Mental Health Support
Topics and materials (videos, audios, books, etc.) describing the residential school system can include highly sensitive subject matter and may cause powerful emotional responses. Health Canada provides a free 24-hour crisis line for Survivors and their families affected by the residential school system (also available in French).
The 24-Hour Residential School Support Line: 1-866-925-4419
Songs from Indian Residential School Legacy (CD)
Cape Breton University CD Collection (CD-1276)
Various Artists Songs From The Indian Residential School System - Country & Folk
1. Nukum 3:03
2. Memego 5:11
3. Home 3:15
4. Is Sorry Enough? 5:28
5. La Cloche De Batoche 3:46
6. Man Of God 4:16
7. For The People 4:05
8. The Boy Who Walked Backwards Through The Snow 3:21
9. We Are One 5:27
10. Please Bring Me Home 4:06
11. Perfect Crime 4:41
12. In The Walls And Halls Of His Mind 4:44
13. My Neighbourhood 4:11
14. Why 5:16
15. I Apologize 4:09
Recommended Links
- nitâpwewininân: Ongoing Effects of Residential Schools on Aboriginal Women – Toward Intergenerational Reconciliation This project was funded through the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. In partnership with Ka Ni Kanichihk, Prairie Women’s Health Centre of Excellence led eight First Nations and Métis women over the course of four months, through the digital storytelling process. The website offers toolkits that include five guides (online pdf copies), which "have been designed to walk you through the steps of making a digital story. Each guide can be separately downloaded, printed and shared with your digital storytelling participants."
- CBC Books - Up Ghost River: A Chief's Journey Through the Turbulent Waters of Native History This site includes a brief information on Up Ghost River by Edmund Metatawabin with Alexandra Shimo and recordings.
Events & Projects
By 2009, in terms of public education, Library and Archives Canada had partnered with the Legacy of Hope Foundation and the Aboriginal Healing Foundation on two exhibitions: Where Are the Children? Healing the Legacy of the Residential Schools; and “We were so far away”: The Inuit Experience of Residential Schools.
- Reconciliation Canada "Born from the vision of Chief Dr. Robert Joseph, Gwawaenuk Elder, Reconciliation Canada is leading the way in engaging Canadians in dialogue and transformative experiences that revitalize the relationships among Indigenous peoples and all Canadians."
- “Our Legacy Our Hope” "The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) of Canada held its fourth national event in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan June 21. After attending a prior hearing, students from the We'koqma'q Mi'kmaw School in Nova Scotia created “Our Legacy Our Hope,” a documentary bearing witness to the intergenerational effects of Residential Schools and the ongoing work of the commission to address these legacies."
Canada’s Residential Schools: Reconciliation
Quotes from The Final Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Volume 6
Reconciliation must inspire Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal peoples to transform Canadian society so that our children and grandchildren can live together in dignity, peace, and prosperity on these lands we now share (p. 4).
Mi’kmaq and other Indigenous laws stress that humans must journey through life in conversation and negotiation with all creation. Reciprocity and mutual respect help sustain our survival. It is this kind of healing and survival that is needed in moving forward from the residential school experience (p. 13).
We Were Children (2012) NFB
If you are off-campus, please create your NFB account (free).
We Were Children Tim Wolochatiuk , National Film Board of Canada
Canada’s Residential Schools
Canada’s Residential Schools: The History, Part 1, Origins to 1939 by
The Final Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, Volume 1, Part 1
Call Number: E 96.5 T78 2015Publication Date: 2015
Each volume includes an extensive bibliography of Primary Sources, Legal Sources (e.g., case laws) and Secondary Sources (books, book chapters, journal articles, reports, websites, newspapers and broadcast media, theses and dissertations)
The volumes are downloadable.
Canada’s Residential Schools: The History, Part 2, 1939 to 2000 by
The Final Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, Volume 1
Isabelle Knockwood (pp. 193-195)
Isabelle Knockwood first entered residential school at Shubenacadie, Nova Scotia, on September 1, 1936. Her whole family accompanied her on the walk to school that day. One brother, Henry, had already been attending for four years. But for Isabelle and siblings Joe and Rose Anne, this was the beginning of their residential school lives [...]
Call Number: E 96.5 T78 2015Publication Date: 2015
Canada’s Residential Schools: The Inuit and Northern Experience by
The Final Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, Volume 2
Call Number: E 96.5 T78 2015Publication Date: 2015
Canada’s Residential Schools: The Métis Experience by
The Final Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, Volume 3
Call Number: E 96.5 T78 2015Publication Date: 2015
Canada’s Residential Schools: Missing Children and Unmarked Burials by
The Final Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, Volume 4
Call Number: E 96.5 T78 2015Publication Date: 2015
Canada’s Residential Schools: The Legacy by
The Final Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, Volume 5
Call Number: E 96.5 T78 2015Publication Date: 2015
Canada’s Residential Schools: Reconciliation by
The Final Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, Volume 6
Call Number: E 96.5 T78 2015Publication Date: 2015
Suggested Readings
Library and Archives Canada
- Library and Archives Canada. "Conducting Research on Residential Schools: A Guide to the Records of the Indian " (2012) The guide explains how to find and consult the records that are available in LAC’s collections about Indian residential schools, with a focus on records created by the Department of Indian Affairs (RG 10 / R216).
- Library and Archives Canada. "Native Residential Schools in Canada: A Selective Bibliography" (2002). Introduction General Works School Histories / Personal Accounts Theses Films at the National Film Board Further Research First Nations Periodicals
Statement of apology to former students of Indian Residential Schools
- June 11, 2008Prime Minister Harper offers full apology on behalf of Canadians for the Indian Residential Schools system
The video recording & transcript: Indian Residential Schools Statement of Apology - Prime Minister Stephen Harper
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