Residential schools were a key part of the Canadian government’s policy called “aggressive assimilation”. The government felt children were easier to mould than adults, and the concept of a boarding school was the best way to prepare them for life in mainstream society.
The schools were federally run under the Department of Indian Affairs. Attendance was mandatory, and agents were employed by the government to ensure all native children attended. Many children suffered greatly due to emotional, physical and sexual abuse as well as the pain of being separated from their family and the subsequent loss of their language and culture. Returning to their communities after years in residential schools, many survivors discovered they couldn’t even relate to their own family members anymore.
In 1931, at the peak of the residential school system, there were about 80 schools operating in Canada. In all, about 150,000 aboriginal, Inuit and Métis children were removed from their communities and forced to attend the schools. The last residential schools did not close until the late 1990s.
The two main schools that housed Nuxalk children were St. Michael’s, located in Alert Bay, and the Port Alberni Residential School. Nuxalk children were also sent out to Williams Lake, and Coqualeetza in Chilliwack. Many Nuxalk survivors attended school in St. Michael’s or Port Alberni, or both.
A plaque, affixed to a large rock, was unveiled at the base of the totem pole in Bella Coola. The plaque explains the story behind the totem pole, which was carved by Alvin Mack, Marven Tallio, and Noel Pootlass.
Cache info: it is located in the old brass and wooden sign close to the pole. Be stealthy, this is the town square!