The resources on this page discuss residential schools. Resources and lesson plans on day schools and Orange Shirt Day can be found in the menu bar on the left.
These topics can be distressing for students, especially for Indigenous students who may have a personal or familial history with them. The following resources are available for students who need support.
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These books can be found on the first floor of the library.
Righting Canada's Wrongs: Residential Schools
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Canada's residential school system for Indigenous children is now recognized as a grievous historic wrong committed against First Nations, Métis, and Inuit peoples. This book documents this subject in a format that will give all young people access to this painful part of Canadian history.
Speaking our Truth: A Journey of Reconciliation
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"Canada's relationship with its Indigenous people has suffered as a result of both the residential school system and the lack of understanding of the historical and current impact of those schools. Healing and repairing that relationship requires education, awareness, and increased understanding of the legacy and the impacts still being felt by survivors and their families. Guided by acclaimed Indigenous author Monique Gray Smith, readers will learn about the lives of Survivors and listen to allies who are putting the findings of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission into action." - Publisher's website
Orange Shirt Day: September 30th
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Orange Shirt Day is observed annually on September 30th to honour residential school survivors and their families, and to remember those who did not make it. This book explores the historical impact on Indigenous people in order to create champions who will walk a path of reconciliation through Orange Shirt Day, promoting the message that Every Child Matters.
Beyond the Orange Shirt Story
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Beyond the Orange Shirt Story is a unique collection of truths, as told by Phyllis Webstad's family and others, that will give readers an up-close look at what life was like before, during, and after their Residential School experiences. In this book, Survivors and Intergenerational Survivors share their stories authentically and in their own words. Phyllis Webstad is a Residential School Survivor and founder of the Orange Shirt Day movement. Phyllis has carefully selected stories to help Canadians educate themselves and gain a deeper understanding of the impacts of the Residential School System. Readers of this book will become more aware of a number of challenges faced by many Indigenous peoples in Canada. With this awareness comes learning and unlearning, understanding, acceptance, and change. Phyllis's hope is that all Canadians honour the lives and experiences of Survivors and their families as we go Beyond the Orange Shirt Story.
Residential Schools: With the Words and Images of Survivors
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Residential Schools: With the Words and Images of Survivors honours the survivors, the former students, who attended residential schools. Designed for the general reader this accessible, 112-page history offers a first-person perspective of the residential school system in Canada, as it shares the memories of more than 70 survivors from across Canada as well as 125 archival and contemporary images (65 black & white photographs, 51 colour, some never before published). This essential volume written by award-winning author Larry Loyie, 1933-2016 (Cree), a survivor of St. Bernard Mission residential school in Grouard, AB, and co-authored by Constance Brissenden and Wayne K. Spear (Mohawk), reflects the ongoing commitment of this team to express the truths about residential school experiences and to honour the survivors whose voices are shared in this book. Along with the voices, readers will be engaged by the evocative, archival photographs provided by the Shingwauk Residential Schools Centre with the assistance of curator Krista McCracken. The book begins with the moving introduction by Larry Loyie, and moves to seven chapters that explore the purpose of this school system; cultures and traditions; leaving home; life at school the half-day system; the dark side of the schools; friendship and laughter coping with a new life; changing world--the healing begins; and an afterword. A detailed, full colour map showing residential schools, timeline with key dates, glossary, and a helpful index (including names of survivors and schools) make this vital resource a must-have for secondary, college, and universities, libraries, and the general reader.
Picking up the Pieces: Residential School Memories and the Making of the Witness Blanket
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"Will educate and enlighten Canadians for generations to come. It's a must-read for anyone seeking to understand Canada's residential-school saga. Most importantly, it's a touchstone of community for those survivors and their families still on the path to healing."--Waubgeshig Rice, journalist and author of Moon of the Crusted Snow Picking Up the Piecestells the story of the making of the Witness Blanket, a living work of art conceived and created by Indigenous artist Carey Newman. It includes hundreds of items collected from residential schools across Canada, everything from bricks, photos and letters to hockey skates, dolls and braids. Every object tells a story. Carey takes the reader on a journey from the initial idea behind the Witness Blanket to the challenges in making it work to its completion. The story is told through the objects and the Survivors who donated them to the project. At every step in this important journey for children and adults alike, Carey is a guide, sharing his process and motivation behind the art. It's a personal project. Carey's father is a residential school Survivor. Like the Blanket itself, Picking Up the Piecescalls on readers of all ages to bear witness to the residential school experience, a tragic piece of Canada's legacy.
Secret Path
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Secret Path is a ten song digital download album by Gord Downie with a graphic novel by illustrator Jeff Lemire that tells the story of Chanie "Charlie" Wenjack, a twelve-year-old boy who died in flight from the Cecilia Jeffrey Indian Residential School fifty years ago.
Sugar Falls: A Residential School Story
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BASED ON A TRUE STORY* A school assignment to interview a residential school survivor leads Daniel to Betsy, his friend's grandmother, who tells him her story. Abandoned as a young child, Betsy was soon adopted into a loving family. A few short years later, at the age of 8, everything changed. Betsy was taken away to a residential school. There she was forced to endure abuse and indignity, but Betsy recalled the words her father spoke to her at Sugar Falls -- words that gave her the resilience, strength, and determination to survive. Sugar Falls is based on the true story of Betty Ross, Elder from Cross Lake First Nation. We wish to acknowledge, with the utmost gratitude, Betty's generosity in sharing her story. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of Sugar Falls goes to support the bursary program for The Helen Betty Osborne Memorial Foundation.
Teacher Guide for Sugar Falls: Learning about the History and Legacy of Residential Schools
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Written by Anishinaabe educator Christine M'lot, the Teacher Guide for Sugar Falls: A Residential School Story offers a diverse menu of activities that support teachers in planning lessons throughout the reading process, creating a dynamic learning experience for their students, while maintaining a respectful and dignified approach to Indigenous topics. Trauma-informed practices help prepare students for sensitive topics.
These books can be found on the second floor of the library.
In Memory of Feast: Memories of Residential School Survivors
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While there is diversity amongst the Residential School Survivors, there are also many commonalities, common threads began to emerge. Families lived off the land, and depending on their location, traditional land use such as hunting, fishing, trapping and gathering formed vital links to food security and food sustainability. These were happier times and times of peace. Young children were taught how to survive on the land and how to share with others. Small, close-knit Indigenous communities, and extended families, played a vital role related to sourcing, preparing, cooking and storing enough food to make it through a harsh winter. In these stories Survivors share what has been learned about Indigenous-based resiliency from the strength shown by their parents and Grandparents.--back cover.
Note: some of the terminology used in these reports is offensive and representative of the time they were written in. If you are going to bring these reports into your classroom, read them thoroughly beforehand and be mindful of language used. Download this free terminology guide for guidance.