Old Sun Classroom

This computer reconstruction approximates how classrooms at Old Sun Indian Residential school would have appeared. This reconstruction was created using historic photographs as well as descriptions provided by former students.

“I have reason to believe that the agents as a whole … are doing all they can, by refusing food until the Indians are on the verge of starvation, to reduce the expense,” – Sir John A. MacDonald, 1882

Visualizing Classrooms From the Past

Old Sun Community College has undergone a remarkable transformation from an institution of oppression and coercive tutelage to one of that is playing a key role in cultural revitalization. The changing of dormitories into classrooms, and chapels into a library means there is often little within the building to remind staff, students, and visitors about its history as a former Indian Residential School.

Computer reconstruction and gaming technology provide a mean of visualizing how different areas of Old Sun might have appeared in the past. Dr. Katayoon Etemad who is a computer science researcher at the University of Calgary created this reconstruction of a classroom at Old Sun Indian Residential School as it may have appeared in the 1960’s. The model was created using historic photographs and the memories of residential school survivors who attended Old Sun Indian.

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

Old Sun, photograph of students in grade four and five classroom, 1940-1949. Shingwauk Residential Schools Centre, Algoma University

Formal classroom photo of students at their desks. Principal and teacher stand at the back - [194-?]. P7538-1015 from The General Synod Archives, Anglican Church of Canada

Duncan Winnipeg sits at a desk in a classroom. 1955-1957. NA-4817-9. Courtesy of Glenbow Archives .

Students in a classroom. 1955-1957. NA-4817-10. Courtesy of Glenbow Archives .

Grade 7 students in a classroom. 1956. NA-4817-11. Courtesy of Glenbow Archives .

Making paper mache masks for Halloween. 1955-1957. NA-4817-54. Courtesy of Glenbow Archives .

Making paper mache masks for Halloween. 1955-1957. NA-4817-55. Courtesy of Glenbow Archives .

Sylvia Peacemaker sits between two friends in front of a quonset hut used for additional indoor teaching and recreation space. 1955-1957. na-4817-7. Courtesy of Glenbow Archives

Display of finished items and three students from woodworking class. 1945. P75-103-S7-190 from the General Synod Archives, Anglican Church of Canada.

Junior Classroom. Posed photo of students seated at their desks with teacher (blurred) standing at the back - 1945. P75-103-S7-182 from The General Synod Archives, Anglican Church of Canada

Senior classroom. Photo consists of students sitting at their desks, in view from front of classroom to the rear- 1945. P75-103-S7-184 from The General Synod Archives, Anglican Church of Canada

Grades 3 and 4. View of classroom with students at their desks and teacher standing at rear- [194-?]. P75-103-S7-193 from The General Synod Archives, Anglican Church of Canada

Senior students. Photo consists of senior girls at their desks, boys standing against side wall, and Principal and staff member standing at rear- [194-?]. P75-103-S7-201 from The General Synod Archives, Anglican Church of Canada

Grades 4 and 5 classroom with students working at their desks- [194-?]. P75-103-S7-205 from The General Synod Archives, Anglican Church of Canada

Senior class and teacher Miss J. Rutherford. - [194- ?]. P75-103-S7-206 from The General Synod Archives, Anglican Church of Canada

Junior students - 1952. P75-103-S7-208 from The General Synod Archives, Anglican Church of Canada

Junior Classroom. Posed photo of students seated at their desks with teacher (blurred) standing at the back - 1945. P7538-1005 from The General Synod Archives, Anglican Church of Canada

Mandel Old Woman- It’s Worse than Being in Jail

And another time, I ran away, this was during a blizzard that was the same time, it was a blizzard. I was the only one running away, hey. And I decided to run away. The same thing, very lonely, and the things that I go through, and all the things that like, like it was very… its worse than being in jail, this residential school. And its not, its I say its… You can’t, you can’t… you have to be follow their rules, and you know every little thing you do. Like you can’t even speak your own language. You get hit every so often. You get hit or you get strapped or get pulled by the ear or get knocked on the head. So, and…

Like we go to bed about, about, I say about 5, 5 o’clock in the evening and these things we were only about four or five years old so these things you know, it was very, you know I can’t… very, miserable out there. Some things that went through there… and at the age of four, I was, at the age of four I was doing cleaning. You know doing, doing the cleaning up at the age of four, you know. Like using, using a toothbrush to wipe the steps and gee there was a lot of, you know. At my age of 4 years old, what are you doing using the grooves to, you know, scrub the floors and you know and that was, for a four year old… for a four year old doing that, and mopping and scrubbing the floors and polishing the floors with a machine. You know at four years you’re not supposed be doing that.

And you eat the same old food, out there, you know, you get tired of. And you wear the same clothes, the same clothes over and over. And yeah, it was very miserable out there. And you can’t speak your own language, you lost your language and that’s how I don’t know my language to this day. Umm not my language, my culture I should say yeah. I lost my culture. I don’t even know my culture to this day. I’m at the age of 63 years old now. I just know, just know a few things about my culture now, and now I have to relearn to speak English.

And it was very hard and when we were in the chapel we, umm, when we were, when we go chapel it goes on for hours and hours. I don’t know how long, how long it goes on and we’re sitting there praying we have to get on, on our and our knees for about I say about… I don’t know, an hour two hours and our knees would be… I don’t know, be gee be very, umm, its very sore our knees. And we do fall asleep, and we get slapped on the head. And you know, so we have to keep, keep awake and you know and by the time we’re tired so… I don’t know we get, we get umm.. we get how do we say… We get like, umm like, we get we get punished for that you know. You know so that was one of the things too.

-Mandel Old Woman

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