16 - Revitalising Blackfoot Heritage and Addressing Residential School Trauma

Summary

The residential school era (1831–1996) is a traumatic and hidden part of Canadian history that has only recently begun to be addressed by government and recognised by the public. For former pupils, known as survivors, there has been long-term intergenerational suffering, worsened by previous public denial. As the official government apology in 2008 stated:

wo primary objectives of the residential schools system were to remove and isolate children from the influence of their homes, families, traditions and cultures, and to assimilate them into the dominant culture. These objectives were based on the assumption Aboriginal cultures and spiritual beliefs were inferior and unequal. Indeed, some sought, as it was infamously said, ‘to kill the Indian in the child’. (Parliament of Canada 2008)

Rather than providing closure on this period, the apology has raised awareness and helped to reveal more about the era. The residential school system is within living memory and the cycles of trauma are still playing out within First Nations communities, affecting new generations who did not attend these schools. The government policies that established the residential schools are yet to be repealed, and current debates over First Nations educational reform highlight the relevance and influence of this history today.

This chapter considers the impact upon Blackfoot communities and some of the strategies the communities are using to address this difficult history and revitalise traditional culture and community pride. The Old Sun residential school on Siksika reservation is an example of a site of trauma that is now being reused as a place for healing and cultural renewal. While the residential school system disrupted traditional Blackfoot learning systems, it did not destroy them and the Blackfoot, along with many First Nations, continue to fight for their right to teach their culture both within their schools and through traditional ceremonies and sacred societies.

Blackfoot Education

The Blackfoot community consists of four Nations situated within traditional Blackfoot territory which extended from the North Saskatchewan River in Canada to the Yellowstone River in America and from the Eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains to the Great Sand Hills in Saskatchewan (BGC 2001, 4). Three of the Blackfoot Nations are located in Southern Alberta, Canada, and are known as Kainai (Blood), Piikani (Peigan) and Siksika (Blackfoot); one Blackfoot Nation is located in Northern Montana, USA, known as Amsskaapipikani (Blackfeet).