The list of media portrayals of the Canadian Indian residential school system includes examples of works created to highlight the
Canadian Indian residential school system, a network of schools established by the Canadian government and administered by church officials to assimilate
Indigenous students.[1]
Film and television
Year
Title
Type
Director / producer
Notes
1978
Wandering Spirit Survival School
Short
Marvin Midwicki, Les Holdway and Christopher Wilson
Produced by the
National Film Board, the short film examines a school, organized by parents, that introduced subjects of particular relevance to its pupils. The experience of the children in the school is contrasted with the experienced lived by their parents in residential schools.[2]
A documentary feature that investigates the effect of residential schools in the
Yukon, focusing on former residents of the Lower Post Residential School, the Baptist Indian Mission School (
Whitehorse), and the Chaoutla Indian Residential School (
Carcross), as well as the Yukon Hall Residence in Whitehorse.
A documentary following three Aboriginal women educators and includes the harrowing experiences that two of the women faced in residential schools. Using a blend of documentary footage,
dramatic re-enactments, and
archival film, the film brings together the life stories of three unsung heroines who are helping to restore Aboriginal control over education.[3]
Inspired by
Shirley Cheechoo's 1991 play Path with no Moccasins, Sleeping Children Awake is both a personal record of Canada's history, and a tribute to the enduring strength of Native cultures.
1993
Beyond the Shadows
Documentary short
Gryphon Productions Ltd.
A documentary about the legacy of residential schools, looking at the work of the
Cariboo Tribal Council in addressing the impact of residential schools on their people. It touches on the historical background of these schools, though primarily depicting painful personal experiences; the causes of multi-generational grief and healing processes underway in communities today.[4][5]
Former residents of
Kuper Island speak out to break the silence about their experience and trauma of the Kuper Island Indian Residential School. Produced by the
National Film Board.[6]
2001
Childhood Lost: The Residential School Experience
Documentary short
Doug Cuthand
Through interviews, archival photos, and re-enactments, this program illuminates the experiences of four individuals who were sent to residential schools when they were very young.[7]
2005
A Day at Indian Residential Schools in Canada
Documentary short
Indigenous Education Coalition
This 26-minute documentary, hosted by youth, explores the life at three Indian residential schools. Survivors recollect their daily routines, time spent on chores, and their feelings of isolation. This film features archival images of life at the schools as well as interviews with survivors who had never before spoken on camera about their experiences.
2007
The Fallen Feather: Indian Industrial Residential Schools Canadian Confederation
Documentary feature
Randy N. Bezeau
A 93-minute documentary that provides an in-depth critical analysis of the driving forces behind the creation of Canadian Indian residential schools.[8]
A documentary describing the crimes committed in church-run residential schools. Based on his book Hidden from History: The Canadian Holocaust, the film is told through the perspective of the titular
Kevin Annett, a former minister who
blew the whistle on his own church, after he learned of thousands of murders in its residential schools.[9][10]
A 88-minute film by Nadia McLaren, who tells the story of her own grandmother by combining precious
home-movie clips with the stories of seven elders dramatically affected by their experiences in residential school.[11]
In this segment from The National, CBC explores the impact of residential schools on former students and the larger community, presenting ideas for what more can be done to address this painful issue.[12]
In the early 1960s, the Canadian government conducted an experiment in social engineering, called the "
Eskimo Experiment." Three young
Inuit boys were separated from their families in the Arctic and were sent to Ottawa, the nation's capital, to live with white families and to be educated in white schools.[13]
2009
Unseen Tears
Documentary short
Ron Douglas
A 30-minute documentary focusing on Native American families in
Western New York and Canada who continue to feel the impact of the
Thomas Indian School and the
Mohawk Institute in
Ontario. Survivors speak of traumatic separation from their families, abuse, and a systematic assault on their language and culture. Western New York Native American communities are presently attempting to heal the wounds and break the cycle of inter-generational trauma resulting from the boarding school experience. Unseen Tears documents testimonies of boarding school survivors, their families, and social service providers.[14]
2009
Kakalakkuvik (Where the Children Dwell)
Documentary short
Jobie Weetaluktuk
A 26-minute documentary recounting the vivid memories of former students from Port Harrison (now
Inukjuak, Quebec), the first group of Inuit to sue the federal government for compensation.[15]
In a subversion of the traditional residential school narrative, a group of First Nations children in a residential school break out into choreographed
hip hop dance routines whenever they are unsupervised.
