This book documents and comments on what is known about the Indian residential school era in Canada. The aftermath of this era has exacted a huge toll, both in the human suffering of First Nations and on Canadian society in general, but understanding the impact of residential schools can aid the healing process. Chapters are: (1) "Examining the Past" (reflections on pursuing painful history); (2) "Traditional Education" (aboriginal societies, education of early and middle-years children, adolescence, discipline and testing, missionary perceptions); (3) "Early History" (United States 1568-1934, Canada prior to 1870, Canada 1870-1900); (4) "Canada: The 20th Century" (questioning the system, Canadian Welfare Council System, the Federation of Saskatchewan Indians Study); (5) "The Church and the State" (colonialism, government policies, bureaucrats, federally funded church schools for Natives); (6) "Health" (facilities, food, tuberculosis, school health care, illnesses in the schools, professional health care, treatment of sick students, death statistics); (7) "Staff" (staffing patterns, qualifications, turnover, children's concerns, Indian staff, parental visits, staff at farm schools, positive recollections); (8) "Curriculum" (reading and language arts, social studies, arithmetic, music and dancing, religion, physical activities and recreation, age-grade placement, record keeping, high school); (9) "Language" (school policies, impact of language suppression on culture, implications for child development, school practices, English instruction, aftermath of language suppression); (10) "Resistance" (appeals to the government, challenges to the school, student resistance); (11) "Abuse" (roots of the problem, human rights abuses, physical abuse, sexual abuse, spiritual abuse, psychological abuse); (12) "Aftermath" (leaving the schools, inability to express feelings, feelings of inferiority, apathy and unwillingness to work, values confusion and culture shock, antireligion attitudes, impacts on children of survivors, changes in roles of elders, Indian education today); and (13) "Conclusion" (boarding school practices as genocide, benefits of the residential school era, present discussion and future healing). An appendix includes writings of residential school inspectors and students. Contains references, a bibliography, numerous quotes from former students, and photographs. (SV)