Residential School Essay

The Canadian Residential School system has left a lasting legacy on multiple generations of First Nations people across the country. Even in their old age, they are still affected by the efforts of the Department of Indian Affairs to assimilate the First Nations people into the new settler’s society. Cecile Kelto provided a first-hand account of what occurred within the walls of schoolhouse, and while it is quite emotional, she may not the picture that one many hope for as she believes that she ‘had it better’ than others that she went to school with . Her interview is still an important, though, as it shows that so much more was going on than just physical and sexual abuse because she was still traumatized by other factors that are identified

In her interview, Cecile discusses how common illnesses, especially Tuberculosis, within the school and she shares her personal experiences with the disease1. Her older sister and brother both died from the disease and she contracted it and spent about a year and a half at the hospital1. The historians all support this claim as most of the schools had a legacy of ill health with a high mortality rate. At least one quarter of the students that attended Residential Schools either died while at school, or shortly after they left2. Residential School and the underfunding, unfit environment were affecting not only the students, but also those who did not attend the school. Students in ill health were discharged and sent home to spend their final days with their family, making their family and community to the disease2. Indian Affairs and the Residential school system did little to provide a solution, letting many students suffer, because of funding and a general belief at the time that Native people were more prone to illnesses. As well, the rampant health concerns throughout the system created the perception in the settler society that Native people were inherently unhealthy, as long as they were not assimilated2, which is