In Their Own Words
Testimony from the Students of Canada’s Indigenous Residential School Program

What is the cost of an education?Is education an additive process or a reductive one?How does one weigh the benefits of tradition against the threat of being at odds with the future?How does one refuse the offer of a better life for their children?What if the offer is compulsory?What happens when the tree of knowledge bares rotten fruit?While the history of Canada's Residential School program is only just beginningto be unearthed, there are already enough first hand accounts to begin askingsome of these questions. The words of the individuals included in this bookoffer just a glimpse of the results of the effort of one group of people toeducate people who were in many cases not seeking the knowledge beingoffered. These are tales of lessons learned, languages lost, traditionsreplaced, & charity corrupted.