Week 10: Residential schools interview withy Cody Groat
Dr. Cody Groat, an assistant professor in the Department of History and Indigenous Studies Program at Western University, is from the Gan-Gaga (Mohawk) Nation and a band member of Six Nations of the Grand River. His personal connection to the Indian Residential School (IRS) system profoundly influences his scholarship and teaching.
1. Dr. Cody Groat's Personal Context
Family Background: Groat's father was a survivor of the 60s Scoop, involved in the overrepresentation of Indigenous children in the child welfare system. His paternal grandparents, Stanley Groat and Sarah Maracle, were survivors of the Mohawk Institute residential school.
Discovery of Family History: Growing up in a predominantly Caucasian community in Southwestern Ontario, Groat was largely disconnected from his Indigenous identity until around age 18. His father had limited knowledge of his parents' residential school experiences due to being removed from his home at six months old and the subsequent broken bond. Groat's identity journey began in university at the Indigenous Students' Centre.
Academic Influence: A first-year course with Dr. Kim Anderson, a Metis scholar, on "Indigenous Peoples in a Contemporary World" introduced him to the IRS system. In 2012, during the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's (TRC) early work, a tour of the former Mohawk Institute revealed his grandparents' names on a plaque, a pivotal moment of discovery.
Archival Research: Groat faced difficulties accessing his grandparents' records. He found his grandmother Sarah Maracle's admission records, showing her referred to by a number and issues with incorrect familial information due to being born out of wedlock and raised by aunts and uncles. She likely attended the Mohawk Institute for 12-13 years. His grandfather Stanley Groat's records are virtually nonexistent, with only a 1919 class list in "The Mush Hole" book as proof, illustrating common cyclical purging of records.
2. The History of Residential Schools Course at Western University
Motivation: Groat designed this course, the first of its kind at Western, informed by both his personal connection and academic distance, allowing him flexibility in teaching.
Challenges and Controversies: Teaching the IRS history is highly controversial, politicized, and, at times, dangerous for scholars.
Academic Debate on "Genocide": The Canadian Historical Association's 2021 statement calling the IRS system an act of genocide sparked deep divisions among historians, with some colleagues at Western signing an open letter contesting the term.
Residential School Denialism: The course addresses a spectrum of denialist views, from outright refusal that deaths or violence occurred to claims of positive experiences at schools, emphasizing that the history is not neutral.
Trauma-Informed Pedagogy: Inspired by Dr. Eve Tuck, Groat aims to move beyond purely trauma-based narratives to focus on Indigenous resiliency, culture, language, and identity.
Student Impact: The course acknowledges that some students cannot attend due to their own lived trauma regarding sexual assault, physical abuse, or systemic violence. Groat provides content warnings for explicit topics and balances difficult content with broader historical context.
Course Content Overview:
Purpose of Education: Examines education's purpose in IRS, Western University, and elementary schools, distinguishing between formal (e.g., mathematics, Christianity, manual labor) and informal curricula (e.g., being a "civilized" citizen based on Western values).
Early Historical Context (Pre-1867):
Valladolid Debate (1550): Explores the debate in Europe concerning the personhood of Indigenous peoples and justification for enslavement or colonization, concluding they were human but Christianity was seen as beneficial for "civilization."
New France and Marie de l'Incarnation: Discusses the Ursuline nun who established early educational institutions to advance Catholicism and French language. Her "dual legacy" includes assimilationist ideologies but also opening the first school for girls in North America, highlighting the complexity of historical figures like John A. Macdonald and Egerton Ryerson.
Upper Canada: Indigenous political leaders like John Brant (Mohawk Nation) and Reverend Peter Jones (Anishinaabe) initially advocated for schools (like the Mohawk Institute and Mount Elgin) as cross-cultural educational ventures to prepare children for changing economies. These schools later became increasingly assimilationist, deeming Indigenous values counter-productive.
