Shingwauk Residential School, Sault Ste. Marie, Eric Pouliot-Thisdale, The Eastern Door
Last week having observed the “Pupils” from Kahnawake in the Spanish Ontario Residential School, this week we will look at those observed from December 1946 to March 1948, in the Shingwauk Residential School where the children from Kanesatake, Odanak and a few from Kahnawake and Six Nations and Oneida were brought, to who a complete transcription will be sent in the next months for their own archives, healing and education.
In all, Shingwauk also gathered those from: Batchawana, Birch Island, Brocket, Brunswick House, Caradock, Caughnawaga, Chapleau, Christian Island, Garden River, Hirch Island, Manitowaning, Mattagami, Michipicotan, Missanabi, Muncey, Odanak, Oka, Oneida, Parry Island, Peguis, Rama, Sarnia, Sheguiandah, Sheshagwaning, Spanish, Sucker Creek, Walpole Island, Whitefish River.
Shingwauk Indian Residential School was part of the Canadian residential school system and one of the 130 boarding schools for First Nations, Métis, and Inuit children that operated in Canada between 1874 and 1996.
Operated by the Anglican Church of Canada and the Government of Canada, the Shingwauk School operated from 1873 to 1970 in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. Today, Shingwauk Hall, built in 1935, forms the central building of Algoma University
In 1871, Anglican Missionaries Reverends of the Anglican Church arrived in Garden River and worked with the government, and local First Nation community to raise money for the first Shingwauk Industrial Home opened on September 22, 1873 in Garden River First Nation. The school opened with sixteen boys enrolled as students.
Six days after opening the school was completed destroyed by fire, the Reverends purchased a 90-acre land in Sault Ste. Marie.
The new school officially opened on August 2, 1875 to 50 students. This building was replaced by the New Shingwauk Hall in 1935.
Not convenient in size to accommodate enough pupils, the government provided funds of $600 per year for the industrial educational of the Wawanosh students. The Wawanosh Home was administered by the Anglican Church and overseen by Shingwauk Home principal Rev. E.F. Wilson.
By the mid-1880s it was decided by Wilson that the Wawanosh Home could be more effectively managed if the girls were located on the same site as the Shingwauk Home. As a result, a girls wing was added onto the Shingwauk Home on Queen Street. In 1900 the Wawanosh Home officially relocated to the Shingwauk site.
New Shingwauk Indian Residential School
In 1935 the new Shingwauk Hall opened on the Shingwauk site, behind the old building, was designed for 140 students and contained modern conveniences such as running water and electricity.
Until April 1, 1969 the Shingwauk Residential School was operated by the Missionary Society of the Church of England. From April 1st to the closure of the Shingwauk School on June 30, 1970 the Government of Canada took over the administration of the church.
The School was closed by the Department of Indian Affairs in June 1970. Algoma University College moved onto the Shingwauk site in 1971 and the Shingwauk Hall building is presently the main building of Algoma University.
The Indian Residential School Quarterly Return of Shingwauk was observed here in the period analysed from: September 30, 1946 to March 31th, 1948, exposing the number of pupils then present, exposed by Reverend Cannon Arthur E. Minchin who operated as the school Principal from 1941-48:
September 30th, 1946: 28 Boys and 56 Girls,
December 31th, 1946: 59 Boys and 56 Girls,
May 19th, 1947: 62 Boys and 82 Girls,
June 30th, 1947: 62 Boys and 56 Girls,
September 30th, 1947: 68 Boys and 89 Girls,
December 31th, 1947: 60 Boys and 85 Girls,
Here are a few from September 30th, 1946: 28 Boys and 56 Girls,
Enlaged and transcribed:
Several pupils came from those First Nations of the province of Quebec and a few from Ontario:
Caughnawaga:
Mary Diabo, 13, Caughnawaga, 2nd grade, Standing in Class: fair, arrived September 10th, 1947, days in residence in quarter 21, days in class attended: 14, no remarks.
Abenaki:
Louis Benedict, 13, Odanak, 7th grade, Standing in Class: fair, arrived October 1th, 1939, days in residence in quarter 92, days in class attended: 16, no remarks.
