Image 1: It is estimated that about 150,000 Indigenous children were removed from their communities and forced to attend residential schools, from the early 1800s until the late 1900s. Children were made to wear uniform clothing unlike what many would have worn at home.
Image 2: When students attended class, the girls were often separated from the boys.
Image 3: Sameness of clothing and even of haircuts was the norm. Upon reaching the schools, students were given a number, which would be attached to their clothing.
Image 4: The dormitories were often sparse and uniform. The children could seldom interact with siblings who were at the school at the same time, and prayer time was regimented.
Image 5: Girls usually had their meals separately from the boys.
Image 6: Washroom facilities were often very different from what the children would be used to at home.
Image 7: Girls were often given instruction in cooking or sewing, and some helped to prepare meals.
Image 8: A residential school survivor holds his granddaughter at a Truth and Reconciliation Commission audience.
Image 9: Approximately 150,000 First Nations, Métis and Inuit children were sent away to residential schools all across Canada between the early 1800s and the late 1900s.