Indian Day School
Historical Considerations
Content for the Timeline provided by the Moved to Action: Activating UNDRIP in Canadian Museums and members of Saugeen First Nation and Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation.
- Indigenous Milestones impacting Saugeen Ojibway Nation
Timeline
Note that this is not a comprehensive timeline of historic events, but is a selection of examples to reflect the relationship between Indigenous cultural heritage and museology over time.
Indigenous Community Milestones
Indigenous Peoples present on the territory now commonly referred to as Canada preserving, protecting and maintaining their cultural heritage. Each Indigenous Nation has their own origin story that connects them to their ancestral lands since time immemorial and expresses their cultural and spiritual ties to these lands, among other things.
Indigenous knowledge keepers from Nations across Turtle Island keep faithful accounts of history, both social and scientific, by means of oral traditions and storytelling. These were passed from generation to generation and endure today. These means of keeping history have assisted Western science, exploration, settlement, and settler survival from the time of contact through to today.
Irrefutable archeological evidence of human occupation in the northern half of North America, including the Tanana River Valley (Alaska), Haida Gwaii (British Columbia), Vermilion Lakes (Alberta), and Debert (Nova Scotia), to name a few examples.
Settlements and communities are present almost everwhere in what is currently Canada. From coast to cost, Indigenous Peoples have established spiritual, cultural, economic, social, scientific, and governance systems. Some examples of these governance structures include the Mi'kmaq Grand Council, the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, and the Blackfoot Confederacy, just to name a handful.
Image details: 4000 BCE. Buffalo hunt on the Great Plains. Image courtesy of Library and Archives Canada, Acc. No. 1960-50-2.9
Saugeen River Mouth.
Nodwell Village.
Pope Nicholas V issued the papal bull Dum Diversas, seen as the roots of the Doctrine of Discovery, used as legal and moral justification for colonial dispossession of sovereign Indigenous Nations.
Huron-Wendat Village Councils.
France declares the Colony of Canada as part of the larger territory of New France.
Frobisher's search for the Northwest Passage to Asia constitutes first known contact with Inuit.
The Great Peace of Montreal was signed between New France and 39 First Nations including Haudenosaunee, Odawa and Algonquin representatives.
Image details: 1701. Signatures of the leaders of the signatory nations to the Great Peace of Montreal. Calliére's secretary and other (for the pictograms). Digitization of 3 pages from the book, The Great Peace: Chronicle of a diplomatic saga, Alain Beaulieu, Roland Viau Montréal, éditions Libre Expressions, 2001.
Three Kanyen'kehà:ka chiefs and a Mahican journeyed to London, England, where they were presented to Queen Anne. Portrait of Tee Yee Neen HO Gaw Ro of the Kanyen'kehà:ka showing one of the wampum belts presented to Queen Anne at that visit.
Image details: 1710. Portrait of Tee Yee Neen HO Ga Ro of the Kanien'keha:ka showing one of the wampum belts presented to Queen Anne in 1710. Image courtesy of Library and Archives Canada, C-092415
Maliseet, Passamaquoddy, Mikmaq and Wendat Peace and Friendship Treaties established.
British Royal Proclamation of 1763 protects all traditional First Nations land east of the Mississippi River and west of the Appalachian Mountains and sets out procedures for the purchase of these lands with the consent of the First Nations.
Image details: 1763. Image courtesy of Library and Archives Canada, OCLC 1007612335.
Life of Demasduit, a Beothuk woman held in captivity and documented by British colonists.
Image details: 1819. Portrait of Demasduit, a Beothuk woman held in captivity and documented by British colonists. Image courtesy of Library and Archives Canada, C-087698.
Indian Agents Created.
First Residential School, the Mohawk Institute, opens in Brantford, ON.
Image details: 1831. Mohawk Institute Indian Residential School in Brantford, Ontario, Canada in 1932. Image courtesy of Canada. Dept. of Interior / Library and Archives Canada / PA-074039.
Treaty 45½
Bruce Peninsula, Saugeen Ojibway Treaty
Image details: Treaty 45½ from the "River Mouth Speaks" exhibit at the Bruce County Museum & Cultural Centre.
