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October is Mi'kmaw History Month. Did you know about Indian Residential School system? It was a means to assimilate First Nations children. Indian Agents took children from their families, often by force, and brought them to the schools. 1/4
These schools prohibited children from speaking their First Nations language and often they experienced various types of abuse, such as physical, sexual, emotional, spiritual, etc... 2/4
In Nova Scotia, there was only one school, which operated from June 5, 1930 to June 30, 1967 in Shubenacadie (about 40 minutes outside Halifax). Over 1000 Mi'kmaw children from throughout the Atlantic attended the school. 3/4
Former student and Mi'kmaw Elder Isabelle Knockwood published a book in 1992 (Out of the Depths) about the school. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission published its final report in 2015. 4/4
Also on this date in 1966, Chanie "Charlie" Wenjack died while running away from an Indian Residential School. He was trying to travel over 600 km back to his home community before dying of hunger and exposure. He was only 12.
