Cultural Genocide of Canada

The Indian residential school system in Canada has had a major impact on the health disparities between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Canadians. Survivors of these schools experience higher rates of physical health problems, substance abuse, depression, and suicide. The poor welfare of Indigenous peoples hinders their psychological development and perpetuates intergenerational trauma. The schools aimed to assimilate Indigenous children and erase their cultures. A study in an Anishinaabe community found that cultural connectedness had a positive effect on mental health, especially for those with a family history of attending residential schools. The Indian Act of 1876 enabled the creation of these schools and aimed to assimilate Indigenous peoples. The effects of residential schools are still felt today, with higher rates of depression, substance abuse, and suicide attempts among descendants of survivors. Collective recovery and revitalization of Indigenous cultures are seen as importan Yá'át'ééh Chowdhurn Curley. Hello, my name is Chowdhurn Curley. My grandmother is an Indian residential school survivor and her experience is the reason why I'm focusing on the social problem of the Indian residential school system that is widely recognized as a major contributor to the health disparities still seen today between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Canadians. IRS survivors experience elevated rates of physical health problems, substance abuse, depression, suicide, and other long-term health problems. The poor welfare of Indigenous Peoples of Canada hinders psychological development and continues intergenerational trauma for current and future generations of Indigenous Peoples. Indian residential schools, also known as IRS, operated in Canada throughout most of the 20th century. These institutions, operated by churches, were funded and made mandatory by the Canadian government, were developed by the Catholics with the intent and mandate to annihilate Indigenous cultures and identities through forced assimilation of Indigenous children. Through these institutions, Indigenous children were subject to multiple forms of abuse, to physically inadequate living conditions, and to disconnection from their family, community, and culture. The IRS system has been described as an act of cultural genocide. The Anishinaabe people are a group of Indigenous from Canada. I focused on a study that randomly selected a cross-section of Anishinaabe people aged 18 to 39 years from one community who were invited to complete a brief questionnaire. Associations were calculated between IRS attendance, cultural connectedness, and mental health. The study took place in an Anishinaabe community with the population of approximately 1,600. Children were taken from the community and sent to residential schools from the 1920s to the 1970s. The community currently organizes a number of activities intended to reinforce cultural connectedness among youth, such as classes in dancing, drumming, singing traditional crafts, and fishing and hunting trips. Findings from the study includes a majority, 62% of those with no family history of IRS attendance reported a high level of mental health. A family history of IRS attendance was associated with an 18% lower probability of reporting a high level of mental health. Any protective effect of cultural connectedness among those with no family history of IRS attendance appeared to be modest. However, among participants who did report a family history of IRS attendance, a high level of cultural connectedness had a large and significant association with mental health. The group with both a family history of IRS attendance and a high level of cultural connectedness had mental health outcomes comparable to those with no family history of IRS attendance. Physical health is associated with cultural connectedness, 25% greater proportion reporting a high level of physical health among those with a high level of cultural connectedness, but was not significantly associated with a family history of IRS attendance. The Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada used a broader measure of community well-being index to compare the well-being of Indigenous peoples to non-Indigenous peoples of Canada, starting from 1981 to 2011. In 1981, the non-Indigenous were scored 67 for their community well-being compared to 47 of Indigenous communities well-being. In 2011, non-Indigenous community well-being was scored 79 compared to Indigenous community well-being of 59. Now you may be questioning what is the cause of poor welfare for these IRS attendees and their descendants. Well, my answer for you is the Indian Act of 1876, which enabled Indian residential schools. The Indian Act passed by the federal government of the new Dominion of Canada in 1876 and still exists today. The Indian Act was another attempt to assimilate Indigenous peoples into Canadian society as quickly as possible. The federal government was given jurisdiction or control over Indians and lands reserved for Indians, providing exclusive authority over Indian affairs. This Canadian government policy was to assimilate Indigenous children into Euro-Canadian society and to obliterate Indigenous language and culture. To implement this policy, Indigenous children were removed from their parents to attend residential schools in which staff manage all aspects of their lives and children were usually forbidden to speak Indigenous languages or to engage in Indigenous cultural or spiritual practices. In 1921, the Indian Act was amended to compel Indigenous children to attend residential schools. Indigenous children were not permitted access to public schools until 1950 and are the only children in Canadian history forced to live in a specific institution because of their race. Although residential schools are a time of the past, colonialism still enables the negative health impacts of Indigenous peoples of Canada today. Children of residential school survivors have been found to have higher rates of depression, substance abuse, and suicide attempts, greater psychological vulnerability to adverse experiences, as well as poor treatment in schools and Indigenous peers whose parents and grandparents did not attend residential schools. Effects appear to be cumulative across generations. Collective recovery from this historical trauma, including the interruption of its ongoing transmission, is a major priority for Indigenous communities today. The intergenerational transmission of the effects of IRS involves a multitude of psychological and social mechanisms and collective recovery from this trauma will require an equally broad set of strategies. One strategy often recommended by Indigenous scholars is culture as treatment. That is the idea that by revitalizing traditional Indigenous cultures, negative colonial narratives about Indigenous people can be challenged and the meanings, relationships, and practices embedded in cultural systems can be mobilized in support of collective healing. There are benefits of cultures to be greater in individuals affected by greater burden of Indian residential schools. Cultural connectedness, which has been defined as knowledge of and engagement with aspects of Indigenous culture, is indeed associated with a range of positive outcomes, including better mental health, less substance abuse, more pro-social behavior, more school success, and lower suicide rates. However, to the best of our knowledge, there has been no quantitative examination of this interaction between these two factors, familial IRS attendance and cultural connectedness as determinants of health. The study aimed to determine whether cultural connectedness modifies association between familial IRS attendance and the mental and physical health of Indigenous young people. The Truth and Reconciliation Commissions of Canada, also known as TRC, was created through a legal settlement between residential school survivors, the Assembly of First Nations, Inuit representatives, and the parties responsible for creation and operation of the schools, the federal government, and the church bodies. The TRC's mandate was to inform all Canadians about what happened in residential schools. The TRC documented the truth of survivors, their families, communities, and anyone personally affected by the residential school experience. The TRC is ensuring the truth about residential schools, but let's move on to the action for their health. The Indian Residential Schools Resolution Health Support Program was established as part of the 2006 Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement. It provides cultural and emotional support and mental health counseling services to survivors of Indian residential schools and the families of former students. Cultural supports are provided by local Indigenous organizations and include access to elders, knowledge holders, traditional healers, and ceremonies. Cultural supports seek to assist survivors and their families in safely addressing issues related to IRS's. Specific services are chosen by the survivor or family member and can include traditional healing, ceremonies, teachings, and dialogue. Emotional support includes access to resolution health support workers, community based workers, and elders who share space, listen, talk, and offer support in a safe and respectful way. Emotional support is provided by local Indigenous organizations and are designed to help former students and their families safely address issues related to the impacts of IRS's. Mental health counselors are psychologists and social workers who are in good standing with their provisional or territorial regulatory body and registered with Indigenous Services Canada. A counselor can work with individuals or families and will listen, talk, and assist individuals to find ways of navigating trauma and healing journeys related to IRS experiences. Overall, Canada is a crime scene of cultural genocide. Colonization is not a thing of the past. It is a formulated system of oppression that threatens Indigenous peoples to this day. During the time of colonialism, hearts were broken yet still have not been fixed. Thank you for listening to me.