Exhibition at the Crystal Palace in London, England featured living Indigenous people as displays alongside their belongings as a curiosity, reflecting alleged Western dominance. This approach continued through the 19th century with the Jardins d'Acclimation (1883) and Chicago World's Fair (World Columbian Exhibition, 1893) as notable examples.
Treaty 72
Saugeen, Chief's Point, Newash, Colpoy's Bay, Cape Croker Reserves.
Douglas Treaties negotiated with First Nations in British Columbia.
St. Mary's Junior Indian Day School Opens.
Image details: 1863. St. Mary's Roman Catholic Junior School, Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation, 2024, by Bryant John.
Canadian Confederation.
Saugeen Village & French Bay Indian Day Schools (UC) Open.
Image details: 1868 - 1869. Saugeen Village School, Saugeen First Nation (A956.048.010). French Bay School, Saugeen First Nation, 1964, by Bruce Krug (A2014.003.K-64-05-17)
Numbered Treaties One to Seven signed.
Sydney Bay Cape Croker Indian Day School Open.
Image details: 1874. Sydney Back School, Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation, by Noodj Prj (Maadookii Archives)
Indian Act is introduced by the Canadian government as a stronger enforcement of policies set out by the Gradual Civilization Act (1857) and the Gradual Enfranchisement Act (1869).
Indigenous cultural belongings collected to celebrate the 50th anniversary of priesthood of Pope Leo XIII, including those of the Cree of Keewatin and the Métis of Southern Saskatchewan shown here.
Image details: 1877. Gifts from the Keewatin Cree and the Métis, said to be from Manitoba, to Pope Pius IX (1772 - 1878) for the 50th anniversary of his priesthood, Leo XIII (1810-1903) will exhibit them in 1925. L'Opinion Publique, April 5, 1877, p.163. M-P Robitaille private collection, also available at Bibliothéque et Archives Nationales du Québec 0000164483.
Scotch Settlement Indian Day School (UC) Open.
Image details: 1883. Scotch Settlement School, Saugeen First Nation. Image courtesy of Bruce County Museum & Cultural Centre Archives.
Little Port Elgin, Cape Croker Indian Day School Open.
Image details: 1884. Little Port Elgin School, Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation, by Noody Prj (Maadookii Archives)
Potlatch was banned a part of an amendment to the Indian Act, such as the Kwakwaka'wakw potlach pictured here.
Image details: 1884. Kwakwaka'wakw potlatch, 1907. Image courtesy of Library and Archives Canada / PA-074039.
Northwest Resistance takes place as an action of self-determination for Métis and First Nations in the plains. Connected to the previous Red River Resistance (1869-70), where Canada sent the military to suppress the Métis resistance and Provisional Government under Louis Riel, it resulted in the execution of Louis Riel and dispersal of the Métis peopls from their homelands. Cultural belongings of the Métis, Cree and Blackfoot are brought East as trophies by militia. Many Métis and First Nations men were imprisoned, including those pictured here.
Image details: Métis and First Nations prisoners following the North-West Rebellion, August, 1885. (L-R): Ignace Poitras, Pierre Parenteau, Baptiste Parenteau, Pierre Gariepy, Ignace Poitras Jr., Albert Monkman, Pierre Vandal, Baptiste Vandal, Joseph Arcand, Maxime Dubois, James Short, Pierre Henry, Baptiste Tourond, Emmanuel Champagne, Kit-a-wa-how (Alex Cagen, ex-chief of the Muskeg Lake First Nation, 1885.) Image courtesy of Library and Archives Canada / C-006688b.
Pass System in effect as a government response to the Northwest Resistance, enforced alongside the agricultural permit system, which continued into the 1960s.
Franz Boas publishes The Mind of Primitive Man.
Victoria Memorial Museum Building, considered the birthplace of Canada's national museums and now home to the Canadian Museum of Nature, opens to the public.
Spanish Residential School Open.
Vatican Mission Exposition takes place featuring the display of priceless Indigenous cultural belongings collected by the 1925 Vatican Pontifical Society of the Propagation of Faith.
Illegal to Solicit Legal Council.
