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 Christian missionaries have a long tradition of being the harbingers
of Western culture to traditional societies. The missionaries who came to
western Canada in the 19th century came from a world in the throws of then
industrial revolution. Britain moved from the Romanic era into
Victorianism, which was very much a period of awakening of a social
conscience, and post revolution France was still under the reign of the
Napoleons. In eastern Canada the underground railroad operated, Irish
Immigrants had just arrived in large numbers, and Ottawa was the new
capital of Canada. Towards the end of the century, France - in the
aftermath of the Dreyfus affair - restricted the freedom of religious
orders and England, in the wake of Darwin and Marx, and preoccupied with
colonial politics, saw theories of racial and social difference come in
vogue.
This world was also shaped by a religious culture which preached
personal poverty and selfless care for those in need. The
missionaries often had seen plenty of poverty in their own surroundings.
 Whereas the essence of Christianity is selfless love for one's
neighbour, the conveyance of this message in institutional form has
often obscured and hindered its expression. Modern institutions, related
to education and legal process, for example, are aspects of a civil
society, where people of different races and backgrounds live together
bound in their participation in these institutions. However, these
institutions have often fallen short in acknowledging the importance of
cultural and community understandings.
Through these institutional forms, the motivation that attempted to offer food, shelter and modern education to
Aboriginal peoples displaced from their traditional lands, gave rise to
residential schools. While much good was done, many of the immediate
and residual effects were a sad corruption of important Christian
ideals.
Poundmaker Lodge Near St. Albert
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All missions - Anglican, Methodist and Roman Catholic were faced with
a shortage of materials, food, medicine and help, - and the conviction
that western culture offered the answers they needed. The missionaries
relied on their personal knowledge and experience to care for, clothe
and feed those they considered their charges. This meant implementing a
western model for house keeping, teaching and nursing as well as for
community celebrations and recreation.
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