Canada's Indian Residential School System
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Canada's Indian Residential Schools

Canada's Indian Residential School System was a network of boarding schools, industrial schools, and federal hostels created to remove indigenous children from their homes, their families, and their cultures. While many schools originated long before Confederation in 1867, the system was primarily active following the approval of the Indian Act in 1876 — a group of laws aiming to do away with the Indian tribal system and forcibly enfranchise First Nations peoples — until the the last federally-operated school closed in 1996.

In recent years and in light of official apologies issued by the Government of Canada, individual provinces and territories, the Vatican, and various church groups, information about the schools and their students' welfare has become public knowledge: physical and sexual abuse was rampant, both involving administrators and between students; malnourishment and poor living conditions were not uncommon; and assimilation, deprivation of cultural traditions, and punishment was the standard. It is estimated that 6000 children died while in attendance.

This project aims to investigate the IRS system visually, beginning with the stories of survivors and transitioning into the narrative of each school. What follows is a selection of stories told by residential school survivors, gathered by the National Truth and Reconciliation Commission between 2008 and 20151. Scroll on to explore.

A search tool is always available in the top left corner. Access the above navigation menu by clicking the search icon. Data, credits, and methodology is available here.

This project contains subject matter that may be disturbing to some visitors. A 24 Hour National Survivors Crisis Line is available at 1-866-925-4419.

Click on a story to select it, then scroll down. Drag stories left to right to see more, or use the search tool in the top left to find specific stories.

School Location
Reserve/Tribe/Band
School
Reserve/Tribe/Band
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Credits

Created by Sam Vickars in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master Science in Data Visualization at Parsons School of Design.

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Data

Survivor stories and some contextual information are sourced directly from statements given to the National Truth and Reconciliation Commission (NTRC) and presented in their report, cited below and followed by citations for each statement. Other contextual information sourced from Wikipedia.

School data is sourced from school narratives, research and produced by the Government of Canada as part of its response to litigation and the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement. While the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation (NCTR) provides the documents sourced, they have not verified their content. The data contained within them is visualized and provided here for reference purposes only. Documented incidents of sexual and physical abuse are based on documentary records collected by the NCTR, the National Truth and Reconciliation Commission (NTRC), and the Government of Canada and do not take into account survivor testimony. These narratives are available online here (http://nctr.ca).

You are welcome to contact the NCTR or the creator of this website if you wish to clarify any of the history presented.

Truth and Reconciliation Canada. The survivors speak: a report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. Winnipeg: Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada., Publishers, 2015.

TRC, AVS, Bob Baxter, Statement to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, Thunder Bay, Ontario, 24 November 2010, Statement Number: 01 - ON - 24 NOV10 - 012.

TRC, AVS, Albert Elias, Statement to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, Inuvik, Northwest Territories, 1 July 2011, Statement Number: SC092.

TRC, AVS, Lynda Pahpasay McDonald, Statement to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba, 16 June 2010, Statement Number: 02-MB-16JU10-130.

TRC, AVS, Mabel Brown, Statement to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, Inuvik, Northwest Territories, 28 September 2011, Statement Number: 2011-0325.

TRC, AVS, Emily Kematch, Statement to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba, 18 June 2010, Statement Number: 02-MB-18JU10-063.

TRC, AVS, Anthony Henry, Statement to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba, 17 June 2010, Statement Number: 02-MB-17JU10-086.

TRC, AVS, Albert Fiddler, Statement to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, 24 June 2012, Statement Number: 2011-1760.

TRC, AVS, Doris Young, Statement to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, 22 June 2012, Statement Number: 2011-3517.

TRC, AVS, Delores Adolph, Statement to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, Mission, British Columbia, 19 May 2011, Statement Number: 2011-3458.

TRC, AVS, Martha Loon, Statement to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, Thunder Bay, Ontario, 25 November 2010, Statement Number 01-ON-24NOV10-021.

TRC, AVS, Richard Hall, Statement to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, Vancouver, British Columbia, 18 September 2013, Statement Number: 2011-1852.

TRC, AVS, Noel Starblanket, Statement to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, Regina, Saskatchewan, 16 January 2012, Statement Number: 2011-3314.

TRC, AVS, Patrick James Hall, Statement to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba, 21 December 2010, Statement Number: 03-001-10-036.

TRC, AVS, Isaac Daniels, Statement to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, 22 June 2012, Statement Number: 2011-1779.

TRC, AVS, Donna Antoine, Statement to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, Enderby, British Columbia, 13 October 2011, Statement Number: 2011-3287.