Eunice Hoff, 13, Odanak, 4th grade, Standing in Class: Very good, arrived January 29th, 1947, days in residence in quarter 62, days in class attended: 40, no remarks.
Jean Hoff, 10, Odanak, 2nd grade, Standing in Class: good, arrived January 29th, 1947, days in residence in quarter 92, days in class attended: 52, no remarks.
Edward Sioui, 13, Odanak, 6th grade, Standing in Class: good, arrived January 29, 1947, days in residence in quarter 62, days in class attended: 22, no remarks.
Rose Sioui, 10, Odanak, 3rd grade, Standing in Class: good, arrived January 29th, 1947, days in residence in quarter 62, days in class attended: 0, To be discharged.
Barbara Watso, 12, Odanak, 5th grade, Standing in Class: good, arrived September 10th, 1947, days in residence in quarter 21, days in class attended: 11, no remarks.
Walter, Watso, 14, Odanak, 7h High School grade, Standing in Class: good, arrived September 10, 1947, days in residence in quarter 92, days in class attended: 44, no remarks
Also, one of the previous Chiefs of Odanak was present then; Walter Watso, 14, Odanak, 6th grade, Standing in Class: fair, arrived September 10, 1947, days in residence in quarter 21, days in class attended: 14, no remarks.
Those with the family name Murray mentioned are all linked with Kanesatake families but are from mixed-unions with Algonquins in Ontario.
A mention appears on page 3 of the quarterly return, on December 31th, 1948, in which 59 Boys and 46 Girls in all were recorded stating that Floyd E. Williams, Howard Martin and Stanley Hill and Ernold M Snache were transferred to Shingwauk for repeated truancy from Mohawk Institute, obviously from Akwesasne.
Some had the mention “Doesn’t appear afterwards”:
Sylvia Cree, 15, Oka, 1th High School grade, Standing in Class: fair, arrived October 1st, 1938, days in residence in quarter 62, days in class attended: 0, not returned from holidays.
Sylvia Cree, 15, Oka, High School grade, Standing in Class: good, arrived October 1st, 1938, days in residence in quarter 92, days in class attended: 55, no remarks. (doesn’t appear afterwards)
Alphabetical list of the “Pupils” recorded by Reverend Arthur E. Minchin in all:
B-
Betty Benedict, 14, Oka, 1th High School grade, Standing in Class: Very good, arrived October 1st, 1939, days in residence in quarter 92, days in class attended: 19, no remarks.
Louis Benedict, 13, Odanak, 7th grade, Standing in Class: fair, arrived October 1th, 1939, days in residence in quarter 92, days in class attended: 16, no remarks.
Mildred (Wilfred) Benedict, 16, Oka, 1th High School grade, Standing in Class: fair, arrived October 1st, 1939, days in residence in quarter 62, days in class attended: 0, to be discharged.
Dorothy Bonspille, 16 1th High School, Standing in Class: Very good, arrived October 3st, 1941, days in residence in quarter 90, days in class attended: 61, no remarks.
C-
Ida Cree, 17, Oka, 8th grade, Standing in Class: (none written), arrived September 22, 1935, days in residence in quarter 90, days in class attended: 0, no remarks.
John Cree, 13, Oka, 1th High School grade, Standing in Class: Very good, arrived December 7th, 1939, days in residence in quarter 92, days in class attended: 13, no remarks.
Kathleen Cree, 10, Oka, 2th grade, Standing in Class: fair, arrived March 19th, 1947, days in residence in quarter 91, days in class attended: 58, no remarks.
Sylvia Cree, 14, Oka, 1th High School grade, Standing in Class: good, arrived October 1st, 1938, days in residence in quarter 90, days in class attended: 61, no remarks.
D-
Mary Diabo, 13, Caughnawaga, 2nd grade, Standing in Class: fair, arrived September 10th, 1947, days in residence in quarter 21, days in class attended: 14, no remarks.
H-
Eunice Hoff, 13, Odanak, 4th grade, Standing in Class: Very good, arrived January 29th, 1947, days in residence in quarter 62, days in class attended: 40, no remarks.
Jean Hoff, 10, Odanak, 2nd grade, Standing in Class: good, arrived January 29th, 1947, days in residence in quarter 92, days in class attended: 52, no remarks.
