1st. That sufficient land be reserved to give 160 acres to each
family of 5.
2nd. For prohibiting the sale of intoxicants.
3rd. A present of three dollars per capita to the Indians on the
reserve.
4th. That schools would be provided for the Indians.
At Confederation in 1867 it was agreed that the Indian Department
should contribute an amount equal to that contributed by the
Methodist Church for schools in Ontario and Quebec, provided the sum
did not exceed $1,000. Hence it was natural and easy, apart from
treaty engagements, for the government to extend this principle to
the schools of the newly acquired Northwest Territories. There
appears a memorandum of Sir John A. Macdonald, dated October 19,
1880, fixing the salary of $300 to be given each day school teacher
in Manitoba and the Territories. It also states that if the
attendance should fall short of 25 in any quarter, the teacher should
be paid at a per capita rate of $3 per quarter; in the case of
non-denominational schools, it was considered that teachers should be
paid a maximum salary of $504, or at the rate of $12 per annum for 42
pupils; if the attendance be short of this number, the teacher should
receive $3 per pupil for the quarter. The same memorandum provided
prizes or bonuses to the teachers of the five best conducted schools
in Manitoba and the Northwest.
In the annual report for 1881, Commissioner Dewdney states:--‘There
are now 20 schools and missions in the Northwest Territories, 12 of
which are receiving government aid; 9 are Church of England, 6 Roman
Catholic, 4 Canada Methodist, and 1 Presbyterian. There are now 11
school-houses under construction or completed, for which teachers
will be required during the coming season. We find considerable
difficulty in securing teachers for schools where the number of
children is small and is not likely to increase to an extent
sufficient to make the per capita remuneration attractive, and I
would recommend that in these cases a fixed sum be granted, say
two-thirds (⅔) of the maximum allowed by order in council of 19th
October, 1880.’ The same report shows that grants were paid to the
following additional schools, 10 of which were in Superintendent
Graham’s inspectorate:--
1. Little Saskatchewan.
2. Brokenhead.
3. Ebb and Flow.
4. Fairford.
5. Lake St. Martin.
6. Black River.
7. Berens River.
8. Fisher Lake.
9. Eagle Hill.
10. Isle à la Crosse.
11. Onion Lake.
Inspector Graham says in the same report: ‘I find it very difficult
to secure the services of competent teachers for the schools in
Treaties 3 and 5 owing to the difficulty of getting there and the
high prices charged for provisions, &c., and being cut off from any
mail communication.’
The total amount paid by the government as salaries to teachers that
year in these 31 schools was $3,227.50, or roughly, $100 per school.
In the same appendix may be found items for building materials and
for erecting buildings at several points.
These quotations serve very well to indicate the embryonic condition
of the Indian school system, if it may be so called, in the
Northwest, and regarding which the adoption in 1884 of the industrial
school idea seems to have been a necessary growth.
Such was the general condition when in 1879 Mr. N. F. Davin was
appointed a commissioner to report on the establishment of industrial
schools in the Northwest. A comprehensive report, dated March 14,
1879, was the result of his investigations. In his conclusions he
says:--‘I should recommend at once an extensive application of the
principle of industrial boarding schools in the Northwest, were it
not that the population is so largely migratory that any great outlay
at present would be money thrown away.’ He also recommends--
1st. Wherever the missionaries have schools, those schools should be
utilized by the government if possible; that is to say, a contract
should be made with the religious body controlling the school to
board, educate and train industrially a certain number of pupils.
2nd. Not more than four industrial schools should be established at
first.
3rd. That one be established at the junction of the north and south
Saskatchewan near Prince Albert, under the Episcopal Church.
4th. Advises one near Old Fort Bow, near the Stonies and Blackfeet.
5th. Advises that there be one at Qu’Appelle under the Roman
Catholic Church.
6th. Advises that there be one established on Riding Mountain, under
the Presbyterian Church.
