Each artwork speaks volumes of the painful memories of Canada's residential schools and the silent sorrow of Indigenous peoples. This is not just a reflection on history, but a touching of the souls of Indigenous peoples, unveiling the veil of pain through the power of art, and calling for understanding and empathy. Let us together step into this truth, to feel with our hearts and respond with love.
OH NO: Reflecting on the Past, Embracing the Truth documents the artworks and cultural creations by numerous artists concerning the history of residential schools. It attempts to popularize the history and profound effects of these schools through these treasures, and to help you understand the connections between this issue and childhood, family, and society, fostering a heartfelt respect, aiding Indigenous communities, and building a inclusive society.
INDIGENOUS CHILDREN SUFFERED FORCED CULTURAL ASSIMILATION IN CHURCH-RUN RESIDENTIAL SCHOOLS, WITH RELIGIOUS CONVERSION BEING A PRIMARY FORM OF TORMENT.
KAMLOOPS INDIAN RESIDENTIAL SCHOOL, 1937, NATIONAL CENTER FOR
ASKATCHEWAN ARCHIVES
This nun was cutting the hair belonging to the newly arrived indigenous children.
LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADA
QMI AGENCY FILES
Indigenous children are supervised by a nun for bedtime prayers
Children who have had their hair cut off are in the classroom with the nun.
LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADA
Indigenous children washed and groomed in overcrowded conditions.
ANGLICAN CHURCH OF CANADA
Indigenous children during communal meals.
WORTHWHILE CANADIAN INITIATIVE
An Inuit child receives a writing lesson.
Source: Worthwhile Canadian Initiative
MARY CAESAR DEPICTED HER RESIDENTIAL SCHOOL EXPERIENCES IN OIL PAINTINGS, CAPTURING SCENES OF CORPORAL PUNISHMENT BY NUNS, ENDLESS LABOR, AND THE BITTERNESS OF TEARS...
Unmarked, oil on canvas, 2020
"Unmarked" depicts the cultural and child losses in Canada's residential schools, highlighting the ongoing discovery of unmarked children's graves.
Robert Mc Affee
Broken Trust, oil on wood, 2012
Robert McAffee captured in oil paintings the scenes and suppressed emotions of Indigenous children being led into residential schools by nuns.
Gina Laing
Untitle, cayon drawing, 2019
Gina Laing depicted her force-feeding with pasta in a residential school using cayon, symbolizing cultural assimilation's harm.
Nightmares, digital drawing, 2024
Xin Zeng portrayed the life of Indigenous children in residential schools, highlighting uniform hairstyles, overcrowded settings, corporal punishment, hunger, pain, and tears, based on historical events.
Indian Children, oil on canvas, 1944
Yvonne McKague Housser's artwork depicts Indigenous children being forcibly taken to residential schools, capturing the sorrow and loss felt by their families.
Kent Monkman
The Scream, oil on canvas, 2016
Kent Monkman portrayed the government's brutal act of forcibly removing Indigenous children, illustrating the policy's harm and the anguish of the families and children affected.
THE INTERVIEWEE RECOUNTS KAREN'S EXPERIENCE OF BEING SENT TO A RESIDENTIAL SCHOOL, WHERE THEY WERE SEPARATED FROM SIBLINGS, ASSIGNED A NUMBER INSTEAD OF A NAME, AND WITNESSED OTHER CHILDREN BEING BEATEN FOR NOT KNOWING ENGLISH. THE EXPERIENCE LED TO SELF-PREJUDICE AND A LONGING FOR THEIR LOST CULTURE, HIGHLIGHTING THE SHAME AND LOSS OF IDENTITY CAUSED BY THE RESIDENTIAL SCHOOL SYSTEM, WHILE ALSO RECOGNIZING THE BEAUTY AND IMPORTANCE OF THEIR CULTURAL HERITAGE.
HTTPS://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/
“The Stranger” Official Video - Gord Downie - Secret Path
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=za2VzjkwtFc
"The Stranger" is the opening chapter and song of The Secret Path, based on Gord Downie's album and Jeff Lemire's graphic novel. It tells the tragic story of Chanie Wenjack, who died trying to escape from a residential school and walk 600 km to his home.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGSWIa5vCH0
This animation tells the story of Lillian Elias, one of the Indigenous children forced into Canadian residential schools. At school, she faced challenges of language and cultural loss but persevered in maintaining her language. Lillian later became an advocate and teacher, helping the younger generation understand and preserve their culture and identity.