The creation of the National Indian Brotherhood leads to the formalization of cultural centres in Indigenous Nations, including those of the Confederacy of First Nations Cultural Education Centres (1972).
Canadian Museums Association is formed as a response to the Miers Report.
Practice of Culture is now Legal.
Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict and the creation of UNESCO.
Removal of the Indian Agent.
First Inuit cooperatives formed, located in Kangiqsualujjuaq (George River, QC) and Kinngait (Cape Dorset, Nunavut).
Image details: 1959. Pictured here are Inuit artists of the Cape Dorset Cooperative. Top Row: Nepachee, Pudlo. Bottom row: Eejyvudluk, Kenojuak, Kiakshuk, Lucy, Pitseolak, Parr.
Right to Vote (Male).
Right to Vote (Female).
Little Port Elgin, Sydney Bay, Cape Croker Indian Day Schools Close.
St. Mary's Senior School Open.
Image details: 1964. St. Mary's Roman Catholic Senior School, Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation, 2024 by Bryant John
Beginning of Removal of Children by CWS known as the 60's Scoop.
Indian Pavilion at the World's Fair in Montreal and Canadian Centennial celebration features Indigenous-led exhibits signalling a departure from previous world fair exhibits.
Image details: 1967. "Indians of Canada" Pavilion at Expo 67 in Montreal, QC. Photo - M&N, provided courtesy of Alamy Stock Photo.
French Bay, Saugeen Indian Day School Closes.
Scotch Settlement Indian Day School (UC) Closes.
The White Paper (Statement of the Government of Canada on Indian Policy) was issued by the Canadian government, withdrawn in 1970. This prompted Indigenous leaders to respond with the "Red Paper."
Image details: Gathering for "Red Paper" discussion in response to the "White Paper". 1970. Image courtesy of Duncan Cameron / Library and Archives Canada / PA-193380.
National Indian Brotherhood formed; leads to the formalizing of cultural centres across Indigenous Nations, including the First Nations Confederacy of Cultural Education Centres (1972).
In the early 1970's, three court decisions had an immeasurable impact on the future of Indigenous rights. In Quebec, the Cree of Eeyou Istchee and the Inuit of Northern Quebec obtained an injunciton against the Hydro Quebec project. This lead to the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement, the first modern day treaty.
UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property.
National Museum Policy introduced.
Supreme Court Calder case asserts existence of Aborigional title.
U'mista Cultural Society forms as an example of early Indigenous-led cultural heritage society and subsequently, facility.
Image details: 1974. U'mista Cultural Centre. Photo - Universal Images Group North Amara LLC, provided courtesy of Alamy Stock Photo.
Saugeen Village Indian Day School (UC) Closes.
Cultural Property Export and Import Act introduced.
Constitution Act, 1982, is patriated; includes Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
End of 60's Scoop.
"Société d'Education et de Muséologie en Milieu Autochtone" (SEMMA) instituted in Quebec, which was the first provincial Indigenous heritage circle to operate in Canada.
Lubicon First Nation opposes the "Spirit Sings" exhibition in Calgary, AB. Chief Billy Two Rivers from the Kahnawá:ke First Nation is shown here at "Spirit Sings" press conference in Ottawa, ON.
Image Details: 1988. Billy Two Rivers (Kaientaronkwen), Kahnawake First Nation at "Spirit Sings" press conference in Ottawa, April, 1988. Photo - Canadian Musuems Association archives.
Phil Fontaine became one of the first people to speak publicly about the physical, psychological, and sexual abuse he received while a student at the schools.
Nawash burial grounds discovered in Owen Sound subdivision on Treaty land.
Release of the Task Force Report on Museums and First Peoples by the Assembly of First Nations and the Canadian Museums Association.
Closing of Cape Croker (RC & UC) & Nawash Day Schools.
Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peopls published their report.
Last Residential School, the Gordon Residential School, located on the boundary of Gordon's First Nation, closes; the « Nous les Premières Nations » permanent exhibit opens in the Musée de la civilisation in Quebec.
Supreme Court of Canada decision on Delgamuukw v. British Columbia.
Nisga'a Final Agreement signed, recognising Nisga'a Lands and contains self-government provisions related to culture and heritage.
