Labrador Inuit and residential schools: Leaders for educational change - Andrea Procter

Thousands of Inuit and Innu children attended residential schools in Labrador and northern Newfoundland from the early 1900s until 1980. The history of these schools is distinct from other residential schools, as the federal government did not assume responsibility for Indigenous education until after Newfoundland and Labrador joined Canada in 1949. This presentation describes the unique history of the Moravian Mission boarding schools in Nain and Makkovik, and the boarding schools and orphanage established by the International Grenfell Association in North West River, Cartwright, and St. Anthony. Between 1955 and 1980, all five schools eventually closed, largely because local people fought to re-gain control over their children's education. From Spotted Island to Hopedale to Nain, Inuit communities transformed and ultimately helped to shut down the boarding school system in Labrador. As their actions demonstrate, Inuit were not simply survivors of residential schools in Labrador — they were leaders for change.