Darian McKinney

Canadian Atrocities: Indigenous Residential Schools
 

The atrocities committed against the Indigenous Peoples of Canada have been a controversial topic in the 21st Century. The Canadian Government has been committed to Truth and Reconciliation, the process of establishing and rectifying the wrongs committed against the Indigenous peoples. Truth and Reconciliation is a long and laborious process. In recent years in an effort to rectify the wrong doings against the indigenous people, efforts have been made by public and private groups to advocate for the celebration of Indigenous culture. This is a crucial aspect to Reconciliation, but the atrocities against the Indigenous People must also be remembered. Indigenous Residential Schools operated in Canada for over 100 years. This educational system served to disestablish Indigenous culture, through the isolation and separation of Indigenous youth from their parents and communities. The Indigenous Residential Schools were one of the many inhumane tactics the Canadian Government used against the Indigenous Peoples. Although, knowledge of Residential Schools has increased with the government’s commitment to Truth and Reconciliation. The truth about the brutalities of Residential School are in a volatile situation, as survivors of Residential School age and pass away, the Canadian Government’s cruelty is forgotten. 

Architecture can serve to tell stories of humanity, this includes the horrors committed by humanity. These stories can be seen in such architectural works as Auschwitz-Berkenau and other holocaust memorials and museums, as well as the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. These works of architecture serve to tell the story of humanities greatest downfalls and moments of darkness. The acknowledgment of these atrocities serve as a path way to healing. The genocide committed by the Canadian Government must be acknowledged and presented to the public in an effort to complete the process of Truth and reconciliation.