CBC News. (2021, June 24). Residential school records Indigenous. CBC. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/residential-school-recordsindigenous-1.6083493
The New York Times. (2021, July 6). Indigenous residential schools photos. The New York Times. https://cn.nytimes.com/world/20210706/indigenousresidential-schools-photos/dual/
Genier, C. (2022, June 24). Mary Caesar. Arctic Arts Summit. https://arcticartssummit.ca/articles/mary-caesar/
SaskToday.ca. (2021, June 30). Saskatchewan provides $2M for residential school site research. SaskToday. https://www.sasktoday.ca/ north/local-news/saskatchewan-provides-2m-for-residential-school-siteresearch-4172421
The Star. (Year). Government ordered to hand over documents about infamous residential school. The Star. https://www.thestar.com/news/ canada/government-ordered-to-hand-over-documents-about-infamousresidential-school/article_8b760a1c-e9f1-59a6-ad3c-6fadd32e6d33.html
Bodnar, N., & Barnhardt, K. (2017, August 14). “We were always hungry”: Severe hunger at residential schools linked to current health issues of Indigenous peoples in Canada. University of Toronto Mississauga. https://www.utm.utoronto.ca/main-news/we-were-always-hungry-severehunger-residential-schools-linked-current-health-issues
Akimbo. (2021). Fall 2021 Exhibitions at the Orillia Museum of Art & History. Akimbo. https://akimbo.ca/listings/fall-2021-exhibitions-at-the-orilliamuseum-of-art-history/
McAffee, R. (2013, November 20). Aboriginal Residential Schools, paintings that tell the stories. RobertMcAffee.com. https://www.robertmcaffee.com/ blog-the-reflective-palette/aboriginal-residential-schools-paintings-that-tellthe-stories
Ridington, A. (2013, September). Residential school history through art. Amber Ridington. http://amberridington.com/2013/09/residential-schoolhistory-through-art/
Art Canada Institute. (n.d.). The Scream, 2017. https://www.aci-iac.ca/artbooks/kent-monkman/key-works/the-scream/
Canadian Museum for Human Rights. (2012). Residential schools. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZZ3E_nGjro
GordDownieVideos. (2017). “The Stranger” Official Video - Gord DownieSecret Path. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=za2VzjkwtFc
Historica Canada. (2020). Lillian Elias: A Residential School Survivor's Story. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGSWIa5vCH0
This book's collection of photographs, paintings, and video artworks profoundly reveals the trauma inflicted on Indigenous communities by residential schools. Through photography, journalists and artists have captured startlingly real scenes that allow you to perceive the sadness and despair in the children's faces, and sense the cruelty of residential schools through the harsh environments and forced cultural assimilation education. The paintings reflect the painful memories and physical and emotional injuries inflicted on Indigenous people, depicting the close connections between family, childhood, and society with this historical event. Residential school policies disrupted Indigenous family structures and community cohesion, and disturbed the transmission of cultural heritage, language, and identity, profoundly affecting their childhood and family life. The video works presented on the internet from the perspectives of residential school survivors and viewers show the ongoing and farreaching impact of residential schools on Indigenous communities. Through the works documented in this book, it is hoped that readers will gain a deep understanding of the history of residential schools and their impact on Indigenous peoples, leading to thoughtful reflection and a genuine feeling of sympathy, respect, and support for Indigenous people, thus promoting a better and more inclusive society.
Here is a digital painting I created for this project, depicting an Indigenous child forced to cut their long hair in a cramped environment. Inspired by the crowded sleeping quarters of Indigenous children in residential schools, the crowdedness in this piece represents not only the physical space but also the children's hearts filled with sadness and pain. Red symbolizes the corporal punishment and brutal cultural assimilation of the residential schools, while blue reflects the deep pain and loss felt by the children and their parents' sorrow when they were forcibly taken away. Through this work, I hope viewers can feel the harm and impact of residential schools on Indigenous people, and be moved to genuinely respect and assist them, recognizing the importance and benefit of such actions for society.
