Clothing in Canadian Residential Schools

About This Project

This system was administered by the government of Canada but was implemented by various Christian churches. A good Canadian was effectively a good Christian and as such the church played a key role in not only the running of the schools but in the moral education of the students. Clergy members were responsible for providing teachers, upkeep of buildings, caring for the children and running daily programs. While the schools were run under the premise that they were for the protection and advancement of the children, it is clear that the schools are responsible for cultural genocide, generations of trauma and the separation of Indigenous people from their former ways of life. The schools were plagued with poor food, inadequate clothing, minimal health care, several outbreaks of TB, poor education, physical and sexual abuse, punishment for speaking one's native language and high death rates.