Copy of Q&A Residential Schools Assignment
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Assignment #2: Q&A Residential Schools Assignment
YOUR NAME
School of Community and Health Studies, Centennial College
GNED 410: First Peoples: Current Issues
Professor Harmony Nadjiwon
November 19, 2023
1.
What was the name of the survivor who you have chosen for this assessment? Please
explain why you have chosen this particular survivor's story for this project? What
did you learn about the survivor whose story you are researching?
I chose Beverly Albrecht, a survivor from Mohawk Institute Residential School in Brantford,
Ontario. I chose her particular story due to the school's proximity to my hometown in
Scarborough. Some specific things I learned about Beverly Albrecht are that she is from Six
Nations and attended Mohawk Institute from 1966 to 1970; witnessing the closure of the school
that year. Albrecht underwent open heart surgery in Toronto for a heart murmur, and after leaving
the hospital, she immediately attended Residential School (Albrecht, n.d.). Interestingly,
Albrecht’s mother also attended Mohawk Institute for an unknown period of time. Beverly’s
mother was raised by her grandmother, following the passing of her own mother. She was later
sent to Mohawk Institute due to her father’s inability to support her alone (Albrecht, n.d.).
Similarly, Beverly's father passed away, leaving her mother a single parent as well. Unable to
care for her children, they were initially sent to Children's Aid and eventually, Residential
School. Beverly was the oldest of her siblings to attend Mohawk Institute at the age of seven,
while her youngest sibling was just three years old during their enrollment (Albrecht, n.d.).
2.
What is the name of the Indian Residential School (IRS) this survivor attended? Did
the IRS have more than one name? Where was this IRS located? What years was
this IRS operational? If this IRS did operate in multiple locations, please list those
years as well. What happened to the building after it closed?
Beverly Albrecht attended Mohawk Institute Residential School in Brantford, Ontario. It was
often nicknamed “The Mush Hole” by students due to their frequent consumption of mushy
porridge (Albrecht, n.d.). The Mohawk Institute, which operated from 1828 to 1970, was the
longest-running Residential School in Canada (Woodland Cultural Centre, 2020). It was
established in 1828 and destroyed in 1858 by a fire. The rebuilt building and barns were
destroyed in another fire set by students in 1903, then a new school was built again and later
expanded. In 1945, the federal government took responsibility for the school and closed the
institution in 1970. After its closure, the building reopened after much debate by members of the
Six Nations and surrounding communities. It was established under the direction of the
Association of Iroquois and Allied Indians that the former school would be redeveloped in
October 1972 as the Woodland Cultural Centre; a non-profit organization that serves to maintain
and encourage First Nations culture and heritage (Woodland Cultural Centre, 2020). This
organization works to bring Indigenous stories to life through innovative exhibitions and
programs, honouring and cultivating awareness to the lives and experiences of Indigenous
peoples.
3.
What church, religious Order or other organization operated this IRS? What can
you learn about this Church, Order or organization? Was it operated by more than
one church or organization? If yes, what years was it operated by each church or
group? Has this Church issued an apology for its involvement in the IRS system?
Mohawk Institute Residential School was solely operated by the Anglican Church of Canada
between 1828 to 1970 (Restoule, 2013). According to the Anglican Church of Canada (2008),
between 1820 and 1969, the church operated approximately three dozen Residential Schools and
hostels for Indigenous children, also known as "Indian" and "Eskimo" Residential Schools.
Many Residential Schools were built by the government to be run by the Anglican Church,
replacing earlier boarding schools and mission day schools (Anglican Church of Canada, 2008).
Today, the Anglican Church of Canada is an independent, self-governing church with over
500,000 members and 44 churches worldwide (Anglican Church of Canada, 2008). In 1993, the
Anglican Church of Canada apologized for their involvement in Residential Schools, recognizing
the colonial violence and abuse that was endured by their students. They acknowledged the
systemic failures of these Residential Schools, apologizing for forcibly removing Indigenous
children from their homes, erasing their language and identity, and all forms of abuse
experienced by the children in these schools (Peers, 1993).
4.
What was the cultural background of the children who attended this IRS; or what
Indigenous communities did the children come from? What was a typical day like
for these children at the IRS, be specific (ex: activities, chores, classroom time,
sports, meals)?
At first, Mohawk Institute only admitted boys into their school, only beginning to admit girls in
1834 (The Canadian Encyclopedia, n.d.). The institution initially served as a boarding school for
Indigenous children from the Six Nations of the Grand River reserve. As the school's population
grew, it began enrolling students from more remote communities within Ontario and Quebec
(Woodland Cultural Centre, 2020). Some students attended the school due to its promise of food,
a clean bed, and quality education, while other families were forced to send their children under
the Indian Act (Hill 2021). According to Hill (2021), children were provided with repulsive
foods like pasty porridge, dry toast, slimy spinach, fish, and mystery meats for breakfast, lunch,
and dinner. Anyone who refused to finish their food was kept at the table until it was finished,
and those caught eating other foods received punishment. Students spent most of their time
working and attending school in the mornings, with teachers who frequently strapped
disobedient children in front of other students. The primary objective of education was to
integrate Indigenous children into European settler society through daily prayer, Sunday church
attendance, and English-taught classes by teachers. The play area was a basement room with
cement floors, brick walls, and no toys, infested with rats and cockroaches (Hill, 2021).
