Shingwauk Indian Residential School
Shingwauk Indian Residential School was part of the Canadian residential school system and one of the 130 boarding schools for First Nations, Métis, and Inuit children that operated in Canada between 1874 and 1996. Operated by the Anglican Church of Canada and the Government of Canada, the Shingwauk School operated from 1873 to 1970 in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada.[1] Shingwauk Hall, built in 1935, forms the central building of Algoma University.
History
Early Indian Schools in Sault Ste. Marie
Prior to the establishment of the Shingwauk School smaller school mission schools existed in Sault Ste. Marie. In 1833 William McMurray, an Anglican missionary arrived in Garden River First Nation. His arrival resulted in the establishment of a day school being built at the top of Pim Hill in Sault Ste. Marie.[2] This day school was attended by children from Garden River First Nation and was funded by the government and the Anglican Church.[3]
Shingwauk Industrial Home
In 1871, Anglican Missionary Reverend Edward Francis Wilson arrived in Garden River First Nation. He worked with the Anglican Church, government, and local First Nation community to raise money for a school. As a result of his fundraising efforts, the first Shingwauk Industrial Home opened on September 22, 1873 in Garden River First Nation.[4] The school opened with sixteen boys enrolled as students. Six days after opening the school was completed destroyed by fire.[5]
Shingwauk Home
Following the destruction of the School in Garden River, Rev. E.F. Wilson purchased a 90-acre site of land in Sault Ste. Marie, at what is now known as 1520 Queen Street East. On July 31, 1874 the Earl of Dufferin, Governor General of Canada visited the school site and laid the corner stone of what would become the Shingwauk Home. The new school officially opened on August 2, 1875 to 50 students.[5] The school did not have running water or electricity. This building was replaced by the New Shingwauk Hall in 1935.
Wawanosh Home
The Shingwauk Home building was not designed to accommodate both male and female students. As a result the Wawanosh Home, a separate girls residential school was established 5 km away in Sault Ste. Marie. The school opened in 1877 with an initial enrollment of ten female students. Construction continued on the Wawanosh Home until 1879 when the school was opened in earnest and enrollment increased to 15 students. The Wawanosh Home was administered by the Anglican Church and overseen by Shingwauk Home principal Rev. E.F. Wilson.[6]
By the mid-1880s it was decided by Wilson that the Wawanosh Home could be more effectively managed if the girls were located on the same site as the Shingwauk Home. As a result, a girls wing was added onto the Shingwauk Home on Queen Street. In 1900 the Wawanosh Home officially relocated to the Shingwauk site.
The old Wawanosh Home was purchased by the Children's Aid Society of Algoma. The building was operated as a shelter from 1912-1955.[7]
New Shingwauk Indian Residential School
In 1935 the new Shingwauk Hall opened on the Shingwauk site, immediate behind the old building. This new building was designed for 140 students and contained many modern conveniences such as running water and electricity that the old Shingwauk Home did not have. The Shingwauk School was closed by the Department of Indian Affairs in June 1970.[8] Algoma University College moved onto the Shingwauk site in 1971 and the Shingwauk Hall building is presently the main building of Algoma University.[9]
School Chapel
The Bishop Fauiquer Memorial Chapel is the only remaining building from the early years of the Shingwauk School. Construction of the chapel began in 1881 and was completed in 1883. The Chapel is named after Bishop Frederick Dawson Fauquier, the first Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Algoma. During the operation of the Shingwauk Indian Residential School students and staff attended weekly services at the chapel and the building was also used for weddings, funerals, and special occasions.[10]
In 1981 the Chapel was designated as a heritage site under the Ontario Heritage Act by the City of Sault Ste. Marie.[11]
School Cemetery
The Shingwauk Memorial Cemetery contains the graves of over 120 students and staff of the Shingwauk Indian Residential School. Many of these graves are unmarked. During the residential school era staff and church officials received stone headstones but the majority of the students' graves were marked with wooden crosses. As a result of vandalism and the deterioration of wood none of these wooden crosses are left.
The land for the cemetery was donated to the Shingwauk School by William Stratton, the owner of the adjacent farm to the Shingwauk School. The cemetery was consecrated by Bishop Frederick Dawson Fauquier on June 2, 1876. The stone wall which surrounds the older original portion of the cemetery was constructed by the students of the Shingwauk School.[12]
In the mid 1980s the Children of Shingwauk Alumni Association and other concerned survivors of the Shingwauk school erected a monument in memory of all who are buried in the cemetery. A list of known individuals buried was created to accompany this monument, copies are held in the Bishop Fauquier Memorial Chapel and the Shingwauk Residential Schools Centre at Algoma University.[13]
Life at Shingwauk
At its peak over 150 students were living and attending school at the Shingwauk Indian Residential School. During the Shingwauk Home era(1974-1935) the School was operated on the industrial school model. Students would attend classes for half a day and do manual labor around the school for the other half. The Shingwauk Home was designed as a self-sufficient institution with a fully functioning farm. Much of the work the students engaged in would have related to the day to day operation of the farm and school.