M-
Andrew Martin, 14, Oka, 1th High School grade, Standing in Class: good, arrived October 20th, 1938, days in residence in quarter 92, days in class attended: 19, no remarks.
Dorothy Martin, 16, Oka, 1th High School grade, Standing in Class: Very good, arrived October 30, 1937, days in residence in quarter 92, days in class attended: 19, no remarks.
N-
Cecelia Nelson, 16, Oka, 6th grade, Standing in Class: fair, arrived December 10, 1942, days in residence in quarter 92, days in class attended: 10, no remarks.
Selina Nelson, 13, Oka, 6th grade, Standing in Class: good, arrived December 10, 1942, days in residence in quarter 92, days in class attended: 16, no remarks.
Sheila Nelson, 13, Oka, 8th grade, Standing in Class: fair, arrived October 1st, 1938, days in residence in quarter 92, days in class attended: 17, no remarks.
Vina Nelson, 10, Oka, 4th grade, Standing in Class: Very good, arrived November 11, 1942, days in residence in quarter 90, days in class attended: 61, no remarks.
O-
Mary Oke, 15, Oka, 1th High School grade, Standing in Class: good, arrived September 1, 1936, days in residence in quarter 92, days in class attended: 19, no remarks.
Sadie Oke, 13, Oka, 7th grade, Standing in Class: Very good, arrived December 5th, 1939, days in residence in quarter 92, days in class attended: 16, no remarks.
S-
Edward Sioui, 13, Odanak, 6th grade, Standing in Class: good, arrived January 29, 1947, days in residence in quarter 62, days in class attended: 22, no remarks.
Rose Sioui, 10, Odanak, 3rd grade, Standing in Class: good, arrived January 29th, 1947, days in residence in quarter 62, days in class attended: 0, To be discharged.
W-
Barbara Watso, 12, Odanak, 5th grade, Standing in Class: good, arrived September 10th, 1947, days in residence in quarter 21, days in class attended: 11, no remarks.
Walter, Watso, 14, Odanak, 7h High School grade, Standing in Class: good, arrived September 10, 1947, days in residence in quarter 92, days in class attended: 44, no remarks.
Some transferred from the Mohawk Institute
On a board of Admissions and Discharges during October-December Quarter 1948, we can observe a few others from another Residential School with pupils from Akwesasne called The Mohawk Institute, who were admitted to Shingwauk in 1948:
Gifford Greenbird, on November 2, Melvin Day and Gilbert Tabobandang, on November 24, from Parry Sound.
The board also managed another category during the same period called: Discharges of Pupils, in which the “Reasons for discharges” were described as:
“Delphine Thomas, 18, Went to Hospital October 15, To (too) sick to cont. (Continue)
Sheila Nelson, 15, Failed Gr. 9 Did not reform
Dolores Thompson, 15, Did not reform – action of Sept (September)
Nellierna Day, 16, Did not reform – action of Sept
Vina Nelson, 11, Did not reform”
In a telegraph from the Canadian Pacific Railway Company from March 6, 1902 from George Lay King, Principal of Shingwauk Residential School to J.D McLean in charge at Indian Department, we can observe how burial services were managed.
“20 paid, Sault Ste Marie, Ontario, March 6th, 1902,
To: The Secretary Dep’t of Indian Affairs, Ottawa, Ont.
May Semon died 1 am to-day. Do you approve of burying her in Shingwauk cemetery, no word from the father, Geo. Ley King.”
The answer went as quickly as received, on the same day, without asking to go further to reach the family: “6th March 1902, To George Ley King, Shingwauk Home, Sault Ste Marie.
The Department approves of May Semon being buried as suggested. No words here about the whereabouts of her father. J.D. McLean, Charge of Indian Department.”
The Department of Mines & Resources was then the Minister in which the Indian Affairs were a branch. From 1891 to 1961, the Department of Mines changed twelve times in a ministerial context, sometimes attached to Crown Lands, Colonization, Fisheries, Highways or Labor. The Ministry of Mines only exists as an autonomous entity from 1942 to 1960. In 1961, the Department of Lands and Forests became the Ministry of Lands and Forests.
