Creating Healing Art after Learning about Residential Schools in Canada

Objectives of the residential school system

Being creative with what you have at home, students will create a piece of healing art after the completion of the modules about Residential Schools in Canada. Students are not expected to go out and buy craft materials, but they can do if they wish. Be creative with what you already have! It can be something as simple as a sketch, a painted rock, a bookmark, photographs, etc. Students will create a brief description that will answer the following questions:

Describe what you created and what it means to you. Describe what you hope others would feel or think about when they look at your artwork. This assignment is an opportunity for students to process their grief, hope, sadness, or resilience.

They can use images, words, abstract concepts, and their creativity. By creating these artworks, students can release their difficult-to-process emotions about Residential Schools. After the course, students might keep their art, to help them unpack what they have learned, send it away to someone, destroy it, use it as a reminder or whatever they choose, etc.

Two primary objectives of the residential school 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.” Today, we recognize that this policy of assimilation was wrong, has caused great harm, and has no place in our country.

CLO 1 Examine historical context and content contributing to the development and implementation of residential schools in Canada.

CLO 2 Wholistically explore the impact of law, colonization and the resulting cultural genocide in Canada.

CLO 3 Analyze the findings of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and the resulting 94 calls to action.

CLO 4 Reflect on course learning to define personal and wholistic responsibilities.