Similar to other residential schools across Canada there were poor living conditions at Shingwauk and the quality of education that many children received was sub-par. Many survivors from Shingwauk have spoken about abuse, neglect, and the long term impacts of the assimilation process that occurred at residential schools.[14]
School Principals
| Principal Name | Years |
|---|---|
| Rev. E.F. Wilson | 1873-1893 |
| James Lawler | 1894 |
| George Ley King | 1897-1906 |
| Rev. Benjamin P. Fuller | 1910-1929 |
| Rev. Charles F. Hives | 1926-1941 |
| Rev. Arthur E. Minchin | 1941-1948 |
| Rev. Douglas C. Wickenden | 1948-1954 |
| Rev. Roy Phillips | 1954-1966 |
| David Lawson | 1966-1967 |
| Allan Wheatley | 1967-1968 |
| Rev. Noel Goater | 1968-1970 |
Memorials
There are numerous memorials on the Shingwauk Indian Residential School Site, including:
- Cairn dedicated to the founder of the Shingwauk School, Rev. E.F. Wilson. This monument is current located on the front lawn of Algoma University and was constructed from stones from the original principal's residence that was on the side until 1935.
- Directly behind the Wilson Cairn is a monument put up by the Children of Shingwauk Alumni Association. This monument was erected in August 2012 and is in memory of all who attended residential school across Turtle Island with an emphasis on those who didn't return home. The commemorative plaque is surrounded by the seven grandfather teachings.[16]
- The Shingwauk Memorial Cemetery cairn erected by the Children of Shingwauk Alumni Association and the cemetery committee following the 1981 Shingwauk Reunion commemorates all who are buried in the cemetery.
- Also located in the Shingwauk Memorial Cemetery is a commemorative bench. The bench features the inscription "In Memory of Shingwauk Residential School. Students Remembering Students" and was placed in the cemetery in 2012.[17]
- There is also an Ontario Heritage Foundation plaque commemorating the history of the Shingwauk site. This marker is situated outside the Bishop Fauquier Chapel, the only remaining structure from the early years of the Shingwauk School.
- The Shingwauk Residential School site has also received two commemorative markers as part of the Assembly of First Nations commemorative marker project. These markers are for the Shingwauk Indian Residential School and the Wawanosh Indian Residential School. One of the markers is temporarily on display in the Shingwauk Residential Schools Centre. The permanent placement of the markers is still being decided.[18]
See also
Notes
- ↑ Miller, James Rodger (1996). Shingwauk's Vision: A History of Native Residential School Schools. University of Toronto Press. ISBN 0-8020-7858-3.
- ↑ Colloton, Frederick W. "The Church in Sault Ste Marie" (after 1890) [textual]. Frederick W. Colloton fonds, Box: 001, File: 010, ID: 2009-073-001-001. Sault Ste Marie, ON: Engracia De Jesus Matias Archives and Special Collections, Algoma University. 2009-073.
- ↑ Shingwauk Indian Residential School fonds. Sault Ste Marie, ON: Shingwauk Residential Schools Centre, Algoma University.
- ↑ "Missionary Work Among the Ojebway Indians, part 1 of 2" (1886) [textual]. Edward F. Wilson fonds, Series: Wilson publication series, Box: 001, File: 039, ID: 2010-022-001-039. Sault Ste Marie, ON: Shingwauk Residential Schools Centre, Algoma University.
- 1 2 Auger, Donald J (2005). Indian Residential Schools in Ontario. Nishnawbe Aski Nation.
- ↑ Martin, Carol (November 19, 2008). "Shingwauk Indian Residential School - Sault Ste Marie, ON". Anglican Church of Canada. Retrieved April 6, 2016.
- ↑ "Children's Aid Society of Algoma A Brief History" (PDF). Children's Aid Society of Algoma. 2013. Retrieved April 6, 2016.
- ↑ Shingwauk's Vision: From Traching Wigwam to Shingwauk University. Shingwauk Project, Algoma University. 1992.
- ↑ Algoma University.Academic Calendar, 2010-2011 ed.; Introduction: History of Algoma University, pg. iii
- ↑ "The Bishop Fauquier Memorial Chapel, A History" (1985) [textual]. Bishop Fauquier Memorial Chapel (Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.) fonds, Series: Chapel restoration series, Box: 002, File: 003, ID: 2009-070-002-03. Sault Ste Marie, ON: Shingwauk Residential Schools Centre, Algoma University. 2009-070.
- ↑ "Bishop Fauquier Memorial Chapel". Canada's Historic Places. Retrieved April 7, 2016.
- ↑ Colloton, F.W. "The Story of the Shingwauk cemetery" (1954) [textual]. Shingwauk Project collection, Series: Document series, Box: 003, File: 005, ID: 2010-046-003-005. Sault Ste Marie, ON: Shingwauk Residential Schools Centre, Algoma University. 2009-046.
- ↑ Morrow, Harry. "Reunion follow-up letter about the Shingwauk cemetery" (1984) [textual]. Shingwauk 1981 reunion fonds, Box: 002, File: 019, ID: 2010-050-002-019. Sault Ste Marie, ON: Shingwauk Residential Schools Centre, Algoma University. 2009-050.
- ↑ Sims, Jane (March 12, 2015). "Susie Jones was taken from her family and transferred to a residential school". London Free Press (London, Ontario). Retrieved April 26, 2016.
- ↑ Shingwauk Indian Residential School fonds, Series: Indian Homes Committee series. Sault Ste Marie, ON: Shingwauk Residential Schools Centre, Algoma University. 2014-020.
- ↑ Purvis, Michael (July 17, 2012). "Shingwauk site to become memorial for 'the forgotten children' of Indian residential schools". Sault Star (Sault Ste Marie, Ontario). Retrieved April 13, 2016.
- ↑ Baker, Patricia (April 1, 2012). "Shedding her shell". Sault Star (Sault Ste Marie, Ontario). Retrieved April 13, 2016.
- ↑ Alamenciak, Tim (June 18, 2015). "Why Ontario's residential school sites are a chance for reconciliation". TVO. Retrieved April 13, 2016.