Western Prisoner: The Experiences in Canadian Residential Schools

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how the her value is diminished in the eyes of the nuns. On the other hand, concentration camps also used humiliation as a tool for dehumanisation. In an article titled “Forced Labor” (United States Holocaust Memorial Museum) it reads, “Jewish laborers were also subjected to humiliating treatment, as when SS men forced religious Jews to submit to having their beards cut.”. This excerpt speaks volumes, because similar to the Aboriginals, long hair is also a symbol of Jewish culture. Shaving is prohibited in Judaism. By shaving the beards of Jewish prisoners, the SS guards stripped them of their culture and dignity. Therefore, both the residential school students, and the concentration camp prisoners shared in the experience of facing indignity and degradation at the hand of their captors.

The hardships faced by the Indigenous residential students, and the Jews in particular devastated these minorities. Many Jews were afraid to return home due to the fact that antisemitism still continued in many parts of Europe, therefore, tens of thousands of Jews were displaced and sought refuge in other European countries. Aboriginals who survived the residential schools were excluded from both the population they were to be assimilated into, and their own communities. According to the history textbook, “ Quality of life on reserves continued to decline… Suicide rates were highest in the country”. Despite these trials and tribulations, the Jewish and Aboriginal community survived by holding onto their faith and culture, and remaining hopeful in a hopeless place. Both the Aboriginals and the prisoners in the concentration camps shared in the experience of abuse, cruelty, and indignity to the highest degree. Due to the torture, the subhuman conditions, and the humiliation, the experiences of both the Indigenous and the Jewish communities are truly parallel.

Bibliography

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2)Spiegelman, Art. Maus. New York: Random House, 1991.

3)Miller, J.R. Residential Schools. The Canadian Encyclopedia. October 10, 2012. Accessed January 14, 2017. http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/residential-schools/

4)AUSCHWITZ-BIRKENAU. Nutrition / Life in the camp / History / Auschwitz-Birkenau. Accessed January 14, 2017. http://auschwitz.org/en/history/life-in-the-camp/nutrition

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6)Forced Labor. United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Accessed January 14, 2017. https://www.ushmm.org/outreach/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007732.

7)Bolotta, Angelo, Dennis Gerrard, and Denise Shortt. Canada, face of a nation. Scarborough, Ontario: Gage Educational Pub., 2000.