Cover photo by Mert Alper Dervis/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
In late May, 215 unmarked graves were discovered at a former Indigenous Residential School in British Columbia’s southern interior. A little less than a month later, a staggering 751 additional unmarked graves were found, this time near a former Indigenous school in Saskatchewan.
Now a third site has been discovered, this time near Cranbrook, British Columbia, which lies roughly 843 kilometres east of Vancouver. A total of 182 human remains were found using the same ground-penetrating radar technology that was used in the other instances, bringing the total number of mass graves discovered over the past couple of months to well over a thousand.
The graves were found near the former St. Eugene’s Mission School, which was yet another institution run by the Catholic Church, from 1921 until the 1970s. The Lower Kootenay Band has been searching the site since last year.
It’s believed that the remains found belong to the Ktunaxa Nation, which includes several First Nation communities, including the Lower Kootenay Band.
In an interview with CBC radio, Band Chief Jason Louie spoke plainly, remarking that the site represents a “mass murder of Indigenous people.”
“The Nazis were held accountable for their war crimes. I see no difference in locating the priests and nuns and the brothers who are responsible for this mass murder to be held accountable for their part in this attempt of genocide of an Indigenous people.”
According to Louie, he had relatives that attended the school. Beginning in the 19th century and lasting all the way to the 1970s, around 130 residential schools were active in Canada. More than 150,000 children from Indigenous tribes were taken from their families and forced to attend these schools in an effort to integrate them into Canadian society.
Seeking an Apology For the Mass Unmarked Graves
While the Anglican, Presbyterian, and United Church of Canada all ran schools of their own, the Catholic Church operated two-thirds of the schools in the nation. According to the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, a group of Indigenous leaders plan to visit the Vatican in December to begin a dialogue with the Pope.
While they seek an official apology for the church’s role in the schools, the Pope neglected to give one while discussing the discovery of the first site, simply calling it a “sad affair” and urging the authorities to press on with the investigation.
Indigenous leaders realize that an apology is far from guaranteed, even though the Anglican Church, Presbyterian Church, and United Church have all apologized. Some leaders want more than apologizes, however, with Chief Jason Louie stating that he wants more concrete action and that “justice delayed is justice denied.”
Unmarked Graves Retaliation
Since the discoveries, numerous churches across Canada have been vandalized or outright destroyed, with four Catholic churches in British Columbia having been burned to the ground. Investigations are still pending, but arson is suspected.
WINNIPEG, CANADA – JULY 02: A toppled statue of Queen Victoria on the grounds of the Manitoba Legislature on July 2, 2021 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The statue was pulled down by indigenous protestors following a march to honour survivors and victims of Canada’s residential school system. (Photo by Daniel Crump/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and First Nations National Chief Perry Bellegarde both condemned the arson and vandalism, with Trudeau saying that the destruction is “unacceptable” and “must stop.”
Bellegarde sympathized with the outrage but spoke out against the carnage.
“I can understand the frustration, the anger, the hurt and the pain, there’s no question, but to burn things down is not our way.″
According to the Lower Kootenay Band, the findings on the newly discovered mass graves are still preliminary and the site is still being investigated. They do plan to release more updates as more information becomes available.
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