Lac La Biche - History - Religious Communities

Education/Schools/Students | Nuns | Oblates

EDUCATION/SCHOOLS/STUDENTS

The Oblate missionaries were faced with a challenge when confronted with a constantly moving congregation, which pursued wild game across a large area. The emergence of the Metis farmer made the Oblates' task much easier.

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No organized system has yet been provided for promoting education in the northern settlements, and the only institutions for that purpose are those established and maintained by the missions of the Roman Catholic and Anglican churches. The Roman Catholic schools are conducted by the Grey Nuns and lay brothers, while the Church of England schools are in charge of the officiating clergyman and his assistants at each post. The expenses of maintenance in both cases are met by private contributions from the older settled parts of Canada, supplemented by a very small government grant.

The Mission schools are spacious buildings providing accommodation for about 100 pupils at the larger posts. The half-breed and Indian children live at the mission while their parents are engaged hunting or fishing, and only in rare cases do the parents bear the expenses incurred on behalf of their children. The interest and self-sacrifice on the part of the missionaries and teachers and their untiring efforts in the face of numerous difficulties, never experienced in settled districts, are worthy of commendation.

Invariably, the dormitories and schools are models of neatness and would put to shame many of the similar institutions in the more settled parts of Canada.

In the Roman Catholic missions, the classes teaching sewing, cooking etc. are supervised by the nuns, while the lay brothers cultivate the mission farms and teach the boys agriculture, carpentry, boat building, etc. With the help of the older boys, they also provide fuel and other local necessities for the mission.

As soon as the children attain an age where they can be of assistance to their parents, they are taken from the schools and soon drift back to their ancestors’ mode of living. Higher education for the Indians or half-breed children is practically unknown and, even where they are willing to remain and study, the missions do not have the facilities and accommodation available, as they are taxed to capacity caring for the smaller children.

Convent

November 19th,2000.

Letter #1
Page 1
Source: Tom Maccagno

Department of Indian Affairs
North-West Territories
Lac La Biche Boarding School
Lac La Biche, 30th June, 1897

To: Hon. Superintendent General of Indian Affairs, Ottawa
From: H. Grandin, principal

Annual Report

Location: The school is built on the west shore of the lake, view of the lake, 70 acres are set apart for the use of the school.
Buildings: Are quite large, but owing to the numerous applications for admission, we were prepared to enlarge them when it was resolved to transfer our boarding school from here to the Blue Quills Reserve.
Class Work: 8 subjects
Industrial work: farming, gardening, sewing, knitting, cooking, laundry work and all kinds of housekeeping.
Water supply: Lake
Fire Protection: Ladders are attached to the house and pails with water are always at hand.