Image details: 1998. Nisga'a Governance Centre. Photo - Universal Images Group North America LLC, provided courtesy of Alamy Stock Photo.
The Commission des droits de la personne et des droits de la jeunesse of Québec publishes « Mythes et réalités sur les Peuples Autochtones » stating the fundamental importance of the international recognition by UNESCO of the rights of Indigenous Peopls to auto-determination. The Musée de la Civilisation and the Tshakapesh Institute (INNU) contribute to this book.
First Peoples Hall opens at Canadian Museum of Civilization.
Image details: 2003. First Peoples Hall at Canadian Museum of History (formerly Canadian Museum of Civilization). Photo - Jim Kelcher, provided courtesy of Alamy Stock Photo.
Truth and Reconciliation Commission undertakes its work to hear from survivors of residential schools. Justice Murray Sinclair speaks at a Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada event in Ottawa June 2, 2015.
Image details: Justice Murray Sinclair speaks at a Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada event in Ottawa June 2, 2015. Photo - REUTERS, provided courtesy of Alamy Stock Photo.
River Mouth Speaks Exhibit, Bruce County Museum & Cultural Centre.
Image details: 2011. River Mouth Speaks Exhibit. Image courtesy of Bruce County Museum<./p>
Canadian government endorses United Nations Declaration of Indigenous Peopls (UNDRIP). Assembly of First Nations National Chief Shawn Atleo holds up a copy of UNDRIP.
Image details: Assembly of First Nations National Chief Shawn Atleo holds up the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples during a news conference in Vancouver, British Columbia January 24, 2013. Atleo was attending a meeting of British Columbia Chiefs. Photo - REUTERS/Andy Clark, provided courtesy of Alamy Stock Photo.
National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Begins
Anishnaabwe Endaat Gallery opens at Bruce County Museum & Cultural Centre, Lieutenant Governor's Award of Excellence.
Indian Day School Class Action Approval
National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Woman and Girls Concludes
Voices of Chief's Point Exhibit, Bruce County Museum & Cultural Centre
Image details: 2019. Voice's of Chief's Point Exhibit image courtesy of Bruce County Museum & Cultural Centre.
Return of Demasduit's remains from Scotland.
Recovery of 215 unmarked graves on the grounds of the former Kamloops Residential School.
Bill C-15, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (the UNDRIP Act or the Act), adopted into law and receives Royal Assent.
Legacy of Hope: Youth on Reconciliation Exhibit, Bruce County Museum & Cultural Centre
Image details: 2023. Legacy of Hope: Youth on Reconciliation Exhibit image courtesy of Bruce County Museum & Cultural Centre.
Bruce County Council endorses the Bruce County Indigenous Reconciliation Framework and the Bruce County Saugeen Anishnaabek Reconciliation Pathway and Action Plan
Image details: 2024. Bruce County Indigenous Reconciliation Pathway and Action Plan images courtesy of Bruce County.
Legacy of Hope Indian Day Schools: The National and Local Story, Bruce County Museum & Cultural Centre
Image details: 2024. Legacy of Hope Indian Day Schools: The National and Local Story image courtesy of Bruce County Museum & Cultural Centre.
Indigenous Peoples continue to exert their self-determination in museum spaces.
....... The Future?
The CMA would like to acknowledge the CMA Reconciliation Council for their authoritative guidance on this work.
Grant Anderson (Manitoba Métis Federation, Winnipeg, MB),
Nika Collison (Haida Gwaii Museum, Skidegate, BC),
Jonathan Lainey (McCord Stewart Museum, Montreal, QC),
Lou-Ann Neel (Creative BC, Victoria, BC),
Sharon McLeod (University College of the North, The Pas, MB),
John Moses (Canadian Museum of History, Gatineau, QC),
Sarah Pahaqumskum (Aanishchaaukamikw Cree Cultural Institute, Oujé-Bougoumou, QC),
Marie-Paule Robitaille (Musée de la civilisation (retired), Québec, QC),
Theresie Tungilik (Government of Nunavut, Rankin Inlet, NU),
Jeff Ward (Membertou Heritage Park, Membertou First Nation, NS)