The report says:--‘The importance of denominational schools at the
outset must be obvious.... Where, however, the poor Indian has been
brought face to face with polemics and settlements are divided, or
think they are divided, on metaphysical niceties, the school should
be, as at the White Earth Agency, Minnesota, undenominational.’
It further advises ‘that, as bands become more amenable to the
restraints of civilization, _education should be made compulsory_.’
Also that ‘the character of the teacher, morally and intellectually,
is a matter of vital importance; if he is morally weak, whatever his
intellectual qualifications may be, he is worse than no teacher at
all; if he is poorly instructed or feeble in brain, he only acts
every day an elaborate farce.’ The report also advises competent
inspection and that special advantages be given to boys and girls
showing special aptitudes, and finally that, ‘the salary of a teacher
must be such as will induce good men to offer themselves’ ... ‘in
the future when the manual labour boarding schools are established
institutions, these teachers, who manage these schools in a manner
toward self-support, should have a percentage in the reduction in the
cost of management.’
The report formed the basis, apparently, of the action taken
subsequently in 1883, when a grant of $44,000 was made by parliament
to establish three industrial schools.
In the annual report of 1881, Commissioner Dewdney states that he
hopes to have selections made of localities for the three proposed
industrial schools.
On July 19, 1883, an order in council was passed adopting the
recommendation of a report of the Superintendent General of Indian
Affairs by the Deputy, Mr. Vankoughnet, in which it was ordered:--
1st. That the Government buildings at Battleford be at once utilized
for the purpose of a Protestant institution, and that the Rev. T.
Clark be appointed principal at a salary of $1,200.
2nd. That the staff consist of an assistant to the principal, a
matron, a farmer and a cook, and that the assistant be a layman.
3rd. That the Commissioner determine whether the pupils be taken from
one tribe, or independently from all the bands in a given area.
4th. That the Commissioner be charged with the duty of seeing that
the buildings are fitted up.
5th. The minister recommends that a Roman Catholic industrial school
at or near Qu’Appelle be established with the same staff as at
Battleford, and that the selection of the principal be left with the
Archbishop of St. Boniface.
6th. The minister also recommends that a Roman Catholic industrial
school be established at some point in Treaty 7, and that the
selection of the principal be left to the Bishop of St. Albert.
7th. That the Commissioner’s attention be especially drawn to the
confidential report of Mr. N. F. Davin on the subject.
The maintenance of the industrial schools from the period of their
establishment in 1884 was assumed wholly by the department; while
on October 22, 1892, an order in council was passed, intended to
regulate the matter of their expenses. This document, which since
then has governed generally the management of the industrial schools,
is so important that it is inserted here:--
The following is a copy of the order in council of October 22, 1892,
providing for the carrying on of industrial schools in Manitoba and
the Northwest Territories:--
‘On a report dated 17th October, 1892, from the Superintendent
General of Indian Affairs stating that it is advisable to make a
change in the manner of carrying on those industrial schools in the
Northwest that are wholly supported by the government. The cost of
those institutions is larger, it is thought, than that for which they
might be conducted, and with a view to more economical management it
is advisable and necessary to adopt some method which would relieve
the pressure of the present expenditure and at the same time keep up
the schools to an equal standard of efficiency and usefulness.’
‘The minister considers that when the whole cost of an institution
is directly borne by the government the same economy by those in
immediate charge is not used as would be employed under other
conditions. Demands, under the present system, are frequently made
for articles and supplies, whereas if the amount to be expended were
to take the form more of an annual _per capita_ grant, more effort
in the way of economizing would be made.’
‘The minister states that the actual cost to the government, as shown
under the head of industrial schools, does not represent the total
expenditure which the present system entails, as there is a small
expense in the purchasing and inspection of supplies to be added.’