2009
Shi-Shi-Etko
Short film
Kate Kroll
A 12-minute fictional short about Shi-Shi-Etko, a girl who will soon be taken away from her home to begin her formal western education at a residential school. Her mother, father and grandmother want her to remember her roots and they wait for her return in the spring to continue passing down those ideals to her.[16]
2009
Against the Grain
Documentary short
Curtis Mandeville
A 24-min documentary in which survivors of the Indian residential school system "attempt to cope with its impact on their personal lives and communities."[17]
A fictional film about teenager Aila, who runs a drug crew on her reserve, and is assaulted by an Indian Affairs agent who then detains her in a residential school, where other children are frequently abused.
Adaptation of the 1908 novel Anne of Green Gables by
Lucy Maud Montgomery. A fictional story arc involving a young
Miꞌkmaq girl forcibly separated from her family and taken to a residential school under false pretences.
Documentary about the ongoing intergenerational effects of the residential school system on not just the direct survivors, but their children and grandchildren.[19]
Published texts
Year
Title
Author
ISBN
Notes
1988
Resistance and Renewal: Surviving the Indian Residential School
One of the first books published to deal with the phenomenon of residential schools in Canada, Resistance and Renewal is a disturbing collection of Native perspectives on the
Kamloops Indian Residential School (KIRS) in the British Columbia interior. Interviews with thirteen Natives, all former residents of KIRS, form the nucleus of the book, a frank depiction of school life, and a telling account of the system's oppressive environment which sought to stifle Native culture.[citation needed]
Jeremiah and Gabriel grow into acclaimed artists attempting to work within white, European traditions while retaining the influence of Native culture. The novel follows the boys from the idyllic innocence of their Cree childhood through a forced relocation to an abusive residential school to their lives as young artists attempting to discover how far their natural talents can take them.
2001
No Time to Say Goodbye: Children's Stories of Kuper Island Residential School
A fictional account of five children sent to aboriginal boarding school, based on the recollections of a number of
Tsartlip First Nations people. These unforgettable children are taken by government agents from Tsartlip Day School to live at Kuper Island Residential School. (Kuper Island was renamed
Penelakut Island in 2010.)[citation needed]
2005
Finding My Talk: How Fourteen Canadian Native Women Reclaimed Their Lives After Residential School
Fourteen aboriginal women who attended residential schools, or were affected by them, reflect on their experiences. They describe their years in residential schools across Canada and how they overcame tremendous obstacles to become strong and independent members of aboriginal cultures and valuable members of Canadian society.[citation needed]
Shi-shi-etko counts down her last four days before going away. She tries to memorize everything about her home–tall grass swaying to the rhythm of the breeze, determined mosquitoes, working bumblebees.
2006
Behind Closed Doors: Stories from the Kamloops Indian Residential School
Behind Closed Doors features written testimonials from 32 individuals who attended the Kamloops Indian Residential School. The school was one of many infamous residential schools that operated from 1893 to 1979. The storytellers remember and share with us their stolen time at the school; many stories are told through courageous tears.[citation needed]
2007
Moving Beyond: Understanding the Impacts of the Residential Schools
The residential school system in Canada continues to have a significant impact on Aboriginal people. We continue to struggle with the trauma of this unwanted legacy. In this book, we take a look at the history but focus on the inter-generational impacts that exist today from the residential school system. These lasting impacts affect learning, education, and family relations. "Moving Beyond" highlights positive approaches and paths to healing and promotes the development of healthy individuals, families and communities.[citation needed]
This moving sequel to the award-winning Shi-shi-etko tells the story of two children's experience at residential school. Shi-shi-etko is about to return for her second year, but this time her six-year-old brother, Shin-chi, is going, too.[citation needed]
Enough alcohol silences the demons for a night; a gun and a single bullet silences demons forever. When a friend commits suicide and a former priest appears on television, the community is shattered. James and Jake confront their childhood abuse and break the silence to begin a journey of healing and rediscovery.[citation needed]
Haida teen, Blue Saltwater, exposes the evil underbelly of the St. Ignatius Residential School before making a daring escape to return to his island home of
Haida Gwaii.[citation needed]
2010
Broken Circle: The Dark Legacy of Indian Residential Schools: A Memoir
Taunted and humiliated by Raven, the unkind nun in charge of the young girls, Margaret is willing to endure almost anything as long as she can learn to read. The unpleasant chores do not daunt her, but the teasing of other students and the unfair punishments do. When she is the only girl forced to wear ugly red stockings, however, Margaret has had enough, and fights back.[citation needed]
Albert Canadien fondly recounts his boyhood years in Lishamie, a traditional
Dene camp north of the
Mackenzie River, and reflects on the devastating and long-lasting impact residential schooling had on him, his family and his people.[citation needed]
Travelling to be reunited with her family in the Arctic, 10-year-old
Margaret Pokiak can hardly contain her excitement. It has been two years since her parents delivered her to the school run by the dark-cloaked nuns and brothers.[citation needed]
2011
Unsettling the Settler Within: Indian Residential Schools, Truth Telling, and Reconciliation in Canada
Unsettling the Settler Within argues that non-Aboriginal Canadians must undergo their own process of decolonization in order to truly participate in the transformative possibilities of reconciliation. Settlers must relinquish the persistent myth of themselves as peacemakers and acknowledge the destructive legacy of a society that has stubbornly ignored and devalued Indigenous experience. A compassionate call to action, this powerful book offers a new and hopeful path toward healing the wounds of the past.[citation needed]
A young
Ojibwe boy named Saul Indian Horse is taken to St. Jerome's Indian Residential School in White River, Ontario. The novel focuses on Saul's experiences at the school and the escape he finds through playing hockey.
