Former Shubenacadie Indian Residential School National Historic Site
The Residential School System is a topic that may cause trauma invoked by memories of past abuse. The Government of Canada recognizes the need for safety measures to minimize the risk associated with triggering. A National Residential School Crisis Line has been set up to provide support for former residential school students. You can access information on the website or access emotional and crisis referral services by calling the 24-Hour National Crisis Line: 1-866-925-4419.
The former Shubenacadie Indian Residential School was designated a national historic site in 2020.
Commemorative plaque: 47 Indian School Road, Shubenacadie, Nova ScotiaFootnote 1
Shubenacadie Indian Residential School (1929-1967)
Many Mi’kmaq, Wolastoqiyik and other Indigenous children were forced to attend the only residential school in the Maritimes. Created by the Canadian government and run by the Catholic Church, it was part of a national, colonial policy meant to assimilate students by prohibiting their cultures and languages. In 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission described this policy as cultural genocide. Many Shubenacadie survivors and descendants call it genocide. The abuses, malnutrition, harsh punishment, and child labour endured at this school have impacted generations. This place is witness to the children who died here, the resilience of survivors and descendants, and those who fight for restitution and justice.
Mikwite’tmek, We remember: Shubenacadie Indian Residential School
Through a collaboration with Mi’kmawey Debert Cultural Centre, Survivors and descendants share personal experiences of the many ways the residential school sought to take away their language, culture, and way of life. This video is a testament to the resilience of the Survivors of Shubenacadie Indian Residential School in the face of this tragic event in Canadian history.
The former Shubenacadie Indian Residential School
The former Shubenacadie Indian Residential School was the only Indian Residential School in the Maritime Provinces. Built in 1928-29 in the Sipekne’katik district of Mi’kma’ki, near the village of Shubenacadie, Nova Scotia, the school building once stood on a large property that featured barns and other farm buildings, staff residences, cultivated fields, and pastures. The school was established in 1929 and was open to students from 1930 to 1967. The abandoned school building was demolished in 1986 and a factory now stands in its place.
The Shubenacadie Indian Residential School was administered and funded by the federal government and managed first by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Halifax and later the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate. It was staffed by the Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul of Halifax.
The Shubenacadie Indian Residential School was part of the residential school system whereby the Canadian government and certain churches and religious organizations worked together to assimilate Indigenous children as part of a broader effort to destroy Indigenous cultures and identities, and to suppress Indigenous histories. In 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission described this policy as cultural genocide. Many Shubenacadie survivors and descendants call it genocide.
Mi’kmaq and Wolastoqiyik children from Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, and Quebec attended Shubenacadie IRS. Students also came from other Indigenous communities. Many of them were forced to attend. It is difficult to identify all the children who attended the school and determine what communities they came from because records, for this and other residential schools, are incomplete and inconsistent.
Students were subjected to a regimented daily routine that involved hard labour to maintain the school while facing harsh punishments, malnutrition, poor healthcare, nutritional experimentation, neglect, the deliberate suppression of their cultures and languages, and physical, emotional, and sexual abuse. Some children died while at school.
From the earliest days of the school, students, their families, and community leaders voiced objections, and protested everything from forced attendance to poor conditions, mistreatment, and the inadequate quality of schooling. Many children fought against the system by refusing to let go of their languages and identities. Some children ran away from the school in an effort to return home.
Although the school building is no longer standing, the site of the former school is a place of remembrance and healing for some survivors and their descendants, who wish to preserve Indian Residential School history in the Maritimes. Others, for whom the building and site hold neither healing nor memorial status, believe that the building and site remain a testament and record for the experiences of the children who were there, as well as for the legacies of those experiences throughout Mi’kma’ki. Many are concerned that the long-term intergenerational impact of these experiences on survivors, their families, and communities, will be forgotten. The history of the Shubenacadie Residential School is highly fraught and difficult to construct given the trauma that was, and is, inherent within it. Many survivors are still unable to speak about their experiences.
