OUR RECONCILIATION MANDATE
The Power of Play
Reaching for Reconciliation: One Game At A Time
In 1876, a bill known in parliament as The Indian Act passed into law, imposing wide-reaching regulations on who or what could be considered “Indian.” In 1883, John Alexander Macdonald, first prime minister of Canada, authorized the creation of the first, government-operated residential schools. In 1920, Duncan Campbell Scott, Deputy Superintendent of Indian Affairs, mandated that all Indigenous children between the ages of 7 and 15 were required to attend a government residential school.
Some Canadians believe that 1876, or 1883, or perhaps even 1920, marked the beginning of the black chapter in Canadian history that was the Canadian residential school system. The truth is that the roots of this “civilizing mission” go back even further.
Indian Residential School, Sewing Class, Resolution, N.W.T
Credit: Library and Archives Canada/PA-043181
"The moment there exists a settlement which has any permanent character, then education in some form or another should be brought within reach of the children. This is not merely a matter of policy. It is that, of course, in the highest degree. It is a sacred duty."
Report on Industrial Schools for Indians and Half-breeds, Pg 11. March 14th, 1879.
The residential school system was an institution predicated upon the idea of cultural and ethnic superiority. Long-standing traditions, beliefs, and cultural practices were seen as obstacles to be brushed aside, as a child might toss away their toys as they grow into adulthood.
The separation of families lay at the core of the residential school system. The presence of family and community were considered to be inhibitions to the ultimate goal of assimilating Indigenous peoples into the greater populace. For generations, the residential school system employed family separation as a tool to isolate Indigenous children from their own communities, even going so far as to deny parents the right to see their children as punishment for perceived misbehavior.
"All the representatives of the five civilized nations declared their belief that the chief thing to attend to in dealing with the less civilized or wholly barbarous tribes, was to separate the children from the parents. As I have said, the Indian department in Washington have not much hope in regard to the adult Indians, but sanguine anticipations are cherished respecting the children."
Report on Industrial Schools for Indians and Half-breeds, Pg 7. March 14th, 1879.
These children were made to grow up in an environment in which expressions of their culture, heritage, and language were met with physical, verbal, and emotional abuse. Discipline was the tool by which the Canadian government sought to erase Indigenous identity: to “kill the indian in the child.” For many years, the Canadian government denied Indigenous children their right to a proper childhood, to instead be replaced with a strict schedule of religious instruction and subsistence farm labour.
And yet, in spite of their efforts, they failed. Were it not for the strength and resilience of Indigenous peoples, they may have even succeeded. In spite of institutional struggles, in spite of the scars the residential school system left behind, Indigenous peoples are still here. And in our new generations, we find the hope for a future in which Indigenous peoples can embrace their own culture and history without fear of reprisal or shame.
Let Fun Inspire The Future
At Turtle Island Charity, we believe that the first step to realizing that future is to encourage play. Turtle Island Charity aims to create safe and fun environments for indigenous youth to be themselves–for kids to be kids, where they can reconnect with their own heritage and discover what makes them special in an easygoing, healthy environment. To that end, we believe in building programs not for indigenous children, but with them, creating opportunities that inspire them to learn and grow at their own pace. Community care, through community care–because we understand that real learning starts at home, and that it takes a village to raise a child.
Play–the exploration of identity, the discovery of things exciting and new, the testing of boundaries in a safe and welcoming environment–that is how children and youth learn. Not through the discipline of a closed fist, but through the invitation of an open hand.
That is where reconciliation begins for Turtle Island Charity.
