WARNING: This story disturbs details
A British Columbia First Nation has announced the discovery of at least 66 possible new graves in a former residential school building.
Williams Lake First Nation released Wednesday the findings of a year-long investigation and geophysical survey of the grounds of the former St. Brown residential school. Lawrence. Joseph’s Mission, approximately 15 kilometres south of Williams Lake, British Columbia.
“It’s discouraging, but at the same time we’re uncovering the fact and collecting the history and legacy of what this school loves and the extent of the damage it caused,” Chief Willie Sellars told CTV National News.
The initial effects mark the moment when temporary anomalies were discovered on the grounds of the former residential school. Last January, ground-penetrating radar, along with ground-based LiDAR (light detection and range), helped researchers identify 93 imaginable burial sites on a small stretch of land. The same techniques were used in the latest research.
“Since then, we have continued to paint with our technical team and contractors to detect other ground anomalies,” said Sellars, who has been Williams Lake’s First Nation since 2018. “We also receive and analyze old documents, while collecting the stories of our survivors.
Mission St. Joseph is visual in this undated photo. (Williams Lake First Nation document)
St. Joseph’s Mission Residential School, which operated from 1886 to 1981, was run first by Catholic missionaries and then by the federal government.
There have long been allegations of institution-related abuse and neglect, as well as allegations of physical, intellectual and sexual abuse.
Since its closure, most of the buildings have been demolished and the land is now privately owned.
Sellars describes St. Joseph’s as a dark position that is a “trigger” for many other people in her community.
“The amount of abuse you’ve taken a stand on is well documented, and when you look at the amount of trauma that’s been inflicted, whether it’s direct or intergenerational trauma, we continue to aim to break that cycle,” he said.
Williams Lake First Nation is preparing to hold a news convention on January 25, 2023. (Melanie Nagy/CTV National News)
The findings of the so-called “Phase 2” survey were first shared with leaders of nearby communities that forced young people to attend school. Once that closed-door assembly ended, the effects were publicly revealed at a press conference Wednesday afternoon.
Whitney Spearing, who heads the research team, said the new anomalies “have characteristics indicative of human remains. “
He also claimed that in the investigation of the box, archival documents directly similar to the facility were recovered and reviewed.
In-depth interviews have been conducted with survivors and investigators say they have heard stories of disappearances, systemic torture and rape.
“Critical pieces of missing data were moved as part of the survivor interview process, adding old student accounts and project operations,” Spearing said.
Grant Alphonse, a member of the Tsilhqot’in Nation and a survivor of the residential school, sings and plays a classic song to honor the lost youth of St. Joseph’s Mission. (Mélanie Nagy/CTV National News)
Grant Alphonse, a member of the neighboring Tsilhqot’in nation, was forced to attend St. Joseph in 1976 at the age of 13.
“I’ve been through a lot. I tied up several times and batted more times than I remember,” Alphonse said in an interview with CTV National News.
While he spent a few years at the facility, Alphonse says his time there replaced him forever. Before entering the residential system, he lived with his parents, who followed the classical customs of Tsilhqot’in and subsisted on hunting, fishing and gathering.
“The day I entered the formula and saw my father walk away, a sudden panic gripped me. It was very painful. “
He says his father didn’t need to enroll him, but his mother, who also attended school, feared the circle of relatives would be arrested through the RCMP if they didn’t follow the rules.
“So I went to school where I was forced to speak English and not my Tsilhqot’in language,” Alphonse said. I also can’t beat the drum or sing the songs of my country or practice the traditions of my culture.
Once at the facility, Alphonse remembers being fed rotten food, such as mold-covered sandwiches. He also says that random men, adding a hitchhiker, would be allowed to go to school and some would even end up running there.
“I was there as a hitchhiker for several weeks and attacked and tickled the guys I knew. He also assaulted and touched them everywhere. I found out about that, so I made sure to stay away from that character. “
In addition to the alleged abuse, Alphonse says the purpose of the school is to destroy the identity of indigenous children.
“The longer you were away from your parents and the longer you didn’t return to your land, the more foreigners you became and that’s how they looked for him,” Alphonse said.
Despite the horrors, he says he has worked hard to maintain his classic habits. He is now well known in his network and a strong advocate of the Tsilhqot’in language and culture.
“We want to decolonize and find out who we are and where we come from here,” he said. “We deserve to be proud of our identity and proud to be First Nations who treat our sovereign ways. “
Alphonse believes discoveries, such as those made through Williams Lake First Nation, are a step toward healing.
“The more we discover, the more informed we are and the more we can break racism because it’s what fuels discrimination. “
Approximately 150,000 First Nations, Métis and Inuit youth were uprooted from their families and forced to attend residential and day schools beginning in the nineteenth century. The last residential school in Canada closed in 1996.
“We continue to have those misleading discussions as truth verification for this country and thinking about how we can continue this healing adventure with and not with judgment or disbelief,” Sellars said.
For the former St. Joseph site, the next step in the survey will be to further analyze the knowledge collected to cross it with the stories of elders and survivors.
Last March, during a stopover at Williams Lake First Nation, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a $2. 9 million federal investment to aid in the investigation.
As for whether the anomalies discovered will be excavated to verify the presence of human remains, Sellars says the resolution has not yet been made.
“We will never know one hundred percent if these are unmarked graves until the excavations are done. Are we going to get there? I believe we will finally get there, but it will require a broader discussion with all affected communities through St. Joseph’s. “
If you are a destitute residential school alumnus or have been affected by the Indian Residential Schools formula and would like help, you can call the 24-hour Indian Residential Schools Crisis Line at 1-866-925-4419, or the Society’s Indian Residential Schools toll-free line at 1-800-721-0066.
Additional indigenous resources and intellectual skills are found here.