Canada Indigenous group finds at least 600 unmarked graves at former residential school
A search of the former Marieval Indian Residential School grounds in Saskatchewan, Canada, had uncovered at least 600 unmarked graves, leaders of Indigenous groups said Thursday. Ground-penetrating radar had 751 "hits," but "we want to make sure when we tell our story that we're not trying to make numbers sound bigger than they are," said Chief Cadmus Delorme of the Cowessess First Nation. "I like to say over 600, just to be assured." In May, 215 bodies were discovered at the Kamloops Indian Residential School in British Columbia.
The Marieval and Kamloops boarding schools were among more than 130 funded by the Canadian government to forcibly assimilate Indigenous children. About 70 percent of the schools, including Marieval, were operated by Roman Catholic missionary congregations, and the Canadian government has acknowledged that physical and sexual abuse were rampant. More than 150,000 Indigenous children were taken from their families and placed in these schools between 1863 and 1998, and an estimated 6,000 of those children died in the squalid facilities.
The Marieval Indian Residential School, torn down in 1999, operated from 1899 to 1997. Chief Delorme said it's not yet clear how many of the newly discovered graves hold the remains of children, or if they are all tied to the school, but he said his nation "didn't remove these headstones," which is a crime, "and we are treating this like a crime scene at the moment." According to oral history, he said, the Catholic Church removed the headstones in the 1960s, and he's "optimistic" the church will help uncover the truth.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Archbishop Don Bolen of Regina, Saskatchewan's capital, reiterated on Thursday the archdiocese's apology two years ago for the "failures and sins of church leaders in the past," and pledged "to do what we can to turn that apology into meaningful concrete acts — including assisting in accessing information that will help to provide names and information about those buried in unmarked graves."
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted that his "heart breaks for the Cowessess First Nation," adding, "We will tell the truth about these injustices." The Canadian government apologized for the forced assimilation program in 2008, after a landmark National Center for Truth and Reconciliation report found the practice amounted to cultural genocide.
U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said this week her department will search for graves and other "unspoken traumas" at U.S. Indian boarding schools.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
'Being more nuanced will not be easy for public health agencies'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Where did Democratic voters go?
Voter turnout dropped sharply for Democrats in 2024
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
4 tips to save as health care costs rise
The Explainer Co-pays, prescription medications and unexpected medical bills can really add up
By Becca Stanek, The Week US Published
-
Menendez brothers may go free in LA prosecutor plan
Speed Read Prosecutors are asking for the brothers to be resentenced for the 1989 murder of their parents
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Abercrombie ex-CEO charged with sex crimes
Speed Read Mike Jeffries ran the brand during its heyday from 1992 to 2014
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump criminal trial starts with rulings, reminder
Speed Read The first day of his historic trial over hush money payments was mostly focused on jury selection
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Parents of school shooter sentenced to 10-15 years
Speed Read Jennifer and James Crumbley are the first parents to be convicted in a US mass shooting
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Unlicensed dealers and black market guns
Speed Read 68,000 illegally trafficked guns were sold in a five year period, said ATF
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Bankman-Fried gets 25 years for fraud
Speed Read Former "crypto king" Sam Bankman-Fried will report to federal prison
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Feds raid Diddy homes in alleged sex trafficking case
Speed Read Homeland Security raided the properties of hip hop mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
'Goon Squad' cops sentenced for torturing 2 Black men
Speed Read The former Mississippi law enforcement officers pleaded guilty last year
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published