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An image of a letter addressed to parents of children who attended Kamloops Indian Residential School in 1948

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An image of a letter addressed to parents of children who attended Kamloops Indian Residential School in 1948

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The letter above informed parents that their children would be allowed to spend Christmas at home that year, under a few conditions. Parents would have to pay for travelling to school, pick up their child, and pay for the travelling expenses to come back home as well. They would also have to make sure that their child is back at school on time. This letter further displays the cruelty behind the residential school system and the government. Since a majority of these families lived far away from the school, they were unable to afford to pick up their children. This resulted in a lot of children being separated from their families for years, and when they finally met, the children had lost all aspects of their identity that made them Indigenous and who they had once been. They were pressured to only speak in English/French and were also forced to abandon parts of who they were, which further impacted future generations. This letter is an example of one of the many things the government did to strip away the rights of First Nations peoples, and cause generational trauma that would be passed on.

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A before and after photo depicting the changes that a First Nations child faced after going to residential school

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A before and after photo depicting the changes that a First Nations child faced after going to residential school

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The image above contains a before and after of a First Nations child going to Residential School. On the left is a photo of the child before going to residential school. They are wearing traditional clothes, have long hair, are barefoot, and have dark skin. There is a tremendous change when we compare that to the photo on the right. The same child is dressed in Caucasian attire, has lighter skin, shorter hair, and is wearing shoes. The message behind this photo is to show the impact of residential schools on children. Their culture was wiped out, and they were forced to adjust to the demands of the government. This photo is important because it shows us how thousands of families were torn apart and forever changed, because of the residential school system.

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The Bell by Brian Tuesday, is a poem about one of the many struggles Indigenous people faced because of the residential school system.  

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The Bell by Brian Tuesday, is a poem about one of the many struggles Indigenous people faced because of the residential school system.  

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The Bell
By Brian Tuesday

In the child’s mind, he can hear, the sound of the bell. Like embers of a dying fire rekindled, memories stir, awakened, once again to revisit the madness of a time and place almost beyond memory. Fleeting images, glimpses of the unimaginable – like a shockwave the child remembers. Transfixed, he simply goes away to seek solitude in a world not of this place nor of this time.

Words echo.

“My child, my child, God has made a terrible mistake. Come, I must re-create you into my own image.”

The child sleeps, senses on full alert. In the dorm others of his kind, asleep on bunkbeds, row on row, pray that tonight madness will not visit. A slight disturbance in the midnight air – movement! Madness is on the prowl Who is the chosen? A silent scream fractures the midnight calm. The child freezes. For tonight madness has chosen to visit upon him the unimaginable.

Violated in mind, body and spirit, desecrated of the sanctity of his life, the child simply ceases to be.

The years have passed.

On a hilltop a man sits, bottle in hand. Hair once jet black betray strands of white. Lined with age the face mirrors a life gone astray. He waits, and waits, not knowing what it is he waits for. Darkness approaches. Tortured by memories which haunt his mind he tilts bottle to lips, if only to seek solace in the stupor of cheap wine. For the man there is nothing but the emptiness and the cheap, meaningless high of wine induced euphoria.

Heaven! He succumbs to drunken sleep to escape the hell of a tortured mind.

It is autumn.

The season of spectral colors, with brush in hand, paints a beautiful portrait of scenic wonder across the landscape. Myriads of different shades and hues clothe majestic tree in their finest attire. The wind plays upon the flute a beautiful and haunting melody. Mesmerizing, the beautiful music entices the imagination to alight on wings of melody to journey to distant lands and times that never were.

The child cries.

~

This poem was beautifully written by Brian Tuesday and tells a story about his experience at the residential school he went to, and the struggles he still faces as a survivor. He starts by talking about the sexual abuse he and other children faced and also calls out the harmful stereotype of the "drunken native". In the poem, Tuesday conveys that the trauma many faced caused them to turn to alcohol for solace, and how that has nothing to do with them being First Nation. We can conclude that that was an important message the poet wanted to convey. This poem is important because it shows how the lives of First Nations children were forever impacted by this horrendous school system and the harmful stereotypes surrounding it that still exist today.

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A drawing titled Unmarked by D. Ahsén:nase Douglas, represents all that was lost because of the residential school system

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A drawing titled Unmarked by D. Ahsén:nase Douglas, represents all that was lost because of the residential school system

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The drawing above, done by D. Ahsén:nase Douglas represents the effects of residential schools, and how they made an everlasting impact on the children who attended. The drawing is of a young girl wearing a residential school uniform, holding a skull, with a sad expression. The message behind this drawing also portrays the many generations affected, as well as their struggles with health, and unspeakable trauma. This drawing is important because it not only talks about the horrors of the residential school system but is also done by one of many young artists who bear the trauma that their elders faced. D. Ahsén:nase Douglas is Kahnawà:ke Mohawk, and has many relatives who were and are residential school survivors. And this drawing is one of many symbolic art pieces that talk about the loss of culture, family, language, and more that happened because of that system. Various cultures of First Nations groups were affected, as their future generations (the children) were forbidden from speaking in their own language, and were also forced to adapt to a caucasian way of life in school. This left irreplaceable damage on many different cultures, shattering traditions and family relationships along the way. That is why I would conclude that 'Untitled' by Kahnawà:ke Mohawk is an extremely symbolic piece of art about the impact of Canada's residential school system on various cultures of First Nations peoples.