Mass grave of Indigenous children uncovered at former Canadian school

The remains of 215 Indigenous children have been uncovered on the property of a former residential school in western Canada, according to a preliminary survey.

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Chief Rosanne Casimir of the Tk’emlups te Secwepemc First Nation said on Friday that ground-penetrating radar discovered the remains near the site of the Kamloops Indian Residential School, which operated in southern British Columbia from 1890 until 1969, CBC reported.

The Canadian government took over administration from the Catholic Church to operate the school as a residence for a day school until closing in 1978, the news organization reported.

“It’s a harsh reality and it’s our truth, it’s our history,” Casimir said at a news conference. “And it’s something that we’ve always had to fight to prove. To me, it’s always been a horrible, horrible history.”

First Nation officials did not specify the company or individual involved, or how the work was completed, according to CBC.

Some of the children found were as young as 3 years old, according to CBC. Casimir told the news organization that the findings are “preliminary” and that a report will be provided by the specialist next month.

Casimir said the discovery was made last week where the school once stood.

“When I arrived, I was taken back. I was shocked,” Casimir told CTV News. “When it was shared with me that these were children, our children, from our community. ... It was devastating.”

Beginning in the 19th century, Canada had a system of residential schools -- mostly operated by churches -- that Indigenous children were required to attend, The New York Times reported. The children were taken from their families, and a large number never returned home, according to the newspaper.

Families were given vague explanations for the children or none at all, the Times reported.

The school systems went into decline during the 1970s and the last school closed in 1996, the newspaper reported.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission issued its final report on residential schools more than five years ago, according to Canadian Press. The nearly 4,000-page account details the mistreatment inflicted on Indigenous children at the institutions, the news organization reported. At least 3,200 children died amid abuse and neglect.

In a statement to CBC, Lisa Lapointe, British Columbia’s chief coroner, said the Coroners Service was alerted to the discovery on Thursday.

“We are early in the process of gathering information and will continue to work collaboratively with the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc and others as this sensitive work progresses,” Lapointe said. “We recognize the tragic, heartbreaking devastation that the Canadian residential school system has inflicted upon so many, and our thoughts are with all of those who are in mourning today.”

There have been rumors of unmarked graves at schools for years, the Times reported. If the findings in the preliminary report are confirmed, it will be the first time a major burial site has been discovered, according to the newspaper.

Kamloops was once the largest residential school in Canada, with about 500 pupils at its peak, the Times reported.

Casimir said the search for remains at Kamloops began in the early 2000s, the newspaper reported.

“There had to be more to the story,” Casimir said. “It’s about bringing in the advanced technology today to be able to look beneath the surface of the soil and to confirm some of the stories that were once told.”

The radar scanning is ongoing, she said.

“The loss of 215 children found on the grounds of a residential school is a national tragedy,” Chief Bobby Cameron of the Federation of Sovereign Indian Nations in Saskatchewan said in a statement.

The office of Carolyn Bennett, the federal minister responsible for Indigenous relations, said in a statement that the “discovery reflects a dark and painful chapter in our country’s history.”

Her department and health officials in British Columbia will set up support services for the First Nation, the Times reported.

“We do not want this to be hidden. We want this to come to resolve, we want people to know that this history is real, the loss of the children is real,” Casimir told CTV News. “For our community, our people, our nation, we just want everyone to acknowledge the history that is there.”

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