Indian Day Schools are the most widespread yet least understood institutions of Canada鈥檚 colonial education system. Operating for over a century in First Nations communities across the country, these schools were central to federal efforts to assimilate Indigenous children while maintaining closer ties to families and communities than residential schools. Despite their scale and impact, day schools have received far less historical attention.
This talk draws on archival records, survivor testimony, and community-based research to examine the history of Indian Day Schools, with particular focus on the Curve Lake Indian Day School. It explores how these schools functioned within the broader colonial education system while highlighting the ways students, families, and communities resisted, adapted to, and navigated the institution in everyday life.
By centering Indigenous experiences and community histories, this research challenges dominant narratives of schooling in Canada and contributes to ongoing conversations about truth, commemoration, and reconciliation.
Join Dr. Jackson Pind (Trent University) on Tuesday, March 24 from 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. in Kingston Hall 213 (Reflection Room) to learn more.