‘The accounts for the past year (1890–91) show that the _per capita_
cost of each child at the industrial schools under consideration
was:--
Qu’Appelle $134 67
Battleford 175 45
High River 185 55
‘The rate _per capita_, it is thought, is higher than it would be
if a forced system of economy were exercised, and that the best
way to effect the desired decrease would be to place the schools
under a _per capita_ grant system similar to that now in operation
at Elkhorn and St. Paul’s under Church of England authorities, St.
Boniface and Kootenay under Roman Catholic Church authorities. The
_per capita_ system under which these schools are operated by
religious bodies has been found to work satisfactorily.’
‘The minister therefore recommends that the following be applied to
the industrial schools in operation in the Northwest Territories,
and to such other similar institutions as may hereafter be
established, as soon as, in the opinion of the Indian Department,
said institutions are in proper running order, at rates to be fixed
upon as being fair and just, viz.:
(1) The buildings are to be kept in repair jointly by the government
and the management, the former to furnish the material and the latter
to perform the labour.
(2) All books and appliances, that is, maps, globes, &c., for
educational purposes, to be furnished by the government.
(3) All charges for maintenance, salaries and expenses to be paid by
the management, out of the _per capita_ grant.
(4) The management not in any event to charge children or their
parents for being allowed to attend such institutions.
(5) The government to pay to the management an annual grant for each
pupil up to the number authorized by the Indian Department, as
represented by the commissioner, at the following rates:--
Qu’Appelle $115 00
Regina 120 00
Battleford 140 00
High River 130 00
(6) For this consideration the management shall agree to conform to
the rules of the Indian Department, as laid down from time to time,
and to keep the schools at a certain standard of instruction, dietary
and domestic comfort, and that the inspectors and officers of the
Indian Department may at any time inspect and report upon the
institutions.
(7) Payment to be made only for children authorized by the
commissioner to be admitted, and in accordance with the scale now
governing payments to schools under the _per capita_ system,
which may be altered from time to time to suit circumstances, and no
children, white or Indian, are to be admitted save under authority of
the commissioner.
(8) The minister deems it desirable to put this system into
operation after a reasonable time is given to the Church authorities,
and he recommends that the first of July, 1893, be fixed as the date
upon which the _per capita_ allowances shall commence to be payable.
‘The committee submit the above for Your Excellency’s approval.’
In addition to the _per capita_ grant, the following concessions
have been made to schools established under the above order in
council:--
1. That account books, stationery and an allowance for postage will
be given those institutions.
2. That strict accounts of all expenditure incurred on behalf of each
school, supported by vouchers, will be required by the department to
be kept in each institution, and at the expiration of each year, a
revision of the rate of capitation may be made should it appear that
such a step is considered necessary.
3. In the event of pupils over and above the number already
authorized and estimated for on the capitation system, being admitted
into a school, and for whom no provision has been made, beds for
occupation by such additional pupils are to be given by the
department, if they cannot be made in the institution.
4. In the event of the erection of new buildings at the expense of
the department becoming necessary, the cost of the heating apparatus
to be included in such cost.
5. Agricultural and other implements, when considered by the
department as being unfit for further use, may be disposed of by the
officers of the institution in such manner as may be thought proper
by them.
6. The department will agree to provide sufficient grazing land for
use of each institution.
7. The department agrees to provide sufficient fencing material for
the first inclosure required, but the fences must be renewed at the
expense of the institution.
8. Medical attendance as directed by the commissioner for the pupils
of each institution will be provided and paid for by the department.
9. An advance of a sum to be agreed upon will, until further advice,
be made by the department to each institution at the commencement of
each quarter, to admit of the current expenses of that quarter being
defrayed.
Such then was the beginning of what may be called secondary school
education amongst the Indians of the Northwest, and this, as will be
noticed, was coincident with the construction of the Canadian Pacific
railway, which was completed across the prairie and which event the
commissioner states would facilitate the movement of pupils and
supplies.
