St. Mary’s Indian Residential School

BY LORI NELSON

Now: It is the site of a bustling marine operation. Docks line the shore and parking dominates inland with the Golden Eagle Casino as a backdrop to Devil’s Gap Marina.

Then: For over seven decades on the same site there was a brick veneer, three-story school, a principal’s residence, a stable, a woodshed, two boathouses and a log cabin for visiting parents. There was also a cemetery; each grave marked by a white wooden cross. It was called St. Mary’s Indian Residential School.

In 1896 the Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI), a missionary arm of the Catholic Church, purchased 51 acres of land in Kenora and began construction on the school. By the end of 1897, 20 students were living there. It was one of at least 57 Indian residential schools operated by the OMI in Canada, including the schools in Kamloops, B.C. and in Marieval, Saskatchewan, recently in the news because of the discovery of unmarked graves. It was one of two residential schools operating in Kenora. The other, Cecilia Jeffrey Indian Residential School, was run by the Presbyterian Church and was located first on Shoal Lake and later on Round Lake.

Residential schools, 139 across Canada, were established by the federal government and operated by churches with the express purpose of “aggressive civilization”, specifically, as stated in the Davin Report of 1879, “the aim of education is to destroy the Indian.” Policies and practices, like separation from family and community, forbidding students from using their original language or participating in their cultural practices, and subhuman treatment that included abuse (verbal, emotional, psychological, sexual and physical) and medical experimentation were methods employed to achieve this abhorrent objective.

Most of the students at St. Mary’s Indian Residential School came from Ontario communities in the Treaty #3 territory but there were also students from Manitoba and Quebec. The school’s original capacity was 40 pupils but increased to 70 by 1915 as building extensions were added.

Overcrowding was an issue at the school, as were water and sewage systems, inadequate ventilation, improper building maintenance, disease, and unqualified teachers. Chronic underfunding—based on a per capita payment from the government—was often cited as the reason for many of the inadequacies. To address the food shortage, many schools, including St. Mary’s, cleared land for a garden. By 1922, 15 acres had been cleared, mostly for potatoes. The school also had cows, goats, hens, turkeys, geese, pigs, and a team of horses.

The students were not educated as other Canadian children were. Until 1951, residential schools operated on a half-day system which meant that the older children spent half their day in the classroom; the other half was spent at practical skills. For the boys, that meant the care of livestock, working in the garden or chopping wood. For the girls, it was sewing, cooking, laundering, and other general household duties. Religious training for all was an important part of the curriculum.

St. Mary’s Indian Residential School was purchased by the Department of Indian Affairs (DIA) in 1923, although the Oblates continued its operation. In 1969, the DIA assumed complete control. By the early 1970s, only Grades 1-3 were taught at St. Mary’s. The older students were integrated into Catholic elementary schools and public high schools in Kenora. St. Mary’s closed in 1972 and was eventually demolished.

Now: The existence of the school is marked by a memorial for all the children whose lives were significantly impacted by a damaging and shameful school system. The white crosses that once marked the gravesites are gone—anecdotally, a fire destroyed them. According to the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation records, at least 36 students died while attending St. Mary’s Indian Residential School. They deserve to be named and remembered. They are: Rosaline Bird, Amos Blackhawk, Joseph Blackhawk, Joyce Bluebird, Marie Therese Bob, Jim Flim, Elise Indian, John Jack, Sarah Jack, Albert Joseph-Henry, Peter Kapkagesik, Roderick Keesick, Nancy Keewatin, Victoria Kelly, William Kennedy, Michael Charley Macheegabow, Charlie Mechangabo, Joseph Netawegabo, Margaret Peetawekijick, David Redsky, Norman Robinson, Josephine Seymour, Josephine Shebawkwan, Martha G. Sukedjeweskang, Ambrose Skead, Mabel Skeid, Bernadette Strong, Louis Strong, Mary Strong, Phillip Swain, Antoinette Tap-Pee, Cathline Thomas, Elizabeth Thomas, Joseph Thomas, Robert Thompson, and Thos Wawanapetungs.

From September 23 - October 20, the Lake of the Woods Museum will be showing the exhibit it produced with its partners in 2008— Bakaan nake’ii ngii-izhi-gakinoo’amaagoomin: We were taught differently: the Indian residential school experience. If you wish to learn more about the two schools in Kenora within the national context, please plan to visit. an