We welcome you to the Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre.

The records on our site emerge from the cultural and physical genocide that the Canadian government and churches conducted through the Indian Residential School System, including the ongoing impacts.

Bearing witness to these records may become overwhelming. If you are a Survivor or an Intergenerational Survivor and would like support, you can call the 24-hour National Indian Residential School Crisis Line at:

1-866-925-4419

Please click the button below for other cultural and mental health resources.

Wellness Resources

About the IRSHDC Collections

The collections website of the Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre responds to the desire of residential school Survivors and their families to have increased access to residential school records. The collections also support education about the history, legacy, and ongoing impacts of the Indian residential school system on Indigenous peoples and Indigenous-settler relations in Canada.

The Centre's online database thus brings together digital copies of records that are otherwise spread out across online and physical spaces. It includes records from partner organizations including government, church, and community archives, museums, and libraries, as well as individual private collections.

The records represent the perspectives of students and their parents; church officials, clergy, and school staff; Indian agents and other government officials; journalists; and contemporary leaders, community members, and scholars. They take the form of text, image, audio, and video files, and include:
  • Survivor testimonies
  • Truth and Reconciliation Commission events and hearings
  • Photographs
  • Maps and site plans
  • Government documents
  • Church documents
  • Belongings
  • Newspaper articles
  • Library resources

The collection makes colonial records and mechanisms visible while seeking to render Survivor voices more central.

To learn more, we encourage you to browse the records and featured collections or get started with our user guide.

For health and cultural support, please see our wellness and healing resources.
TOP