Alberta residential schools digitally preserved in University of Calgary project

Three Alberta residential school sites have been recreated in 3D for a digital preservation project through the University of Calgary.

The aim of the project is to keep a digital, spatially correct record of the school grounds and accurately depict daily life for students who lived there amid periods of prolonged abuse.

These include Old Sun Indian Residential School on Siksika Nation east of Calgary, University nuhelot’ine thaiyots’i nistameyimâkanak Blue Quills in St. Paul and Poundmaker’s Lodge Carriage House, which once formed part of the Edmonton Indian Residential School in St. Albert that burned down in 2000.  

Advisory committees from these three communities helped guide researchers at the university's department of anthropology and archaeology as they took on the project.

"I want people to hear our stories," said Angeline Ayoungman from Siksika First Nation, and a survivor of the Old Sun Residential School after seven years as a student in the late 1950s early 1960s.

Ayoungman said being an advisor was important for her to help document history from an Indigenous perspective.

"Some say (to me)' forget about it. That happened in the past.' But how could you forget about what happened to us? And each of us have a story to share and this is our way of telling our story. I'm so glad that we have this opportunity."

HEALING PROJECT

Virtual and physical models of the three residential schools were then recreated with technology including terrestrial laser scanners, drones, historic photos and supplemented by interviews with survivors.

"I wanted my truth to be up there for people to know that it was the truth. I want people to know it happened to us," said Gwendora Bear Chief, also from Siksika and also a survivor of the Old Sun Residential School.

She described the abuse of residential school students as "horrific" and says participating in this project helped her grapple with her past.

"That's part of my healing. This healed me, because I tried everything to heal myself," said Bear Chief.

DISSONANT HERITAGE

The project lead said digitizing residential school sites is an example of "dissonant heritage" and is important to memorialize.

"They speak to a chapter of Canadian history that sadly few Canadians know much about. We're hoping that whats going to come out of this project is that more people will learn about residential school history and its impact on Indigenous children," said Peter Dawson, dept. head of anthropology and archaeology at UCalgary.

Virtual and physical models of the three residential schools were then recreated with technology including terrestrial laser scanners, drones, historic photos and supplemented by interviews with survivors.

The scans will be soon become part of the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation, and the data will also become archived at each former school.

Dawson says he's open to working with other Canadian Indigenous communities, and is potentially partnering with universities in Australia looking to use the technology to digitize that country's equivalent of residential schools.