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Colonialism had devastating effects on the native populations not only in Canada but across the world. Before the communing of Europeans, the First Nation communities lived sovereignly, conducting their experimentation on various aspects of life. However, the government formed by the newcomers interfered with their lives, specifically by introducing residential schools. The main aim of creating those institutions was “to civilize and Christianize Aboriginal children” (Wilk et al., 2017). With the new policy, the government expected the natives to integrate into modern society. Most of the practices, way of life, and cultural values of the aboriginals seemed uncouth in the eyes of colonialists. Unfortunately, the government did not provide the Canadian aboriginals with the necessary information and guidelines on how the new education system would benefit them. While the intention of assimilating the indigenous people into Euro-Canadian lifestyles through residential schools was well-meaning, the results were devastating. The policy led to low educational attainment due to disruption of family structures and erosion of culture.
The government made significant steps towards decolonization to allow the indigenous communities to understand the history of their challenges and embrace the new efforts. To date, the legacy of oppression is still a hindrance to successful integration. In the class reading the professor provided, the article claims that decolonization was to enable aboriginals to rediscover their traditional cultural values and traditions (Marsh et al., 2015). However, the challenges facing the government emanated from the mistake in the colonialization policy that forced native children into residential schools. The residential school system started in the 1870s when the first federally funded institution opened its doors for indigenous (Wilson & Biin, 2018). Across the country, more than one hundred and forty schools were constructed with slightly over one hundred and fifty aboriginal pupils attending. The colonialists enacted stringent rules to ensure that parents do not resist the program. Among them was mandatory schooling for children aged between seven and fifteen. Parents were threatened by fines and prison terms if they attempt to keep children at home. The perceived beneficial process for both the community and the government turned disastrous, primarily resulting in low educational achievements.
Colonialists decided to develop residential schools for aboriginal children as the major strategy for assimilation. The policies came into effect between the 1870s and mid-1900s (Wilson & Biin, 2018). While the expectation was increased literacy levels and complete integration of the indigenous children into Canadian ways of life, the results were depressing. However, the limiting factor to achieving the desired objectives was the suffering children experienced through the forceful process. The indigenous children met psychological, emotional, and physical distress. As a result, the pupils could not concentrate in class as was expected. It was even traumatizing for them to encounter on daily basis people they perceived as their oppressors in the name of teachers. Education was a new phenomenon and forcing the children into residential schools was more than torture. Moreover, the schools were poorly funded and lacked the necessary resources for optimum learning (Wilk et al., 2017). At school, children lived in poor conditions and survived on poor nutrition. Due to such unfavorable conditions, the schools were not fit for proper education. Struggling with numerous challenges interfered with children’s academic performance leading to low educational achievement.
The worst part of the residential school system was the destruction of the family structures. Instead of developing policies that encourage the indigenous people to seek education, the government chose to use force by taking away the native children from their families. The government did not request the tribes to decide on their own whether to send their children to school or not. In all manner, the policy was designed to torture the natives. Keeping the pupils in the secluded institutions for a long time was in itself maltreatment of indisputable levels. Families play a crucial role as supporting structures for children for proper cognitive, emotional, and physical development (Moon-Riley et al., 2019). Separating the young ones from their caregivers denied them a chance to develop holistically. As a result, learning became a challenge as it was difficult for most of them to concentrate in such an unconducive environment and with unfamiliar people. Even though the idea of breaking the families was not intentionally meant to hurt them, the repercussions were severe. Instead of helping the children appreciate the Euro-Canadian lifestyle, the system made most of them hate it entirely.
The colonial policy of forcing indigenous children into residential schools hurt culture and consequently undermined educational achievement. Culture plays a significant role in enhancing school performance, yet it is usually overlooked, mainly when native tribes are involved (Pihama & Lee-Morgan, 2018). Although the indigenous traditions are resilient, the persistence of the government is attempting to eradicate some practices that created confusion among the pupils. In the class reading, the article assigned by the professor explains the importance of consultation and working with elders while conducting research (Marsh et al., 2015). Senior individuals have a wealth of knowledge regarding culture, values, and traditional practices to inform studies and policies. The government did not consider the input of such individuals while establishing the colonial regulations. The separation of children from their parents ensured they do not benefit from the knowledge of the seniors. Moreover, indigenous pupils were not allowed to observe their cultural values or even speak their ethnic language. Instead of enjoying their studies, it became a form of persecution as they lost touch with their identity. Before the abolishment, the residential school system had failed terribly in assimilating the aboriginals.
In short, the colonialists’ effort to integrate the indigenous communities into Euro-Canadian ways of life failed due to inappropriate policies. The focus of the government on using education as the most potent tool to achieve the objectives was benevolent and right, but the approach undermined the strategy. Forcing the aboriginal children into residential schools and threatening parents who attempted to resist made the process tormenting instead of appealing. The pupils failed to realize the significance of education due to the oppression emanating from coercion to learn and abandon their culture. As a way of resisting, they registered low educational achievements as a statement of displeasure and resentment. The government realized the ineffectiveness of the policy and abolished all the residential schools. However, the legacy of the unpopular regulation persists through intergenerational trauma and post-traumatic stress exhibited by most indigenous people. The framework did not meet or address the needs of the native people to motivate them to integrate into society. some of the aboriginals still feel resentment and hatred towards the colonial educational system due to the brutality the policies caused them several years ago.
References
Marsh, T. N., Cote-Meek, S., Toulouse, P., Najavits, L. M., & Young, N. L. (2015). The application of two-eyed seeing decolonizing methodology in qualitative and quantitative research for the treatment of intergenerational trauma and substance use disorders.International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 14(5), 1-13. Web.
Moon-Riley, K. C., Copeland, J. L., Metz, G. A., & Currie, C. L. (2019). The biological impacts of Indigenous residential school attendance on the next generation.SSM-population health, 7. Web.
Pihama, L., & Lee-Morgan, J. (2018). Colonization, education, and Indigenous peoples.Indigenous handbook of education, 19-27. Web.
Wilk, P., Maltby, A., & Cooke, M. (2017). Residential schools and the effects on Indigenous health and well-being in Canada—a scoping review.Public Health Reviews, 38(1), 1-23. Web.
Wilson, K., & Biin, D. (2018). Pulling together: Foundations guide.Professional learning series. Web.
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