Last week in Kamloops British Columbia, 215 unmarked graves were found at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School
Last week in Kamloops British Columbia, 215 unmarked graves were found at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School: 215 undocumented deaths. These are the graves of 215 children who never came home and whose parents were left wondering what happened to them. Fellow classmates were left wondering what happened to their siblings and friends.
This horrific and deeply troubling event has brought back many sad memories for First Nation families and may reignite past traumas.
The Canadian government and many Canadian citizens have committed to a process of Truth and Reconciliation over the past years. An integral part of this process is to bear witness to events such as this one to acknowledge the truth of the situation and as such, to support the process of healing.
As our Willingdon community moves forward in our own process of discovering the rich heritage of Indigenous Cultures and acknowledging and understanding colonial atrocities and injustices, we wish to engage in reconciliatory action in response to this event.
We collectively acknowledge the tragic, heartbreaking devastation that was the Canadian Residential School system. We collectively acknowledge the pain and suffering that this system inflicted upon First Nations Peoples along with the ongoing intergenerational traumatic effects. We collectively grieve the deaths of the 215 children who perished at the Kamloops Indian Residential School. Our flags will be at half-mast for 215 hours in honour of the lives lost.
By knowing and recognizing their story, knowing their truth, we honour the lives of these children. We collectively empathize with and acknowledge the suffering of their families.
Further Information on Residential Schools in Canada
It is estimated that more than 150,00 children attended residential schools in Canada from the 1830s until the last school closed in 1996. The Kamloops school operated between 1890 and 1969, with as many as 500 children registered at its peak. The federal government took over the facility's operation from the Catholic Church and ran it as a day school until 1978.
The Truth and Reconciliation commission concluded in 2015, that residential schools were a program of cultural genocide. The use of Indigenous languages was banned at the schools, sometimes through the use of violence, as were Indigenous cultural practices. There were many instances of maltreatment and neglect of children in these schools.
For further information and references, please consult the articles below.
- For parents wanting to have a conversation with their children, but find themselves struggling: https://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/10-books-about-residential-schools-to-read-with-your-kids-1.3208021
- Many of these books can be found in our EMSB Virtual Library collection: https://soraapp.com/library/emsbca/curated-1116935/page-1
- Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC)
- A national Indian Residential School Crisis Line has been set up to provide support for former students and those affected. People can access emotional and crisis referral services by calling the 24-hour national crisis line: 1-866-925-4419.
