What is the theory behind

[Prophet Zacharia]

All the graves bring discovered at Canadian residential schools? As I understand them, these were (are?) boarding schools for First Nation children, designed to assimilate children of indigenous people into being Canadian? Do I have that right?

So are the dead believed to have been murdered? Attempted to run away and died in the effort? Succumbed to illnesses they hadn’t seen before in their homes communities? Other? 

[Zephyr]

4 minutes ago, Prophet Zacharia said:

All the graves bring discovered at Canadian residential schools? As I understand them, these were (are?) boarding schools for First Nation children, designed to assimilate children of indigenous people into being Canadian? Do I have that right?

Yea, you have this right.  It is a dark, shameful part of our country's history.

 

6 minutes ago, Prophet Zacharia said:

So are the dead believed to have been murdered? Attempted to run away and died in the effort? Succumbed to illnesses they hadn’t seen before in their homes communities? Other?

I dont think murdered, but maybe a few were.  In most cases the deaths were documented by whatever organization or church was running it, but by todays standards those records are sketchy.  The bigger deal is in a lot of cases,  the family was never notified of the death of their child, they just never saw them or heard from them again.

[Prophet Zacharia]

5 minutes ago, Zephyr said:

by todays standards those records are sketchy

The newest graves are from the 197O’s or 1980s? I can sorta grasp this happening in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, but well into the modern era?

[Zephyr]

5 minutes ago, Prophet Zacharia said:

The newest graves are from the 197O’s or 1980s? I can sorta grasp this happening in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, but well into the modern era?

Those ones are not the issue, they would have the records of those.  Unmarked does not mean they were unknown.  I think in a lot of cases they did not want to advertise the deaths so buried them with no tombstones.

The school in Kelowna had  215 graves, but records show only 50 some.  The records only go back to the early 50's, but the school had been there since the 1870-1880's.

The school in Saskatchewan actually had grave markers until the early 60's, but then they removed them for some reason

[shootingstar]

2 hours ago, Prophet Zacharia said:

All the graves bring discovered at Canadian residential schools? As I understand them, these were (are?) boarding schools for First Nation children, designed to assimilate children of indigenous people into being Canadian? Do I have that right?

So are the dead believed to have been murdered? Attempted to run away and died in the effort? Succumbed to illnesses they hadn’t seen before in their homes communities? Other? 

Prophet the children were beaten in school, parents not allowed to visit,etc.  The children were taken away from the parents for so-called education,etc. They were often not fed well, some of the parents weren't certain what happened to their children,etc.

I think the grave markers were removed..to hide history and the Catholic church hoping people will forget over time.  Kinda stupid, ...this is in our late boomer generation and older.  The Saskatchewan school closded in approx. 1996.

My employer, is a large muncipality and does all sorts of employee profiles weekly.  (I got one 8 months ago.) So last week, a senior transportation engineer with 15 yrs. in our organization so far, she was profiled.  She is First Nations from Manitoba..and she knew people who lost their children at a residential school in Manitoba.  Of course, other employees get to comment on your profile. So another employee in a different dept., who I knew because of our similar jobs, her grandmother went to a residential school. This employee has never indicated before she had First Nations roots.

History is so close to us.  It really is. The dark past is not far away.

[shootingstar]

Now part of discussion which unfortunately the newspapers tend to kick up, is how should we celebrate Canada Day on Jul. 1st, when founding fathers took the land away from the First Nations.  Now there are calls, not to celebrate.

I support understanding more of Canada's dark history and those of us who aren't First Nations, is just be a witness to the mourning and understand those parents, the children are not different...than us under the same circumstances.  However, I have always, always viewed Canada as a place to rebuild onself, to become a better person....that's why alot of immigrants come here.  A Muslim Canadian immigrant said she was subject to overtly racist remarks, house vandalized ..but she said it doesn't mean she has given up hope on Canada.

 

[Prophet Zacharia]

I hadn’t realized that Carey Price is from First Nation roots until earlier in the spring when I first saw comments about this story. And the other night I learn his mother is a tribal Chief. I had no idea.

[shootingstar]

19 minutes ago, Prophet Zacharia said:

I hadn’t realized that Carey Price is from First Nation roots until earlier in the spring when I first saw comments about this story. And the other night I learn his mother is a tribal Chief. I had no idea.

Having the parents he has, probably helped enormously.  I don't keep up with hockey anymore and so I just read his profile now. Really impressive.

It's a fine balance as a teenager...to be quite aware of your own identity (especially in mainstream groups outside of famlly) but forge on ahead no matter what even if some can't believe you.

