Remains of 215 children found at Canadian Indigenous school

TNT Newsline May 29, 2021 44

The remains of 215 children, some as young as three years old, were found at the site of a former residential school for indigenous children, a discovery Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau described as heartbreaking on Friday.

The children were students at the Kamloops Indian Residential School in British Columbia that closed in 1978, according to the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc Nation, which said the remains were found with the help of a ground penetrating radar specialist.

“We had a knowing in our community that we were able to verify,” Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc Chief Rosanne Casimir said in a statement. “At this time, we have more questions than answers.”

Canada’s residential school system, which forcibly separated indigenous children from their families, constituted “cultural genocide,” a six-year investigation into the now-defunct system found in 2015.

The report documented horrific physical abuse, rape, malnutrition and other atrocities suffered by many of the 150,000 children who attended the schools, typically run by Christian churches on behalf of Ottawa from the 1840s to the 1990s.

It found more than 4,100 children died while attending residential school. The deaths of the 215 children buried in the grounds of what was once Canada’s largest residential school are believed to not have been included in that figure and appear to have been undocumented until the discovery.

Trudeau wrote in a tweet that the news “breaks my heart – it is a painful reminder of that dark and shameful chapter of our country’s history.”

In 2008, the Canadian government formally apologized for the system.

The Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc Nation said it was engaging with the coroner and reaching out to the home communities whose children attended the school. They expect to have preliminary findings by mid-June.

In a statement, British Columbia Assembly of First Nations Regional Chief Terry Teegee called finding such grave sites “urgent work” that “refreshes the grief and loss for all First Nations in British Columbia.” ( AFP)

·

44 thoughts on “Remains of 215 children found at Canadian Indigenous school”

  30. Pretty part of content. I just stumbled upon your site and
    in accession capital to assert that I acquire in fact
    loved account your blog posts. Any way I will be subscribing
    on your augment or even I achievement you get right of entry
    to persistently quickly.

    Reply

  33. I will right away snatch your rss feed as I can not in finding your e-mail subscription link or newsletter service.
    Do you’ve any? Kindly allow me realize in order that I may subscribe.
    Thanks.

    Reply

  35. Wonderful work! That is the kind of information that
    should be shared around the net. Shame on the seek engines for now not positioning this post higher!
    Come on over and visit my web site . Thank you =)

    Reply

  36. My spouse and I absolutely love your blog and find many of your post’s to
    be exactly I’m looking for. Do you offer guest writers to write content
    for yourself? I wouldn’t mind composing a post
    or elaborating on a lot of the subjects you write about here.
    Again, awesome web site!

    Reply

  38. I like the valuable information you provide in your articles.
    I’ll bookmark your blog and check again here regularly.
    I am quite certain I will learn a lot of new stuff right
    here! Good luck for the next!

    Reply

  39. Hello! I just want to offer you a big thumbs up
    for the great information you have here on this post. I will be returning to your site for more soon.

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

News You may have missed

Retirement homes by Africans abroad makes no sense

editor September 22, 2024 0

How TB Joshua’s widow, others struggle to keep massive crowds of late founders’ mega churches

editor September 22, 2024 0

How Osun banker allegedly defrauded two of N25 million, gave birth after bail

editor September 22, 2024 0

Edo election: PDP supporters protest, accuse Oshiomhole, others of figure manipulation

editor September 22, 2024 0

#EdoDecides2024: APC members protest Governor Obaseki’s presence at INEC collation centre

editor September 22, 2024 0