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

Celeste Bull Bear- The Girl I was Scared of

The incident where it happened was Old Sun Residential School. Well, the dorms, the junior girl’s dorm. Well, I don’t know how old I was when I started, when I attended the residential school. I know I was about 8, 8 years old when I went to residential school. Yeah, I was 8 years old and well, I, you know… like I didn’t really get, you know like, abused or anything like that. But I did get it from my friends or the other girls that attended residential school.

I was, you know, like, that’s where I got it from. And I remember that one time, when one of the girls were playing jacks. and I was playing with her, that girl, and I don’t know what happened. The ball rolled away and I went to get it and I sat back down. And I don’t know, she just started crying that girl, and that’s when her sister came. Her sister came, and she was telling me “what happened to her? What did you do to her?” I told her, “I didn’t do anything to her, she just started crying.”

I was going to pick them up, so I was on my knees picking up the jacks. And she just kicked me, right in the forehead. With her, she had, I still remember she had white shoes on and they were really pointy and she just kicked me in the forehead. And I didn’t want to cry because it hurt so bad because she kicked me really hard. And I was touching my forehead it was kind of like it was dented. And so that part that happened to me.

The other part was the same one, it was always the same one that abused me. The other time was in the girl’s bathroom, she was pushing my head, like banging my head against the wall. That person was telling me that I was — at that time I didn’t know what that word meant– but she was telling me that I was a bastard and that my dad wasn’t Walker Bear Chief. She was just punching me like in the stomach and just pushing, throwing me against the wall.

I didn’t know, I didn’t even know, there was these two girls that came in. They were going to use the bathroom. They helped me, they pushed her away and that’s was how I got free from her. And I was really scared and I’ve been really scared of that girl for… even to this day, when I see her, I’m scared of her. Even though I’m grown up, you know, I could fight back if she was ever to do that again but that’s how I felt. I was really scared of her. And there was times where, you know, she starts to call names. She always called me names and they were were really, you know, like swear words she used on me. I remember, and some of those words.I was still young, I didn’t really know them, what they meant, but at that time I just knew they weren’t good; you know good names. And that’s about all I can remember.

– Celeste Bull Bear (Bear Chief)

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Notes:

Oral interview with Celeste Bull Bear (Bear Chief). Conducted, translated, and transcribed by Gwendora Bear Chief. Old Sun Community College, March 28, 2022.