Table II.--Statement giving the Population, Indians of School
Age, and Schools and Attendance, within the different provincial
areas of the Northwest in 1905–6.
MANITOBA.
=======================================================================================================
| Report, |Children| | Average |
Agency. | 1905–6. | from | Industrial and | Annual | Year
|Population.|6 to 15.| Boarding Schools. |Attendance.|Established.
-------------------------------+-----------+--------+-------------------------+-----------+------------
Treaty I-- | | | | |
Lower Lake Winnipeg Agency | 2,504 | 471{| Brandon, (M.) | 91 | 1895
| | {| Elkhorn, (C. E.) | 71 | 1888
| | | | |
Treaty II-- | | {| Cecilia Jeffrey, (P.) | 31 | 1902
Lake Manitoba Agency | 727 | 164{| Rat Portage, (R. C.) | 28 | 1897
| | {| Fort Alexander, (R. C.) | 45 |
Treaty III-- | | | | |
Buffalo Bay Agency | 26 | 4 | Norway House, (M.) | 51 | 1890
| | | | |
Treaty IV-- | | {| Portage la Prairie, (P.)| 23 | 1891
Bull Agency | 1,217 | 274{| Sandy Bay, (R. C.) | 35 | 1903
| | {| Pine Creek, (R. C.) | 66 | 1890
Treaty V-- | | | | |
Lake Winnipegosis Agency | 3,479 | 796 | Birtle (P.) | 44 | 1888
Sioux near Portage la Prairie| 121 | 17 | +-----------+
+-----------+--------+ | 479 |
| 8,074 | 1,726 | | |
-------------------------------+-----------+--------+-------------------------+-----------+------------
SASKATCHEWAN.
-------------------------------+-----------+---------+------------------------+-----------+------------
Treaty VI-- | | |Industrial-- | |
Pelly Agency | 628 | 187 | Qu’Appelle, (R. C.) | 206 | 1884
White Bear Agency | 189 | 36 | Regina, (P.) | 56 | 1892
Crooked Lake Agency | 534 | 109 | Battleford, (C. E.) | 71 | 1884
| | |Boarding-- | |
Qu’Appelle Agency | 860 | 140 | | |
Assiniboine Agency | 313 | 26 | Round Lake, (P.) | 30 | 1887
Touchwood Hills Agency | 520 | 85 | Cowessis, (R. C.) | 44 | 1898
Duck Lake Agency | 945 | 228 | File Hills, (P.) | 16 | 1889
Carlton Agency | 1,608 | 413 | Gordon’s, (C. E.) | 24 | 1892
Battleford Agency | 886 | 139 | Muscowequan, (R. C.) | 31 | 1889
Onion Lake Agency | 942 | 141 | Thunder Child, (R. C.)| 20 | 1895
| | | Duck Lake, (R. C.) | 100 | 1895
| | | Prince Albert. (C. E.)| 48 | 1889
| | | Isle à la Crosse, | |
| | | (R. C.) | 28 | 1897
| | | Crowstand, (P.) | 47 | 1889
| | | Keesekoose, (R. C.) | 22 | 1903
+-----------+---------+ +-----------+
| 7,425 | 1,504 | | 735 |
-------------------------------+-----------+---------+------------------------+-----------+-------------
ALBERTA.
