Book review: Nii Ndahlohke: Boys’ and Girls’ Work at Mount Elgin Industrial School, 1890-1915

Reviewed by Karl Hele

Nii Ndahlohke, a Lunaape phrase meaning ‘I work’, has a double meaning for this important educational resource on the Mount Elgin Industrial School. Author Mary Jane Logan McCallum notes that the title not only reflects the forced labour of students at the Mount Elgin school, but also the work of the Munsee Delaware Language and History Group “to reinvigorate interest in our cultural and linguistic heritage” (3). While dedicated to the students of Mount Elgin, McCallum’s work is also designed to provide an easily digestible study of student labour for contemporary grade school students. In this effort, Nii Ndahlohke: Boys’ and Girls’ Work at Mount Elgin Industrial School, 1890-1915 is an excellent educational resource.

Besides a conclusion and various educational elements, Nii Ndablohke is divided into two chapters – “Boys’ Work” and “Girls’ Work.” This structure mimics the gendered division of labour within the school. Both chapters draw primarily from the records of Indian Affairs and the United Church of Canada, with materials from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and other published works filling in around the edges. Drawing from these records, McCallum in “Chapter 1: Boys’ Work” ably demonstrates the hard nature of mixed farming during the 1890-1915 period, the overworking of the boys, their resistance, and the abuse boys faced when caught. For instance, she discussed an act of resistance by two boys – Frank Waddilove and Willie Bread – who sought to damage a threshing machine by tossing rocks into it as a means of relief from overwork and exhaustion.

Similarly, “Chapter 2: Girls’ Work” offers an exploration of the dangerous working conditions faced by the girls, their overwork, resistance, and abuse. For the girls’ example of resistance, McCallum discusses the efforts of four girls – Lottie Beaver, Annie Comego, Lottie Nicholas, and Winnie Fisher – to set fire to the school via the kitchen. In Chapter 2, McCallum also describes how the outdated laundry machines were dangerous – specifically noting that a used replacement steam-powered machine sold to the school was deemed too dangerous by the original operator for his business (45). A theme common to both chapters is the amount of ‘free’ labour the children were expected to undertake. This forced labour was designed to supplement the meagre funding from the parsimonious Department of Indian Affairs and Methodist Church, thus making student work essential to the school’s financial survival (i.e., 11, 17, 55). The sale of stock raised by the boys subsidized operating funds while the girls’ labour in the kitchen and laundry spared the expense of contracting service providers. Simply, McCallum shows how the school essentially treated the students as a captive labour force year-round from admission to ‘graduation’ at 18. When combined with undernourishment, this overwork led to the contraction and spread of diseases that contributed to student mortality – the author documents the deaths of 23 students from communicable diseases between 1890 and 1915 (56-7, 71-2). The forced labour did not go unnoticed by parents and bands who were concerned by the overwork and lack of educational programming. Unfortunately, their complaints were dismissed and ignored by school principals, inspectors, and Indian Affairs (23, 25, 26, 59-51).

Overall, the two chapters ably show the dangers and exploitation of students at Mount Elgin in a very compelling, age-appropriate manner. Since Nii Ndablohke is designed primarily as an educational tool, each chapter and the conclusion are followed by four key takeaways and three to four questions for further thought. The takeaways or “Beyond the Book” questions provide students and educators with the opportunity to discuss and learn more about Mount Elgin and the general Residential School experiences of children within a grade school classroom setting. The work also includes an afterword, a few brief biographies of male students, a listing of known student deaths, a glossary of key terms, notes, and a bibliography.

Nii Ndablohke is an excellent educational monograph that focusses on the compulsory and exploitative labour of students at the Mount Elgin Industrial School. In two short chapters, as well as a brief conclusion, McCallum ably demonstrates the school’s failings, poor quality of education provided to students, unhealthy environment, and forced labour, as well as the attitudes of colonial administrators and Indian Affairs. This short monograph achieves its aims of providing an educational resource for students in the Thames Valley region, making people aware of Mount Elgin and other Residential Schools, and bringing children’s stories to light for both the community and broader public. I wish there were more of these little books aimed at grade school students, drawing on the history and experiences of regionally relevant Residential Schools.

Mary Jane Logan McCallum. Nii Ndahlohke: Boys’ and Girls’ Work at Mount Elgin Industrial School, 1890-1915. Altona, MB: Friesen Press, 2022.

ISBN ‎ 1039136834