Description
School history courtesy of A Long Journey: Residential Schools in Labrador and Newfoundland
When the boarding school at Makkovik fully opened in 1920, the settler school in Nain closed. Missionaries continued to offer day schooling to Inuit students in the community in Inuktitut. However, economic changes forced many families out of Nain for longer periods of time, forcing the Moravian missionaries to restructure their approach to education, leading to the opening of the Nain Boarding School in 1929.
The school was the first to integrate Inuit and Settler children in a bilingual classroom. Local and mission teachers instructed in English and Inuktitut, however that only lasted until 1931, when students were segregated into English speaking Settlers and Inuit students. Both classrooms would learn some of both languages.
The Moravian missionaries used the boarding schools as a way to remove children from home lives that they deemed a potential source of evil. They used the schools as a way to train children to withstand immoral influences, equating Inuit living conditions with low moral standards.
In an attempt to reduce costs for the Mission and instill the Protestant work ethic in the children, students were required to help run the dormitory and school by doing chores. Like Makkovik boarding school, chores were divided between the boys and girls.
Because of budgetary concerns and restrictions, the school at Nain relied heavily on local donations of food to supplement their storebought supply. This meant that many meals were a combination of local, country food and European style meals. However, the food was still unfamiliar and unappetizing to some students
The Moravian missionaries often used their authority to compel parents to send their children to the boarding school, even if they lived in the community. Many parents agreed to send their children because of the authority of the missionaries while others used the boarding school as a way to feed and clothe their children when times were difficult.
After Confederation in 1949, the Moravian mission and the Provincial government came to an agreement, with the government taking over control of the school. Due to this, the education in Nain changed dramatically. Teachers were hired based on provincial credentials and the government refused to hire Inuit teaching assistants, leaving Inuktitut speaking students to struggle with the English curriculum and lose the ability to learn traditional skills.
With economic circumstances causing more families to move into Nain, the boarding school enrollment declined until 1972 when the dormitory closed.
Only time frame after Confederation with Canada (April 1, 1949) included in Newfoundland and Labrador residential schools Settlement Agreement (Procter, Andrea. 2020. A Long Journey: Residential Schools in Labrador and Newfoundland. St. John’s: ISER/Memorial University Press).
