Indigenous Denialism -Reading Summary

Many Indigenous children faced limited academic and vocational instruction in residential institutions.
The "new skills" imparted were largely detrimental, involving:
- Religious indoctrination.
- Corporal punishment that enforced compliance and obedience.
- Cultural and bodily shame being placed upon students.
- Alienation from family structures.
- Disconnection from subsistence economies which traditionally supported their communities.
- Substandard preparation for wage labor, lacking meaningful skills required for economic advancement.

These institutions were often defended using humanitarian and sacred terms.
The learned skills predominantly aimed at dismantling Indigenous ways of life, positioning Indigenous children for roles within the lower-class space of productive service within capitalist frameworks.
Notably, Indigenous children were not directed towards vocational or professional trajectories that would allow for competition within society at large.

Despite ongoing discoveries of bodies and widespread testimonies detailing extreme traumas inflicted by church officials and educators:
- Denialists often mitigate these harsh realities by invoking the "good intentions" of certain school officials.
- This narrative serves to sustain a genocidal educational model for over a century, glossing over the systematic nature of the abuses.

Denialists may reference whatever scant positive experiences existed as a means of absolving institutional culpability.
This reasoning dismisses the pervasive violence, deprivation, and forced separations from familial and cultural bonds suffered by Indigenous students.
Quotes from the Anglican Church of Canada:
- They acknowledge running approximately 30% of residential schools and affirm that "there was nothing good" about such a system, which aimed to "kill the Indian in the child."

The concept of "balance" in this context refers to presenting equal importance to the positive and negative aspects of residential schooling.
Denialists often engage in a practice known as false balance, improperly suggesting that the benefits and detriments of residential schools were on equal footing.
This strategy undermines the lived experiences of Indigenous peoples and their historical oppression, maintaining the status quo while neglecting the authentic narrative of colonial violence.

The saying "it was of the times" seeks to excuse past injustices by claiming contemporary moral judgments should not apply.
Contrary to this notion, Indigenous populations were vocal critics of the residential school system:
- Parents, students, and community leaders spoke out about the injustices they faced.
- Dissent and resistance were often met with efforts to downplay and discredit rather than be recognized or corrected.
Powerful church and government figures suppressed these critiques to uphold a system contributing to settler colonialism and nation-building.

Civility describes the expectations imposed on Indigenous voices, particularly when challenging widely accepted denialist narratives.
Indigenous expressions of anger, sadness, or refusal to engage in polite discourse are frequently labeled as uncivil.
In contrast, settler outrage aimed at preserving denialism is often accommodated in public forums, reflecting a bias against Indigenous perspectives and dismissing their validity.

Denialism surrounding residential schools functions as a manipulative strategy.
It seeks to erase the painful realities faced by Indigenous peoples and preserve narratives that protect current social structures and power dynamics.