These resources are most appropriate for Grades 4-7

These resources are most appropriate for Grades 8-12

WEBSITE LINKS

The following websites are useful links for information about Residential Schools.

• CBC Interactive Map of Residential Schools in Canada.

• Justice Murray Sinclair speaks about Reconciliation.

These resources are most appropriate for Grades 8-12

PRINT RESOURCES

There are several books on the experiences of Okanagan (Syilx) children in BC Residential Schools, and about the Kamloops Indian Residential School (K.I.R.S.) in particular.

• Haig-Brown, Celia. Resistance and Renewal: Surviving the Indian Residential School. Vancouver, BC: Tillacum Library, 1993.

Celia Haig-Brown's book Resistance and Renewal is a "revealing and disturbing collection of Native perspectives on the Kamloops Indian Residential School in British Columbia...[gathered from] Thirteen interviews with native people, all former students of K.I.R.S." Students who attended K.I.R.S. were from various nations, including Okanagan (Syilx) and Shuswap (Secwepemc) peoples. While this book is more typically used at the university level, this may be a good resource for a mature high-school student engaging in an inquiry project on the Kamloops Indian Residential School as it provides details contrasting home life with school life, and includes chapters on the school day, extra-curricular activities, discipline and holidays. Please note that some details of the abuse endured are graphic and disturbing, so it would be more appropriate for mature, senior level students.

• Louis, Shirley. Q'Sapi: A History of Okanagan People as Told by Okanagan Families. Penticton, BC: Theytus Books, 2002.

Shirley Louis' Q'Sapi (the word Q'sapi meaning "a long time ago") is a general history of the Okanagan people of the Okanagan Indian Band #1 (Vernon), spanning from pre-settler times to the 21st century. While it is a general history, there are several interviews with elders who attended the Kamloops Indian Residential School as well as the Indian Day School located at Six-Mile Creek on the reserve outside Vernon. In the lesson below, I selected interviews with 5 elders on their experiences at the Kamloops Indian Residential School (K.I.R.S) and had students analyze the interviews and discuss what was learned about the K.I.R.S. based on the elders' recollections. This lesson was used with my Social Justice 12 class, but it would also be appropriate in any secondary Social Studies class. To extend learning, follow-up this lesson with a visit to the Kamloops Indian Residential School or a visit from a Syilx elder-survivor.

• Okanagan Nation Alliance. Take the Indian Out of the Child: Syilx Okanagan Experience in the Violent and Forced Assimilation of Indian Residential Schools. Westbank, BC: Okanagan Nation Alliance, 2018.

This Okanagan Nation Alliance's book is specifically about the experiences of Syilx children at the Kamloops Indian Residential School. Chapters include: "A Short History of Colonization in the Okanagan", "Syilx Life Before Indian Residential School", "Life at Residential School", "Always Hungry", "Code of Silence", "Good Memories", and "Fighting Back." These chapters, and others, would be ideal for group presentations on different aspects/issues with Residential Schools. As you can probably tell by the title, some of the details given by the elders/Residential School survivors may be graphic, and teacher discretion should be used.

• Walsh, Andrea, editor. Nk'Mip Chronicles: Art from the Inkameep Day School. Osoyoos, BC: Osoyoos Museum Society and Osoyoos Indian Band, 2005.

This book is largely about the art produced by the children at the Nk'Mip Day School under the encouragement of day-school teacher Mr. Anthony Walsh. The art and the teaching of Anthony Walsh is remarkable, as during this time Walsh respected the children's traditional Syilx language and culture, and bridged the gap between Syilx and non-native culture through art. This book, and the children's art, is interesting in that it "depicts a school experience that does not fit into the typical narratives of residential school histories that detail the loss of culture." (Walsh, 7). This book may be useful in a lesson comparing children's experiences at Residential Schools vs. Indian Day Schools.

These resources are most appropriate for Grades 8-12

VIDEO RESOURCES

There are several videos about the experience of Okanagan (Syilx) children at the Kamloops Indian Residential School (K.I.R.S.).

See below for embedded Youtube videos and links to videos on Vimeo.

• "Indian Residential School, Kamloops ca. 1937". Filmed by Alfred E. Booth. A short video (1:09) showing footage of the Kamloops Residential School.

This short video (1:09) shows footage of the Kamloops Indian Residential School from 1937.

• "Eyes of Children- Life at a Residential School (1962)." CBC Digital Archives, 1962. https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/2566948097

A longer video (29:19) from 1962 showing Christmastime at Kamloops Indian Residential School. I would use this film to discuss how the government and churches presented the schools to the public.

• "Canadian Residential School Propaganda, 1955." PeopleExpressNewsTV, May 2009. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_V4d7sXoqU

This short video (2:37) would make an interesting discussion starter on how the Canadian government and churches presented Residential Schools to the public.

• "An Elder's Story- The Truth About Residential School." Castanet, June 2015. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAL5KSWFTNI

Okanagan Indian Band elder Eric Mitchell speaks about his time at the Kamloops Indian Residential School.

• "Residential School Survivor Personal Stories- Elder Hazel Squakin." Aboriginal Education, May 2014. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oejxDCza3U8

This video (14:35) relates the stories of Syilx elder Hazel Squakin's experiences at Residential School. This video is Part 1 of 2.

MORE VIDEO RESOURCES

There are many videos that discuss the Canadian Residential School experience. Please find the embedded videos below.

• "Heritage Minutes: Chanie Wenjack." Historica Canada, June 2016. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_tcCpKtoU0

This short Heritage Minute (1:00) introduces the story of Chanie Wenjack, whose death sparked the first inquest into the treatment of Indigenous children in Canadian residential schools. It is narrated by his sister, also a survivor of the Cecilia Jeffrey Residential School. This video would be a great introduction to lessons for The Secret Path graphic novel.

• Lesson ideas for Secret Path can be found at the Gord Downie Chanie Wenjack Fund page and this page.
• The Manitoba Teachers' Society also has lessons for The Secret Path for different grades.
• Trent University also has lesson plans for middle school students.

• "Savage." Directed by Lisa Jackson, 2009. https://vimeo.com/68582103

This short film/music video (6:02) directed by Lisa Jackson and starring Skeena Reece and Ta'Kaiya Blaney is described as a residential school musical: "On a summer day in the 1950s, a native girl watches the countryside go by from the backseat of a car. A woman at her kitchen table sings a lullaby in her Cree language. When the girl arrives at her destination, she undergoes a transformation that will turn the woman’s gentle voice into a howl of anger and pain. In a place like this, there aren’t many chances to be a kid. But, when no one’s watching…"

I used this innovative short film to spark discussion about the residential school experience and its impact. Students were engaged by the unusual format of a music video and related the students as "zombies" to represent the de-humanizing and "brainwashing" that occurred at residential schools. I showed the video and then asked students the following questions:

1. Why do you think Lisa Jackson chose the title "Savage"? What are the connotations of this word?
2. Why do you think Lisa Jackson chose the sounds and images she did?
3. What do you think this video is saying about the residential school experience?