The co-chair of the Tripartite Culture and Heritage Working Committee of the Mi’kmaq-Nova Scotia-Canada Tripartite Forum submitted a nomination for the designation of the former Shubenacadie Indian Residential School on behalf of the Survivors and their descendants. Parks Canada and the proponent collaborated to highlight the experiences of Survivors and articulate the historic values of the site. The historical report and the plaque text presented to the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada were prepared by Parks Canada and the Tripartite Culture and Heritage Working Committee of the Mi’kmaq-Nova Scotia-Canada Tripartite Forum. The Government of Canada announced its designation as a national historic site under the National Program of Historical Commemoration on September 1, 2020.
Backgrounder last update: 2021-09-29
Description of historic place
The Former Shubenacadie Indian Residential School National Historic Site of Canada is located in the Sipekne’katik district of Mi’kma’ki, near the village of Shubenacadie in Nova Scotia. There are no standing structures associated with the school, which was built in 1928-29 and was open from 1930 to 1967. Now demolished, it was an imposing three-storey red brick building designed in a Classical Moderne style that followed a symmetrical E-shaped plan with dormitories on each side and a back wing with a chapel. It stood on a large property that featured barns and other farm buildings, staff residences, cultivated fields, and pastures.
After 1967, the site was abandoned and remained unused for nearly 20 years. In 1986, a fire destroyed the dilapidated school building and, two years later, a factory was built where the structure once stood. The formal recognition refers to the factory’s property lines, although the former school site extends beyond these boundaries.
Heritage value
The former Shubenacadie Indian Residential School was designated a national historic site of Canada in 2020. It is recognized because:
- although the school building is no longer standing, the site of the former school is a place of remembrance and healing for some survivors and their descendants, who wish to preserve the Indian Residential School history in the Maritimes. Others, for whom the building and site holds neither healing nor memorial status, believe that the building and site remain a testament and record for the experiences of the children who were there as well as for the legacies of those experiences throughout Mi’kma’ki;
- operated from 1930 to 1967, it was the only Indian Residential School in the Maritimes. It was first managed by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Halifax and later the Missionary Oblates of Marie Immaculate, and was staffed by the Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul of Halifax and functioned within the residential school system whereby the federal government and churches worked together to assimilate Indigenous children as part of a broad set of efforts to destroy Indigenous cultures and identities and suppress Indigenous histories;
- at this school, Mi’kmaw and Wolastoq’kew children from the Maritimes and Quebec (and possibly children from other Indigenous communities) were subjected to harsh discipline; malnutrition and starvation; poor healthcare; physical, emotional, and sexual abuse; medical experimentation; neglect; the deliberate suppression of their cultures and languages; and loss of life. From the earliest days of the school, students, their families, and community leaders voiced objections, and protested everything from forced attendance to poor conditions, mistreatment, and the inadequate quality of schooling. Children fought against the system by refusing to let go of their languages and identities. Some children ran away from the schools in an effort to return home.
The heritage value of the former Shubenacadie Indian Residential School lies in its powerful connections with past events, and the lived experiences and memories of Survivors. As a site of remembrance, it is a powerful reminder of the pain and suffering endured at the school and evokes traumatic experiences. The site serves as a stark reminder of the Indian Residential School history in the Maritimes and ensures that the history of the Residential School System is known. It is significant because of its association with the Residential School System which has had complex and enduring effects on generations of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis children, parents, and communities. This site is a witness to the children who died there, the resilience of Survivors and descendants, and those who fought for restitution and justice.
Source: Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, Minutes December 2019
The National Program of Historical Commemoration relies on the participation of Canadians in the identification of places, events and persons of national historic significance. Any member of the public can nominate a topic for consideration by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada.
Related links
- National historic designations
- National historic persons
- National historic sites designations
- National historic events
- Submit a nomination
- This Week in History
- Government of Canada and the Mi’kmaq-Nova Scotia-Canada Tripartite Forum Commemorate the National Historic Significance of the former Shubenacadie Indian Residential School (News release)
- Plaque unveiling announcement on September 30, 2021 (Facebook) (Twitter)
- Residential schools in Canada
- Former Muscowequan Indian Residential School National Historic Site
- Former Portage La Prairie Indian Residential School in Manitoba
- Former Shingwauk Indian Residential School National Historic Site
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