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5.
What were the conditions like at this IRS? How many children died in this IRS? Is
there evidence of unmarked graves related to this IRS?
Mohawk Institute's residential staff frequently labelled students as "dirty Indians'' and "savages,"
assigning them numbers without considering their names (Hill, 2021). These assigned numbers
were evident in all aspects of the school, including clothes, beds, and cubbies, dictating the
sleeping arrangements and dining hall arrangements for students. Students spent most of their
time working, with boys tending to the farm, planting crops, and ploughing fields, while the girls
did domestic chores like cleaning, cooking, setting tables, stripping and making beds, and doing
laundry (Hill, 2021). Boys were reportedly molested in the boiler room, while Mohawk Institute
headmaster William John Zimmerman, was known to sexually abuse girls in a chapel room (Hill,
2021). In November 2021, a special task force began conducting a ground search at the former
Mohawk Institute Residential School in Brantford, Ontario (Senoran, 2021). After thorough
examination using ground-penetrating radar, interviews of survivors, archives, and criminal
investigations, it was revealed that the number of victims had been recorded as 97 (Shimo,
2022). The school directly affected over 4,600 children from over 60 First Nation communities,
largely from Six Nations of the Grand River. Roughly half the recorded number of children could
not have their home community identified (Survivor's Secretariat, 2022).
6.
Please find two images related to this IRS and provide a brief statement describing
what the images are about. Be sure to CITE your images using APA format.
Figure 1
Growing memorial at the site of former Mohawk Institute Residential School.
Note. Source: (Sharp, K. 2021).
In the image depicted above, it shows a growing memorial at the site of former Mohawk Institute
Residential School located in Brantford, Ontario. Many of the items left on the stairs were
flowers, stuffed animals, and pairs of shoes. The pairs of shoes left are meant to represent the
Indigenous children who were found, and those who never made it home (Sharp, 2021).
Figure 2
Former Mohawk Institute Residential School being transformed into Woodland Cultural Centre.
Note. Source: (Sponagle, M. 2018).
The image above depicts the former Brantford Residential School, Mohawk Institute, after being
transformed into Woodland Cultural Centre. Prior to its restoration, members of Six Nations and
surrounding communities, including Residential School survivors, faced a dilemma of either
demolishing or restoring the building. After public-information sessions, 98% of respondents
voted in support of the restoration (Sponagle, 2018). Today, the new and improved structure
remains as a space for learning and reconciliation, dedicated to supporting and maintaining First
Nations traditions.
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References
Albrecht, B. (n.d.).
STORIES.
[Video] Legacy of Hope Foundation.
https://legacyofhope.ca/wherearethechildren/stories/albrecht/
Hill, R. (2021, July 27).
The discovery of Indigenous children’s remains was particularly hard
for me—because I knew I could have been one of them. How I made it through Canada’s
residential school system.
Toronto Life.
https://torontolife.com/life/how-i-survived-canadas-residential-school-system/
Peers, M. (1993, August 6).
Apology to Native People.
Anglican Church of Canada.
https://www.anglican.ca/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Apology-English.pdf
Senoran, H. (2021, October 20).
Task force preparing for ground search at former Mohawk
Institute in Brantford, Ont.
CTV News.
https://kitchener.ctvnews.ca/task-force-preparing-for-ground-search-at-former-mohawk-insti
tute-in-brantford-ont-1.5631823
Sharpe, K. (2021, June 28).
Grounds at former residential school in Brantford to be searched for
unmarked graves.
CTV News.
https://kitchener.ctvnews.ca/grounds-at-former-residential-school-in-brantford-to-be-searche
d-for-unmarked-graves-1.5489381
Shimo, A. (2022, September 30).
‘Child dumped down school well’: Indigenous communities
seek answers, healing with investigation underway into Mohawk Institute.
Mississauga
News.
https://www.mississauga.com/news/child-dumped-down-school-well-indigenous-communiti
es-seek-answers-healing-with-investigation-underway-into-mohawk/article_5c2b3506-9ffa-
5644-9dd5-7e160520a7ce.html#:~:text=97%20children%20died%20while%20at,have%20c
alled%20it%20a%20genocide.
Sponagle, M. (2018, March 12).
How a former residential school is being transformed into a
place for healing.
TVO Today.
https://www.tvo.org/article/how-a-former-residential-school-is-being-transformed-into-a-pla
ce-for-healing
The Anglican Church of Canada. (2008, July 24).
Historical Sketch for Anglican Residential
Schools.
The Anglican Church of Canada.
https://www.anglican.ca/tr/schools/
The Canadian Encyclopedia. (n.d.).
Residential Schools.
The Canadian Encyclopedia.
https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/timeline/residential-schools
Woodland Cultural Centre. (2020, June 29).
50th Anniversary of the Closure of the Mohawk
Institute Residential School.
Woodland Cultural Centre.
https://woodlandculturalcentre.ca/50th-anniversary-of-the-closure-of-the-mohawk-institute-r
esidential-school/
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