Final answer:
Indigenous students at residential schools were subjected to abuse, forced cultural assimilation, and high mortality rates due to diseases and living conditions, resulting in cultural and linguistic loss.
Step-by-step explanation:
When Indigenous students were dropped off at residential schools, they experienced a harsh transition that aimed to strip them of their cultural identity. They were often forced to cut their hair, forbidden from speaking their native languages, and coerced into adopting Euro-American customs and Christianity. These schools were fraught with physical, emotional, and sexual abuses. Mortality rates could be as high as 30 percent due to diseases like tuberculosis and influenza, exacerbated by overcrowding and poor living conditions. Additionally, children suffered from a severe form of cultural imperialism, which taught them to reject their own heritage and practices. The impact of these policies led to significant cultural and linguistic loss within Indigenous communities, a legacy that is still being addressed today.