[Wilbur ★]

We also had slaves but the First Nations people had them as well at one time.  Canada abolished slavery in 1833 technically but the First Nations still get sold into sex trafficking as do many other nationalities.   It is a great nation but it wasn't founded by saints. 

[MickinMD ★]

8 hours ago, Prophet Zacharia said:

The newest graves are from the 197O’s or 1980s? I can sorta grasp this happening in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, but well into the modern era?

When I joined a fraternity at the University of Toronto in 1975 - my IIT grad schooling was split between IIT and Toronto because my IIT advisor became chemistry department chairman at Toronto - one of my frat brothers told me one thing Canada has over the USA is plenty of Indians to abuse.  He was being cynical but that was due to some recent problems.

We were in a dance hall one night and an indigenous young woman apparently didn't know there were men's and women's rooms and began to walk into the men's room and a bunch of guys followed her.  I told her she wanted the next door over and got some angry looks from some of those guys.  I don't know if that had anything to do with the attitude then or if it was just alcohol.

[shootingstar]

1 hour ago, MickinMD said:

When I joined a fraternity at the University of Toronto in 1975 - my IIT grad schooling was split between IIT and Toronto because my IIT advisor became chemistry department chairman at Toronto - one of my frat brothers told me one thing Canada has over the USA is plenty of Indians to abuse.  He was being cynical but that was due to some recent problems.

We were in a dance hall one night and an indigenous young woman apparently didn't know there were men's and women's rooms and began to walk into the men's room and a bunch of guys followed her.  I told her she wanted the next door over and got some angry looks from some of those guys.  I don't know if that had anything to do with the attitude then or if it was just alcohol.

So here is U.S.'s record...pretty damning: When Will U.S. Apologize for Genocide of Indian Boarding Schools? | HuffPost

That was pretty terrible those guys in '75...they probably wanted to mock/deride her for stumbling towards the men's washroom..

The Chinese-Canadian history professor who interviewed me 5 months ago, is at university in Thunder Bay, which is in northern Ontario.. She lives there and is part of a volunteer non-profit organization that checks on homeless and then side work, with the First Nations group.  City is a couple hundred miles northwest of Toronto. from what she describes, the local situation really needs change alot...re visible minorities in general. These are CAnadian cities you don't read in international press.

The locals there do not have a great attitude with alot of the First Nations. Then I heard from a guy but this was about 20 yrs. go, he was doing his post graduate studies at the university in Winnipeg in Manitoba. He was stunned by the overt negative attitude of locals towards the First Nations locally.  Hopefully it has changed..

I know I seem pretty outspoken on racist attitudes:  let's just say sometimes it's hard to distinguish between some Asians and First Nations.  One of my nieces...most defintitely could pass as half-Chinese (she is) or First Nations.  Her mother, my sister has been mistakened for First Nations.

 

 

 

[MickinMD ★]

22 hours ago, shootingstar said:

So here is U.S.'s record...pretty damning: When Will U.S. Apologize for Genocide of Indian Boarding Schools? | HuffPost

That was pretty terrible those guys in '75...they probably wanted to mock/deride her for stumbling towards the men's washroom..

The Chinese-Canadian history professor who interviewed me 5 months ago, is at university in Thunder Bay, which is in northern Ontario.. She lives there and is part of a volunteer non-profit organization that checks on homeless and then side work, with the First Nations group.  City is a couple hundred miles northwest of Toronto. from what she describes, the local situation really needs change alot...re visible minorities in general. These are CAnadian cities you don't read in international press.

The locals there do not have a great attitude with alot of the First Nations. Then I heard from a guy but this was about 20 yrs. go, he was doing his post graduate studies at the university in Winnipeg in Manitoba. He was stunned by the overt negative attitude of locals towards the First Nations locally.  Hopefully it has changed..

I know I seem pretty outspoken on racist attitudes:  let's just say sometimes it's hard to distinguish between some Asians and First Nations.  One of my nieces...most defintitely could pass as half-Chinese (she is) or First Nations.  Her mother, my sister has been mistakened for First Nations.

 

 

 

I wasnt implying Canadians were worse behaved than Americans - the Canadian guy's comment meant the Americans had such a bad history that Canada, not America, still had plenty of Indians.

Here in Maryland, I know of one guy who is a member of my political club who belongs to the Piscataway tribe and he says there's only a small number who still identify as Piscataways so we haven't had any major abuse locally since the 1600's to early 1800's.