Lesson 4 — Activity 2: Impact of Missionaries

Warm Up

You learned about the changes to the Indigenous peoples way of life after the arrival of Europeans.

In this activity, you will learn about further changes and challenges that Indigenous peoples faced due to the impact of missionaries.

As more and more traders, trappers, and especially settlers arrived in Canada, so did Roman Catholic and Protestant missionaries. Missionaries began their work in the 1600s. By the 1800s, first colonial governments and then the federal Government of Canada worked with the churches to establish day schools and residential schools.

Old Sun Residential School - Gleichen, AB

As part of a government policy called "The Indian Act", the Canadian government believed it was responsible for educating and caring for Indigenous children. The church and government worked together to teach English and Christianity as part of this program. However, Christianity as a practise threatened Indigenous culture greatly.

Establishing residential schools served to "aggressively assimilate" the children by prohibiting their first language and if caught speaking it, were severely punished.

Throughout the years, many Indigenous children suffered trauma and abuse in these residential schools. The trauma continued as many Indigenous children were forcibly taken from their families to live and be educated in residential schools

What Others Have Said ...

Click on the Play button to watch a video that tells the stories of survivors of residential schools.

In 2008, the Canadian government formed the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. It was an official independent body that was to provide former students — and anyone who had been affected by the residential school legacy — with an opportunity to share their individual experiences in a safe and culturally appropriate manner.

The purpose of the commission was to create a historical account of the residential schools, help people to heal, and encourage reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Canadians.

The Commission delivered their final report in 2015. Click on the Play button to watch a video on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.