After years of false-starts and consultation, the Indian Residential Schools Truth and Reconciliation Commission has begun collecting records in response to the Residential Schools Agreement, and the archives of the Diocese of New Westminster and Provincial Synod of BC and Yukon has been chosen to be part of a document collection pilot project.
The Residential Schools Agreement, signed in 2006, includes a mandate to “Identify sources and create as complete an historical record as possible of the IRS system and legacy” and “establish a research centre” populated by these historical records. Bronson Consulting - consisting of The History group (researchers), Brechin Imaging (digitization) and Minisis Inc (database software) has been hired by the TRC to comb hundreds of thousands of pages of records in the archives in order to identify, scan, and digitally arrange all records pertaining to the residential school system and its legacy. Each day since August 29th, between 3 and 7 researchers from The History Group spend their days in the archives reviewing hundreds of files. The researchers mark relevant records in all formats – paper, photos, maps, plans and sound recordings. Starting October 6th, the team from Brechin Imaging will begin scanning and digitizing the marked relevant records, which will be stored and described within the records database created by Minisis Inc. While it is yet unclear what shape the resulting research centre will take, the massive project is the first step in fulfilling the mandate.
Archivist Melanie Wallace has been working in anticipation of this day for several years, preparing finding aids and inventories of records in the archives that trace both the history of the schools, and the more recent steps towards reconciliation in the Diocese and Province. The archives holds the records of All Hallows School, Yale BC and St. George’s Residential School in Lytton, BC. The Diocese of New Westminster oversaw All Hallows, Yale from its inception in 1884 until its closure in 1917 and St. George’s, Lytton from 1902 until the creation of the Diocese of Cariboo in 1914. While the Residential Schools began officially closing in 1969, St. George’s remained open until 1979.
Throughout the next 2 years, the Bronson Consulting team will visit archives of all Anglican, Roman Catholic, United and Presbyterian archives which hold records pertaining to the 139 Residential Schools in Canada.
The Residential Schools Agreement, signed in 2006, includes a mandate to “Identify sources and create as complete an historical record as possible of the IRS system and legacy” and “establish a research centre” populated by these historical records. Bronson Consulting - consisting of The History group (researchers), Brechin Imaging (digitization) and Minisis Inc (database software) has been hired by the TRC to comb hundreds of thousands of pages of records in the archives in order to identify, scan, and digitally arrange all records pertaining to the residential school system and its legacy. Each day since August 29th, between 3 and 7 researchers from The History Group spend their days in the archives reviewing hundreds of files. The researchers mark relevant records in all formats – paper, photos, maps, plans and sound recordings. Starting October 6th, the team from Brechin Imaging will begin scanning and digitizing the marked relevant records, which will be stored and described within the records database created by Minisis Inc. While it is yet unclear what shape the resulting research centre will take, the massive project is the first step in fulfilling the mandate.
Archivist Melanie Wallace has been working in anticipation of this day for several years, preparing finding aids and inventories of records in the archives that trace both the history of the schools, and the more recent steps towards reconciliation in the Diocese and Province. The archives holds the records of All Hallows School, Yale BC and St. George’s Residential School in Lytton, BC. The Diocese of New Westminster oversaw All Hallows, Yale from its inception in 1884 until its closure in 1917 and St. George’s, Lytton from 1902 until the creation of the Diocese of Cariboo in 1914. While the Residential Schools began officially closing in 1969, St. George’s remained open until 1979.
Throughout the next 2 years, the Bronson Consulting team will visit archives of all Anglican, Roman Catholic, United and Presbyterian archives which hold records pertaining to the 139 Residential Schools in Canada.
Images: Top, staff and students at All Hallows School, Yale (Credit: Archives of the Diocese of New Westminster). Middle right, Researchers from The History Group review archival records for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Document Collections Process (Credit: Melanie Wallace). Below, Archbishop Heathcote with a confirmation class at St. George's Lytton residential school in 1942 (Credit: Archvies of the Provincial Synod of BC and Yukon)