The Historical Legacy of Residential Schools Residential schools opened their doors between 1857 and 1996, solely with the aim of absorbing Aboriginal people into Christianity and English culture, because their beliefs and their crops were considered negligible. Former residential school students are called “survivors.” The results of these residential schools had direct and long-term effects on Indigenous people. Survivors are not the only ones affected. Parents, children and friends of survivors are also affected. The historical legacy of residential schools includes loss of identity, culture/religion, destruction of families, and high rates of suicide/mental illness. To begin with, Aboriginal people who attended residential schools suffer from a loss of identity and their original culture/religion. First, they are forced to speak or, in some cases, learn English and, if caught speaking their native language, are punished by sticking needles in their tongues. Because they are afraid to speak their mother tongue, they lose a large part of their culture. Second, they are forced to adhere to Christianity. They must pray, sing and follow the rules of Christianity. They are prohibited from practicing their indigenous beliefs, thereby leading to a loss of religion. Finally, they are “dehumanized”. This means that every student is forced to wear the exact same uniform, have the same haircut, and be numbered instead of named. When a person is dehumanized, it takes away their individuality, transforming them into a whole new person. Dehumanization results in a loss of identity as well as culture, because it erases their past and transforms them into something they are not. So because they're forced to speak English, practice Christianity and they're dehumanized... middle of paper and they feel like when they're drunk or high it helps them forget and to drown their sorrows. Finally, Indigenous people who attended residential schools often had difficulty expressing their emotions. They feel but they don't show emotions, sometimes it's a choice where they prefer to build a wall between their emotions. This may be due to emotional scarring. To recap this point, residential schools are a cause of suicide, drug addiction and mental health issues among many Aboriginal people. In conclusion, the legacies of residential schools are all negative; indigenous people lost their identity and culture, experienced breakdowns within their families and many committed suicide or abused their way of life. The idea of ​​boarding schools could have benefited the English, but the natives had no choice but to suffer without benefiting from it...