-------------------------------+-----------+---------+------------------------+-----------+-------------
Treaty VI--_Con._ | | |Industrial-- | |
Ermineskin’s Agency | 694 | 123 | High River, (R. C.) | 77 | 1885
Saddle Lake Agency | 787 | 126 | Calgary, (C. E.) | 18 | 1896
Hobbema Agency | 691 | 113 | Red Deer, (M.) | 83 | 1893
| | | | |
Treaty VII-- | | |Boarding-- | |
| | | Peigan, (C. E.) | 26 | 1893
Blackfoot Agency | 803 | 129 | Sacred Heart, (R. C.) | 28 | 1895
Sarcee Agency | 203 | 29 | St. Pauls, (C. E.) | 36 | 1893
Stony Agency | 660 | 156 | Blood Reserve, (R. C.)| 38 | 1898
Peigan Agency | 493 | 87 | Sarcee, (C. E.) | 15 | 1895
Blood Agency | 1,181 | 236 | Morley, (M.) | 33 | 1887
| | | Blackfoot, (C. E.) | 31 | 1884
| | | Blackfoot, (R. C.) | 30 | 1900
| | | Hobbema (R. C.) | 50 | 1895
| | | St. Albert, (R. C.) | 64 | 1889
| | | Saddle Lake, (R. C.) | 34 | 1893
| | | Onion Lake, (C. E.) | 11 | 1891
+-----------+---------+ Onion Lake, (R. C.) | 33 | 1894
| 5,512 | 999 | +-----------+
+-----------+---------+ | 612 |
Grand total | 21,011 | 4,212 | | |
-------------------------------+-----------+---------+------------------------+-----------+-------------
The total number in attendance at the industrial and boarding schools
visited by me is thus seen to have been 1,826 in 1905–6; while the
actual number of those present in all these in 1905–6 was 1,999. This
with the total number, 694, registered at the 74 day schools in
1905–6, gives the total school attendance in schools of every class
as 2,691.
Table III.--Statement showing Amount of School Grant and Number
of Pupils in attendance in 74 day schools in 1905–6.
================================================
| Approp. for | |
| Sal. or |On Roll.|Attendance.
|Annual Grant.| |
-------------+-------------+--------+-----------
Manitoba | $ 13,430 00 | 1,071 | 476
Saskatchewan | 5,760 00 | 323 | 138
Alberta | 2,700 00 | 186 | 80
+-------------+--------+-----------
| 21,890 00 | 1,580 | 694
-------------+-------------+--------+-----------
While the legal school age for admission is from 7 to 16 years, yet
children are admitted at 6 years, and are regularly graduated from
the industrial and boarding schools at 18 years, but the number
of persons between the ages of 7 to 17 inclusive in an average
population of 21,011 would be about 5,160, so that taking the average
attendance in all schools as 2,691, this amounts to but 52 per cent
of the Indian pupils of the ages between which children actually
attend school.
Reverting to the boarding and industrial school attendance, it is
found that a remarkable change has taken place in the relative
numbers, during the past six years.
Table IV.--Statement of Attendance at Industrial and Boarding
Schools in 1900 and in 1906.
==============================================================
| Industrial | Boarding | Total
Territory. | Schools. | Schools. |School Attendance.
+------+-----+------+-----+---------+--------
| 1900 |1906 | 1900 | 1906| 1900 | 1906
-----------------+------+-----+------+-----+---------+--------
Manitoba | 394 | 195 | 153 | 420| 547 | 615
N. W. Territories| 624 | 498 | 993 |1,319| 1,617 | 1,817
+------+-----+------+-----+---------+-------
|1,018 | 693 |1,146 |1,739| 2,164 | 2,432
-----------------+------+-----+------+-----+---------+-------
Thus while the total industrial and boarding school increase during
the six years was 268, the decrease in the industrial schools was
325. Where the falling off has been is seen in the following
figures:--
Table V.--Statement giving Attendance at the various Industrial
Schools in 1900 and 1907, at time of visit.
======================================================
Name of School.|1901|1907|Name of School.|1901|1907
---------------+----+----+---------------+----+-------
Battleford | 99 | 59 |Red Deer | 59 | 57
Calgary | 40 | 19 |High River | 84 | 83
Elkhorn | 63 | 90 |Qu’Appelle |216 | 235
Regina |104 | 56 |St. Boniface | 95 |closed.
Brandon |102 |115 |Rupert’s Land |112 |closed.
+----+----+---------------+----+------
|408 |339 | |566 | 375
---------------+----+----+---------------+----+-------