Post-Confederation Canada (After ):
British North America Act: Established federal responsibility for "Indians and land reserved for Indians" while education remained a provincial responsibility. This led the federal government to create the IRS system.
Church Partnerships: The Government of Canada, lacking educational capacity, partnered with various religious denominations: Catholic Church, Anglican Church, United Church, Methodist Church, Baptist Church, and Presbyterian Church, which provided staff and curriculum.
Chronic Underfunding and the "Half-Day System": Persistent federal underfunding led to students spending half, and often more, of their day in manual labor (farming, carpentry, domestic work) to generate revenue and sustain school operations. This greatly reduced academic instruction.
Systemic Violence: Lack of oversight and societal perceptions of Indigenous peoples as "lesser" contributed to physical, sexual, and psychological abuse, as well as student-on-student violence, fostering toxic environments.
Linguicide: Initially, Indigenous languages were sometimes used for religious instruction. However, by the early , their use was violently suppressed (e.g., whipping, beatings, forced starvation) as it countered assimilationist objectives.
Curriculum and Archival Resources: The course utilizes recently acquired Western University library materials, including Anglican Church curriculum documents, assimilationist picture books for Arctic schools, and challenging student-prepared assignments about daily life at home vs. residential schools. The latter raises ethical discussions about public accessibility and survivor consent.
Recreation and Leisure: Acknowledges that students engaged in activities like Girl Guides, Boy Scouts, cadets, and hockey teams (e.g., St. Michael's Ducks, where Fred Sasakamoose learned hockey). This aspect is balanced against its potential weaponization by denialists who claim positive experiences negate the overall assimilationist objectives.
The Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement (IRSSA, 2006): The largest class-action lawsuit in Canadian history, leading to the establishment of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of anada (TRC).
Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC): Mandated by court order, the TRC had limitations (e.g., could not accuse individuals of crimes). It was influenced by South Africa's TRC (apartheid) and Australia's 1997 Royal Commission into the Stolen Generations, which framed the events as genocide.
The Term "Genocide": Discusses the controversial use of the term. The House of Commons and Pope Francis have now recognized the IRS system as genocidal. The UN Genocide Convention (1951), written by Raphael Lemkin, initially included "cultural genocide," but it was removed due to pressure from the Canadian government (Prime Minister Louis St-Laurent). The course explores "legalist" interpretations (adhering to the UN Convention) versus "pluralist" definitions (broader view of the totality of Indigenous experiences).
Guiding Course Statement: Groat's thesis for the course is: "The Indian residential school system was developed with the specific intent of culturally assimilating Indigenous children into non-Indigenous society; chronic mismanagement based on broader societal perceptions of Indigenous peoples as being 'lesser' led to sustained incidences of physical, sexual, and psychological violence and associated trauma."
3. Reflections on Teaching the Course
Non-Mandatory Status: Groat believes the course should not be mandatory due to content that might re-traumatize students, the need for a conducive learning environment free from angry denialists, and the importance of fostering genuine interest.
Class Size: The course is capped at 50 students to ensure one-on-one engagement, nuanced discussions, and a sense of community.
Teacher Well-being: Groat does not plan to teach the course continuously (e.g., not beyond 2025) to avoid becoming desensitized to the traumatic content (student deaths, sexual violence) and to manage the emotional toll.
Transformational Impact: The course can be transformative for students, especially those from Catholic school backgrounds grappling with institutional guilt, or Indigenous students seeking to understand their families' lived experiences, language loss, and cultural disconnection.
Dr. Cody Groat believes that courses on residential schools should not be mandatory primarily because the content can be deeply re-traumatizing for some students. Additionally, a non-mandatory status helps ensure a conducive learning environment, free from individuals who might be denialist or disruptive, allowing for more nuanced and respectful discussions. This approach fosters genuine interest among students who choose to engage with the difficult subject matter, promoting deeper learning rather than forced participation.