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While there were no new treaty negotiations during this period,
the federal government continued to pursue a policy of assimilation
and enfranchisement
of Aboriginals.
To further these policies, the government banned potlatch
celebrations in 1884 and started placing Aboriginal children into
Western Canadian residential schools during the late 1800s. Many
Natives resisted with these moves to destroy their culture.
Topics in this section:
Residential Schools
Banning the Potlatch, 1884
The North West Rebellion, 1885
Residential Schools
Starting in the early 1870s, residential schools for Aboriginal
children between the ages of five and 16 began to be set up by the
federal government. The right for these schools to exist was enshrined
in the Indian
Act, 1876, and they were eventually to be found in every
province except Newfoundland, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island.
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Children were taken from their homes and communities and placed
in these distant residential boarding schools against their or their
families' will. The federal government and various religious organizations
jointly ran these schools. They were meant to train Aboriginal youth
how to farm and become productive members of society along European,
Christian lines.
Residential schools not only destroyed many Aboriginal children's
self-esteem, they helped damaged their culture, language and traditions.
This process is called deculturation.
There were other hazards, as well: tuberculosis was common and
many students also endured physical or sexual abuse. Some students
died as a result.
Those that survived often grew up to be dependant on the government
to provide for them. Many returned to their reserves as adults with
no sense of belonging, and thus turned to alcohol and drugs to fill
the void. Others displayed suicidal tendencies, or turned to anti-social
or criminal behaviours.
Banning the Potlatch, 1884
In 1884, to further assimilate Aboriginals into Canadian culture,
the government banned the potlatch
ceremony - which was of particular political significance to those
living on the northwest coast. This was seen by many Natives as
an opportunity to remove the Aboriginal right to self-governance,
and some tried to resist the ban. However, the potlatch remained
illegal until 1951 and attempts to hold major celebrations during
this period were usually met with failure. While potlatches can
be and are held today, they are not as extravagant as they once
were.
The North West Rebellion, 1885
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A second rebellion, led by Louis
Riel and a small group of Aboriginals and Métis who still
felt they were being denied their land
rights, happened in 1885 in what is now Saskatchewan. This uprising
was quickly quashed, and helped to turn public sentiment away from
the plight of the Native peoples.
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