Question

From 1920 to 1996, the Canadian government funded Christian churches to operate residential schools. By law, all Aboriginal children were required to attend until the age of 18. Most of the schools had similar guidelines that included forbidding children to speak their native languages; removing all customary ways of life; requiring children to cut their hair, eat European food, and wear school uniforms; separating siblings in an effort to weaken family bonds; celebrating only Christian holidays; and dividing school days between religious instruction and training for manual labour. Residential schools today are considered a form of which of the following?

A. Cultural assimilation
B. Religious education
C. Social integration
D. Multiculturalism

Answer 1

The operation of residential schools by the Canadian government, which enforced European customs on Aboriginal children and suppressed their cultures, is considered cultural assimilation.

Step-by-step explanation:

The Canadian government's policy of funding Christian churches to operate residential schools from 1920 to 1996, which required all Aboriginal children to attend and adopt European customs while suppressing their own cultural identities, is considered a form of cultural assimilation. These schools enforced policies that included the prohibition of native languages, the removal of traditional customs, and the requirement to perform manual labor. The impact of these schools contributed to the loss of Indigenous cultures and languages, and today there is a national movement among Native groups to preserve and revive these cultural elements.