Shingwauk's Vision: A History of Native Residential Schools

David R. Hutchinson is an educator on the Peguis Reserve in Manitoba.

This book is something of a Canadian first. Not only does the author
meticulously detail a pan-Canadian history of Indian residential
schooling, he does so in a way that presents a comprehensive overview
both of the what and of the why and how of Indian residential schooling
in Canada. The text begins with an overview of pre-contact traditional
education (the three “L’s”—looking, listening, and learning),
moves into the initial development of residential schools, and concludes
with an overview of such contemporary phenomena as “residential school
syndrome.”

Miller’s research is thorough and hard-hitting, driving home the
sheer inhumanity, irrationality, and injustice of Indian residential
schooling in Canada. As tools of empire and colonial development,
residential schools proved effective in the near eradication of Native
language, culture, and history, and ineffective in preparing Native
peoples for full participation in mainstream Canadian society. For some,
particularly those who want to “let bygones be bygones,” this
description of the impact of residential schooling does not constitute a
revelation. But, if Canadians want to get on with the business of
developing a democracy, it is incumbent on all of us to pay closer
attention to the dark side of this country’s sociohistorical and
cultural evolution. Miller’s contribution offers us an opportunity to
do so, and is of particular relevance to workers in on- and off-reserve
human service agencies.