2012
They Called Me Number One: Secrets and Survival at an Indian Residential School
In this frank and poignant memoir of her years at St. Joseph's Mission, Sellars breaks her silence about the residential school's lasting effects on her and her family-from substance abuse to suicide attempts-and eloquently articulates her own path to healing.[citation needed]
In 1954, when Florence Kaefer was just 19, she accepted a job as a teacher at
Norway House. Unaware of the difficult conditions the students were enduring, Florence and her fellow teachers nurtured a school full of lonely and homesick young children. Many years later Florence unexpectedly reconnected with one of her Norway House students,
Edward Gamblin. Motivated to apologize on behalf of the school and her colleagues, Florence contacted Edward.
2014
Indian School Road: Legacies of the Shubenacadie Residential School
In Indian School Road, journalist Chris Benjamin tackles the controversial and tragic history of the
Shubenacadie Indian Residential School, its predecessors, and its lasting effects, giving voice to multiple perspectives for the first time.
Josie Penny's life as part of a loving Métis family in an isolated corner of Labrador changed dramatically when she was taken away to a residential school. Abused by the students, Josie became increasingly angry and isolated from her family and community as she grew into her teens. At 17, she left for Goose Bay to make her fortune and start her own life.[citation needed]
2014
Up Ghost River: A Chief's Journey Through the Turbulent Waters of Native History
In the 1950s, 7-year-old Edmund Metatawabin was separated from his family and placed in one of Canada's worst residential schools. Fuelled by alcohol, the trauma from his past caught up with him, and his family and work lives imploded. Now Metatawabin's mission is to help the next generation of residential school survivors.
2015
The Education of Augie Merasty: A Residential School Memoir
Merasty attended St. Therese Residential School in the community of Sturgeon Landing, Manitoba, from 1935 to 1944. As Merasty recounts, these schools did more than attempt to mold children in the ways of white society. They were taught to be ashamed of their native heritage and, as he experienced, often suffered physical and sexual abuse. Even as he looks back on this painful part of his childhood, Merasty's generous and authentic voice shines through.[citation needed]
The story of Ojibwe boy
Chanie Wenjack who attempted to escape from a Northern Ontario residential school. On his ill-fated journey he is followed by "Manitous", the spirit of the forest.
The play treats the themes of family, loss, redemption and healing as two residential school survivors confront their pasts when one's daughter, Christine, returns to
Kumsheen after 20 years, to discover her family and her past.[21] It won the 2009
Governor General's Literary Award.[22]
Commissioned by the
Royal Winnipeg Ballet, with the support of the
Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, this play explores the world of Annie, a young, urban First Nations woman adrift in a contemporary life of youthful excess. But when she meets Gordon, a long-haired trickster disguised as a homeless man, she's propelled into a world she's always sensed but never seen. Not only do they travel the streets of this place but also the roads of their ancestors, learning to accept the other's burdens as the two walk through the past and toward the future. Together, both Annie and Gordon learn that without truth, there is no reconciliation.[23]
Reckoning is a
triptych of stories about survivors and responses to the residential school system: "The first section, involving both text and movement, focuses on an adjudicator hearing the testimony of former school residents and the anxiety he feels as he deals with their statements. The second ... is a naturalistic two-hander involving two native people who meet online through a support group of IRS survivors and children of survivors. The third, a monologue, is part live video document and part attempt to right wrongs."[24]