Old Sun Chapel

This computer reconstruction approximates how the chapel at Old Sun would have appeared at Old Sun Indian Residential School. It was created using historic photos as well as descriptions provided by former students.

“We instill within them a pronounced distaste of the Indian way of life so that they will be humiliated when reminded of their origin. When they graduate from our institutions, the children have lost everything except their Native blood”. – Bishop Vital Grandin, 1875

3D Computer Reconstruction of Old Sun’s Chapel

Angie Ayoungman (front) and Gwendora Bear Chief (back) point out changes to be made to the virtual reconstruction. October 2021.

Computer science researcher Dr. Katayoon Etemad used historic photographs and survivors accounts to recreate the appearance of the chapel during the 1960’s. Etemad would provide members of the Old Sun Advisory Group with different versions of the model. Members would then suggest changes and send the model back to Etemad for revisions. This “back and forth” process eventually resulted in a closer approximation of how the chapel would have looked to staff and students.

The Prevalence of Religion at Indian Residential Schools

Residential School Survivors describe being indoctrinated with religion, being punished for speaking their language, and being mocked for practicing their culture. Felix Mukego who attended BQ IRS explained: “they try to indoctrinate you with religion. Pound in you a fear of God or whatever God is supposed to be. Made you pray maybe 7 times a day. Made you go to church every morning, whether you like it or not. On your hands and knees. On a cold cement floor to say your Catholic prayers” (Muskego, 2014).

This image gallery shows historic and modern photos of Old Sun College's library. Click on photos to expand and read their captions. If you have photos of that you would like to submit to this archive, please contact us at irsdocumentationproject@gmail.com.

Chapel of Old Sun ca. 1952. Shingwauk Residential Schools Centre, Algoma University

Canon Gibbon Stocken conducting service at Old Sun School. - [ca. 1949]. P75-103-S7-198 from The General Synod Archives, Anglican Church of Canada

Chapel interior, Old Sun Residential School. 1955-1957. NA-4817-65. Courtesy of Glenbow Archives .

Choir at Christmas, Old Sun School. Nativity scene in foreground. Possibly in the chapel. 1955-1957. NA-4817-28. Courtesy of Glenbow Archives .

Mrs. Water Chief (right) and Mrs. Gunny Crow (left) on the steps of Old Sun after leaving church held in the school chapel. 1955-1957. NA-4817-66. Courtesy of Glenbow Archives .

Women and children leaving Old Sun after church in the chapel. Despite community members attending services held in the Old Sun chapel, students were not allowed to speak with them. 1955-1957. NA-4817-67. Courtesy of Glenbow Archives .

Students in the chapel of Old Sun during the filming of a documentary, ca. 1952. Photo Source: Shingwauk Residential Schools Centre, Algoma University

Siksika community members in the chapel of Old Sun during the filming of a documentary, ca. 1952. Photo Source: Shingwauk Residential Schools Centre, Algoma University

Community members in chapel during filming of a movie. 1952. Shingwauk Residential Schools Centre, Algoma University.

Staff in chapel during filming of a movie. 1952. Shingwauk Residential Schools Centre, Algoma University.

Students outside standing in front of the school chapel. 1950s. Shingwauk Residential Schools Centre, Algoma University

Old Sun chapel 1952. Shingwauk Residential Schools Centre, Algoma University

Canon Gibbon Stocken and Chief Paul Little Walker at the front of Old Sun chapel [ca. 1949]. P75-103-S7-197 from The General Synod Archives, Anglican Church of Canada

Eileen Black- We Never Had Good Nutritious Meals

When we go to eat, when we go to eat, I don’t know what kind of food or how… and I don’t who was cooking or who prepared the meal, but they were such bad cooks. I never remember having a good meal, and not filling. We never had good nutritious meals, we were always hungry. We were always hungry and that’s why in there the girls would go and steal some bread to feed us… [laughs]. You know, that’s how thoughtful some of them were. That’s how we, I think, we survived.

You know a lot of people right now just hate porridge, because of the way it was served there. Myself I eat porridge, that’s my staple in the morning right now. I don’t know how, but I remember it was a chunk, just like a big dry chunk of porridge when they served it to me. I would look at it and I used to think, “if you are hungry you have to eat that, if you’re hungry you have to eat it.” I don’t even remember if there was toast, juice, or anything like that. All I remember is that big chunk of porridge and they would slap it in a bowl and we were expected, and we ate. We had to eat it. I can’t say I didn’t eat it because it was too yucky, I had to eat it because I was hungry.

Yes, and where else can I get food in that building? Where can I get food? You go into the playroom, there’s no food in there. You go into the and into the supervisor’s room there was probably a lot of food for them for their snacks. They didn’t know us; we were just apiece of something like this [picks up a piece of paper and crumbles it]. We make it or if it doesn’t tear, if it doesn’t disintegrate, you know, it doesn’t matter to them. And if we all died, all the better for them, but some survived it. Some survived it. Some survived to tell their story.

– Isitsimani, Eileen Black

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