Natives were a minority, giving Europeans the power needed to reinforce chauvinistic ideas. New-coming Europeans took everything from the natives, their land, resources, and children. Aboriginals had let the children go, assuming they would be kept in civil conditions and get the care needed (Treble, O’Hara). Aboriginal communities were unaware of the system’s disastrous goal of assimilation by stripping children of language and culture. They assumed the Europeans could not possibly take anything more from them, but they were wrong. At the institutes children would be subject to vigorous labor without much learning due to how underfunded the system was (“Moving Beyond-Impacts of Residential Schools”), unable to communicate in own tongues or practice traditions. “Survivors recall being beaten and strapped, some students were shackled to their beds; some had needles shoved in their tongues for speaking their native languages” (Miller). “Some schools did attempt to use positive reinforcement to encourage assimilation, but often children who did not conform were punished” (Rheault). No positive experiences were gained from such events. Therefore, the system was
Natives were a minority, giving Europeans the power needed to reinforce chauvinistic ideas. New-coming Europeans took everything from the natives, their land, resources, and children. Aboriginals had let the children go, assuming they would be kept in civil conditions and get the care needed (Treble, O’Hara). Aboriginal communities were unaware of the system’s disastrous goal of assimilation by stripping children of language and culture. They assumed the Europeans could not possibly take anything more from them, but they were wrong. At the institutes children would be subject to vigorous labor without much learning due to how underfunded the system was (“Moving Beyond-Impacts of Residential Schools”), unable to communicate in own tongues or practice traditions. “Survivors recall being beaten and strapped, some students were shackled to their beds; some had needles shoved in their tongues for speaking their native languages” (Miller). “Some schools did attempt to use positive reinforcement to encourage assimilation, but often children who did not conform were punished” (Rheault). No positive experiences were gained from such events. Therefore, the system was