Old Sun Annex

The Annex at Old Sun Community College. This Area of the School Presently Contains Various Administrative Offices. It Originally Served as the Priest’s Primary Residence During the Time that Old Sun Functioned as an Indian Residential School.

“It has been strongly impressed upon myself, as head of the Department, that Indian children should be withdrawn as much as possible from the parental influence, and the only way to do that would be to put them in central training industrial schools where they will acquire the habits and modes of thought of white men.” – Sir John A. MacDonald, 1879

The Minister’s Quarter’s

Cropped photo of the exterior, showing a car parked in front of the annex at Old Sun. 1930s. NA-2966-4. Courtesy of the Glenbow Archives.

The annex at Old Sun Community College is currently used as a meeting space for staff. The main floor has a private office, an office with board room, and a small kitchen area. Upstairs, there are three offices, a bathroom, and an additional room. The annex’s half basement is used for storage.

When Old Sun operated as a residential school, the annex served as accommodation for the minister, who was also principal of the school, and his family. The kitchen and boardroom functioned as a private kitchen and formal dining area where the minister could entertain guests. The rooms upstairs served as bedrooms. Students at the school were not generally allowed access to the annex, except when brought there specifically by the minister.

For the creation of this archive, many of the survivors returned to Old Sun to share their memories, and were interviewed in the boardroom which used to be the dining room for these quarters. For many survivors, it takes great strength and resilience to return to the school and revisit their memories.

Use the arrow keys (left, right, up, down) or left click and drag your mouse around the screen to view different areas of each room. If you have a touch screen, simply drag your finger across the screen.

This gallery contains modern day and archival images of the annex of Old Sun. If you have photos of the annex that you would like to submit to this archive, please contact us at irsdocumentationproject@gmail.com.

Leica BLK scanning under the stairs to the basement of the annex during digital documentation of Old Sun. August 2020. Photo source: Madisen Hvidberg.

Old Sun School, annex to the right with separate entrance visible. [193-?]. P75-103-S7-188 from the General Synod Archives, Anglican Church of Canada.

Boardroom office of the Siksika Studies department at Old Sun Community College, formerly the dining room of the minister's quarters. Photo from digital capture of Old Sun, August 2020.

Upstairs office in the annex of Old Sun, formerly a bedroom for the minister's quarters. Photo from digital capture of Old Sun, August 2020.

Entrance to the annex of Old Sun. Photo from digital capture of Old Sun, August 2020.

Old Sun School, this brick building was opened in 1929. 1930s. NA-2966-4. Courtesy of the Glenbow Archives.

Rev. Robert Crocker and family, who would have been living in the annex. 1955. NA-4817-50. Courtesy of Glenbow Archives .

Old Sun School, annex to the right.[193-?] P7538-1022 from the General Synod Archives, Anglican Church of Canada

Rev. Cole and Frazer with hens. Cole would have been living in the annex (on the left side of Old Sun) and Mr. Fraser in the maintenance house. June 1950. P7538-998 from the General Synod Archives, Anglican Church of Canada.

Larry Water Chief- It Happened at the Senior Dorm

Hello, my name is Naiistootapinohmahka, Larry Water Chief. My story is about when I stayed at the Residential School. I will tell a story about the dormitory, the senior boys dorm.

At that time I was still a little boy but I was placed in the senior dorm. The older boys always made plans, the decided on what to do and, of course, us younger ones we follow what they do. Sometimes we would have to follow exactly what they say we have to do. And, ah, so one at the dance hall, Crowfoot dance hall, there’s going to be a powwow. The older boys were saying we should run away, and they started plan how we would go there. And we were just following their orders. They told us when all the lights are turned off, and when our supervisor will have gone to bed. They said they told us to fold up our clothes and tie them with a belt, and from the fire escape to throw them right to the ground floor, and there, when it was time, we followed the older boys.

We followed them, we threw our clothes to the ground. We got down through the fire escape and we put our clothes on. We all went to the dance hall. We first walked to the town of Gleichen, and I don’t know why but when we walked to the dance hall there lots of people there and we didn’t stay there long. Then we started going back to the school. As we got closer, we saw that the lights were on and we realized that we got caught. So we just went upstairs and our supervisor did not come into the dorm, she just waited till the morning.

We got up and we just all went to our classrooms. next thing I was told to go the principal’s office. There the boys were in a long line up and we were asking each other “what is going to happen?” When we went in there and the principle was already sitting in there with a strap, it was a wide one. Then all the boys were in line and one by one we were told to pull our pants down and we were each strapped five times. And it was a thick that belt and it really hurt us. And now I was thinking, “well it was our fault and we did something wrong and you will get punished if you did something wrong,” and this what… I always look at it that way.

Then we had to listen to what the older boys told us what to do. When they finished strapping us, me, I learned a lesson… I learnt a lesson from this, so I did not follow any directions from anybody. I was so scared. The older boys used to tell us, they always told us “When we go to eat, give me some bread and I will help you.” I would quickly hand over our bread or even two marbles… I will give you two marbles for bread. These things you know the older boys, we have to follow what they say.

And there the same place where we sleep, at night we would be hungry. The older boys would go downstairs and steal bread from the kitchen or they would go to the hospital. They would go into the cellar, and they would bring us vegetables, carrots and bread. And we would enjoy eating. When I’m going to sleep, I put them under my pillow, the bread. When I get hungry, I just eat them.

Ah for some it was sad how they badly they were treated. Me, I was scared and I obeyed the older boys and there was a lot what happened at the residential school. And now what story I shared, it happened at the senior dorm, way on the top floor.

–Naiistootapinohmahka, Larry Water Chief

Notes:

Oral interview with Naiistootapinohmahka, Larry Water Chief. Conducted, translated, and transcribed by Angeline Ayoungman. Old Sun Community College, April 4, 2022.