The Fallen Feather - Kinetic Video

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The most noted challenge to confederation was felt further east. In the prairies, the Cree and the Métis revolted in the Red River Rebellion followed by the Northwest Rebellion of 1885. The Métis, whose concerns over land issues were largely ignored, refused to recognize the Canadian Government's newly imposed authority. They along with the Cree considered the prairies as their independent land. Macdonald had neglected to consult with them while negotiating the Rupert’s Land deal with the Hudson’s Bay Company. Louis Riel formed an independent Métis Government, and took control of Upper Fort Gary. He then held Government representatives as prisoners and refused permission of Canadian officials to enter the territory. Like the Chilcoten War in British Columbia, the central Government’s assumption that it controlled the land was being challenged. Riel’s friend and fellow Métis leader Gabriel Dumont and the Métis supporters posed a direct threat to Macdonald and his vision of a unified Canada. It is important to understand the effect that war has on the mind set of a government. And we will see that the Indian Residential School Policy was specifically designed to address this military problem. There are many contributing factors to the political unrest during this time: the railway scandal (CPR); changes of Government; British Columbia threatening to pull out of confederation; social Darwinism; greed; bigotry. All of these had a part to play in the creation of Indian Residential Schools. But, of all these factors, the military threat is the most significant. In times of war morality becomes simplified. You have good guys and you have bad guys. The Government would not be able to hold the land unless it was first able to enforce its boundaries. To prevent further rebellions among the native population Macdonald worked toward establishing the North West Mounted Police in 1873, now the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). This paramilitary force would enforce new laws and pacify the Indian population. With the threat of war, it was clear to the Government that the First Nations of Western Canada were not going to easily give up their land. 10
So in the interests of Nation Building, Macdonald’s government formulated a new Indian policy that would put an end to the land question. This policy would pacify First Nations adults through rigidly enforced regulations, wile aggressively assimilating First nations children into the European culture. The RCMP would control the parents, but what about their children. Left untouched, they would grow up into adults, and then the Indian problem would continue. Well and again. I think that the Residential Schools were part of a larger nation building policies of the federal government of the time. And you know, as apposed to a pure altruistic educational policy it was very much of dealing with aboriginal populations in particular areas in particular ways. And the Indian Residential Schools and the institutions of Residential Schools could be used in those different areas as suited the needs of the Government of the day rather then necessarily the educational needs of the aboriginal population. Christopher Devlin, LP-CBA And this policy was constructed so that we were removed from our families, from our communities, we were denied our culture our languages and there was little, no positive reinforcement of who we were as a peoples. So the schools were really designed to confine our people, to keep them in one place. And unfortunately this particular policy had tragic consequences. National Chief Phil Fontaine, AFN You know, people justify horrible acts during times of war. And for Macdonald, this would include the taking of children as hostages. 11
Page 1: The Fallen Feather Indian Industria
Page 5 and 6: The Fallen Feather Indian Industria
Page 7 and 8: Before European settlement of North
Page 9 and 10: The Ottawa nation in particular had
Page 12: Around the time of Confederation -
Page 17 and 18: Further to this, J. A. McCrae an In
Page 19 and 20: First Nations people had no choice
Page 21 and 22: I can remember when I first came in
Page 23 and 24: the Priest used to go and change an
Page 25 and 26: The Strapping I got when I was abse
Page 27 and 28: When you attended Residential Schoo
Page 29 and 30: The more children enrolled in class
Page 31 and 32: oys would have to go and pick them
Page 33 and 34: This was the dinning room. The staf
Page 35 and 36: Consider this: If the Indian polic
Page 37: Bryce charged that this was a “Cr
Page 41 and 42: There was a period were there was u
Page 43 and 44: In 1920 Before a Parliamentary Comm
Page 46 and 47: I have to go right back to what hap
Page 49: The federal governments desire to d
Page 53: First Nations identity was suppress
Page 58: Was this the answer My culture lost
Page 62 and 63: The Fallen Feather Dec 2007 Fallen
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Created by Randy N Bezeau - Preside
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The Fallen Feather - Kinetic Video

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