Rare Images Prove How Wild Growing Up In The Past Could Be

Children in the Residential School

Children growing up in residential schools refer to the Indigenous children in Canada and the United States were forcibly removed from their families. They were placed in government-sponsored or church-run residential schools. These schools sought to eradicate Indigenous cultures, languages, and traditions and assimilate children into Euro-Canadian or Euro-American society. The residential school system operated from the late 19th century to the late 20th century, with the peak period being from the 1880s to the 1980s. Indigenous children, often as young as 4 or 5 years old, were taken from their families and communities and sent to these schools far from their homes. The conditions in residential schools were often harsh, with children facing physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, neglect, and cultural suppression. Many children were forbidden from speaking their native languages, practicing their cultural traditions, or maintaining contact with their families.