the “Every Child Matters” campaign inspired by Phyllis (Jack) Webstad’s story. When Phyllis arrived at the Mission School in Williams Lake, the nuns took all of her clothing including a brand-new orange shirt given to her by her grandmother.
“The color orange has always reminded me of that and how my feelings didn’t matter, how no one cared and how I felt like I was worth nothing. All of us little children were crying and no one cared.” – Phyllis (Jack) Webstad
Orange Shirt Society
On the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day, we encourage you to become better allies to Indigenous Peoples by learning more about the history of Indian Residential Schools and their effect on our society. If you’re not sure where to start, the Roundhouse has created a page to help you get started – visit the Roundhouse Reconciliation Resources page.
