TOPIC:
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Analyse how and why the Government of Canada and the Church systematically attempted to assimilate Indigenous Peoples since 1871 (Treaties, Laws, Residential Schools).

Points to remember:

• Don’t forget to have a proper thesis and blueprint, and organize your arguments.
• Minimum word count is 800 words.
• Double-spaced (use the button/function -- don’t hit enter at the end of every sentence), and make sure you add in page numbers. Add a cover page, too.
• Don’t forget the “so what?”  factor / rationale / significance
• You MUST have a bibliography in Chicago Style with at least 5 sources.  
  • You must QUOTE the Indian Act in your essay.
  • Course notes may not be used as part of your bibliography.

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Where to Start your Research

• Sites suggested by your teacher:
  • Government of Canada, “Indian Act”
  • Government of Canada “Indian Residential Schools”
  • ​Treaty no. 1, see pp. 3-11. Includes Treaties no. 1-11, starting on p. 11 with Treaty no. 2. Treaty no. 6, pp. 59-91.
  • UBC, “The Indian Act”
  • Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs, “Historical Timeline”​
  • OWL Purdue Online Writing Lab, "Chicago Manual of Style"

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• Other online resources:
  • ​Primary resources:
    • Sessional Papers, Volume 20, Dominion of Canada, Session 1911-12. Pages 388-91 provide a full report by Indian Agent Thomas Deasy. This is a primary resource discussing residential schools/assimilation. To help you better understand what you are looking for, here is a copy of Mr. Deasy's letter, offered through FNESC.
    • Points to the Past provides a database of primary resources called Indigenous Peoples of North America (scroll down -- it is the 4th option down in the right column). Make sure you use keyword search, and indicate "Canada". Consider using Topic Finder.
    • What is Reconciliation - Murray Sinclair.  Video that explains why we are discussing reconciliation, what it means and how our thinking was misinformed in the past.  More information on this http://www.trc.ca/
    • Library and Archives Canada: School Files Series - 1879-1953 (RG10).  Includes attendance and discharge records, school establishment, administration files, inspection reports, transportation of students, quarterly returns, nominal rolls, principal's monthly reports, medical records, training of teachers, and plans of buildings.
      
      • Microfilm C-8786 (p. 6) provides details on Squamish Residential School (start on p. 31 when in document). 
        
      • Start on page 5 of options for BC residential schools. You will need to read through files to find what you are looking for. See image below for navigation help:​​​
        

• ​Secondary resources:
  • Stolen Lives (from Facing History and Ourselves). Explores the difficult history of residential schools such as their origins and legacies. History, pp. 27-32; Indian Act, pp. 33-38; residential schools, pp. 39-54. Shorter version, pp. 112-118 & 120-126.
  • How Did We Get Here? A concise account of the history of the relationship between Indigenous Peoples and Canada. Pages 7-9 & 19-24 address assimilation, and pages 14-16 address treaties. 
  • Stolen Children: Residential School Survivors Speak Out (18 minutes) CBC News: The National.
  • Teaching Truth in the Classroom (from International Center for Transitional Justice). Canadian youth address legacy of residential schools and their impacts (9-minute video). 
  • They Came for the Children. Pages 9-16 explore why residential schools were imposed. Start on page 9 with "The Davin Report" (p. 18 in the left margin).

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• Print resources*: These resources contain both primary and secondary sources. ​
  • Level 1 (slightly easier-to-read texts)
    • Aboriginal Peoples: Building for the Future by Kevin Reed. Discusses First Contact, treaties, enfranchisement and residential schools. 
    • Aboriginal Treaties by Carolyn Gray. Discusses treaties established in the 1920s, & 1950s - 1970s.
    • Speaking Our Truth by Monique Gray Smith. Discusses Indigenous life pre- and post-contact, and how families were affected.
    • Treaties in Canada: Educational Guide
  • Level 2 (more challenging texts)
    • First Nations 101 by Lynda Gray. Cover the BNA Act, Indian Act, reserves, Canada/US border divisions, residential schools, child welfare (incl. the 60s Scoop), politics and cultural appropriation.
    • I Have Lived Here Since the World Began by Arthur J. Ray. Covers banning ceremonies and residential schools. 
    • Seven Fallen Feathers by Tanya Talaga. While investigating First Nation youth deaths in Thunder Bay, Indigenous journalist Talaga recounts the rise of residential schools as she visits those who have first-hand knowledge.
    • Truth and Reconciliation in Canadian Schools by Pamela Rose Toulouse. Provides an overview of Canada's effects on Indigenous ways of life with concise explanations of treaties.
  • Level 3 (more challenging texts)
    • Aboriginal Peoples and Politics by Paul Tennant. Explains the effects of treaties, specific to British Columbia's Indigenous Peoples.
    • Behind Closed Doors: Stories from the Kamloops Indian Residential School. Provides first-person accounts of residential school experiences.
    • A National Crime by John S. Milloy. Discusses the Canadian government's involvement in the creation of residential schools, including their founding "vision".

* All scanned pages follow Access Canada's copyright rules for Fair Dealing.

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Bibliography resources:

• OWL Purdue Online Writing Lab, “Chicago Manual of Style”
• NoodleTools videos: How to register and how to create a new project (see below).