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

Donna Axe Running Rabbit- Finally I Got Fed Up

On the second floor, that was our room. That was juniors, that was junior girls. I slept on top, we had bunk beds, and my late sister Jenny slept on the bottom. I would whisper to my sister when we go to bed, “go use the bathroom” so that way she would not get strapped, so she does go. But, I don’t know, other times she forgets to go use it and she would pee in bed. I would wake up during the night to hear areal hard slap from that Mrs. Maguire to Jenny. I would jump off the bunk bed and I would grab Jenny as she was crying loudly, and again I would tell Annie Maguire that I would tell my mother. She would just look at me. There was a lot of abuse in there, hitting. But I never witnessed anything about sexual abuse or anything like that.

There was one in there, one supervisor her name was Miss Nash. I remember her she was a big lady beautiful lady; she was very kind to us. She was from BC, I think she was from BC. She would tell us about Annie, that she was a mean person and all. And that she would be right in there with Mr. Brown and then we would tell Mrs. Nash, “how come she is doing that why, why does she have to listen?”

She said, “that white lady, we try and talk to her to say not to listen to Mr. Brown, but Mr. Brown must tell her what to do. To do this and that to the students” and its always Annie.. it’s always Annie. I was not scared of her at that time [laughs]. But I was scared for the rest and finally I got fed up, I think when I was nine years old. I started to run away from here. A friend of mine, her name was Daphne Black Horse… I would run away from here with her. Daphne was scared of them because Annie would be yelling our names very loud and she would be using the F word, that “we should f***ing get back here to the boarding school!” Then we come back, and we would get strapped and again we would get hit on the head with her knuckles, pulling our hair, and our ears… pulling our ears, holding our ears right up to the room.

And another thing about at that time me and Daphne, we never, never ever got Christmas gifts. Never ever, till it closed because it was always Annie. That’s all I can remember…

– Donna Axe Running Rabbit

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