Trauma, Loss, Resilience, and Resistance in the Beauval Indian Residential School

Abstract

For over one hundred years, the Indian Residential School (IRS) system was used by the Canadian government to force assimilation on indigenous communities in what was later revealed to be a system rife with physical, psychological, and sexual abuse. This dissertation sought to examine a) how testimonies by former attendees of the IRS system reflect psychological understandings of trauma and loss, and b) how IRS attendees demonstrate resilience and resistance through testimony. Secondary analysis of pre-collected data was used to examine these questions. A thematic analysis was conducted of testimonies from 40 former attendees of the Beauval Indian Residential School that were given to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in Canada in the province of Saskatchewan. Six overarching themes were identified: “Life before IRS,” “Conditions at IRS,” “Effects of IRS,” “Resistance,” “Resilience,” and “Healing.” A subset of themes was then given further attention to explore the depth of participant testimonies. Respondents presented a holistic understanding of the effects of trauma and loss on indigenous individuals, families, and communities, and demonstrated multiple forms of resilience and resistance to IRS. Rather than viewing the IRS experience as a series of traumatic events, this research suggests that it is more accurate to view the system as an exercise of colonial power, which attempted to accomplish its goal of forced assimilation using institutional conditioning reinforced by violence against indigenous children. Healing efforts should thus take a holistic approach, prioritizing reconnection to others, reconnection to culture, and promotion of survivor voices, to address the effects of IRS at multiple levels.