Inuit Experiences

In the late 1940s, a Special Joint Committee created by the Government of Canada found that Indian Residential Schools weren’t working. Residential schools across the country were ordered to be closed and their students be transferred to provincial schools. But then, over a decade later, two new residential schools opened in Inuvik, Northwest Territories: Grollier Hall and Stringer Hall. In this episode, Dinjii Zhuh historian Dr. Crystal Gail Fraser, an assistant professor in the University of Alberta’s Faculty of Native Studies, explains why the government ignored those recommendations, and what that meant for institutionalized students. Survivors Piita Irniq and Abraham Anghik Ruben give first-hand accounts of life in Northern residential schools. Hosted by Shaneen Robinson-Desjarlais, this is “Residential Schools: Inuit Experiences.”

Show Notes

Special thanks to Survivors Piita Irniq and Abraham Anghik Ruben. Survivor testimony for this episode provided by the Legacy of Hope Foundation. Additional resources include University of Regina’s Shattering Silence and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s final report, Honouring the Truth, Reconciling for the Future.

Thanks to our consultant, Inuit writer, researcher, and scholar Norma Dunning.

Illustrations by Halie Finney.

Additional reading:

• Truth and Reconciliation Commission Reports
• Final Report: National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls
• Report of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples

What is Residential Schools?

“Residential Schools” is a three-part podcast series created by Historica Canada and hosted by Shaneen Robinson-Desjarlais. It aims to commemorate the history and legacy of residential schools, and honour the stories of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Survivors, their families, and communities.

The Residential Schools podcast series is part of a larger awareness campaign created by Historica Canada and funded by the Government of Canada. Along with the podcast series, Historica Canada also offers a video series, an education guide, and several new entries on The Canadian Encyclopedia about the history and legacy of residential schools.

Illustrations by Halie Finney.