Thousands dead in unmarked graves from Canadian Residential Schools

[RUPERTKBD]

Better late than never, I suppose....

 

https://www.msn.com/en-ca/lifestyle/smart-living/colorado-governor-voids-1864-order-to-kill-native-americans/ar-AANqOTW?li=AAggNb9
 

Quote

 

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis on Tuesday rescinded a 19th century proclamation that called for citizens to kill Native Americans and take their property, in what he hopes can begin to make amends for “sins of the past.”

The 1864 order by Colorado’s second territorial governor, John Evans, would eventually lead to the Sand Creek massacre, one of Colorado's darkest and most fraught historic moments. The brutal assault left more than 200 Arapaho and Cheyenne people — mostly women, children and elderly — dead.

 

Evans' proclamation was never lawful because it established treaty rights and federal Indian law, Polis said at the signing of his executive order on the Capitol steps.

“It also directly contradicted the Colorado Constitution, the United States Constitution and Colorado criminal codes at the time," the Democratic governor said to whoops from the crowd.

 

Polis stood alongside citizens of the Southern Ute, Ute Mountain, Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes, many dressed in traditional regalia. Some held signs reading “Recognize Indigenous knowledge, people, land” and “Decolonize to survive.”

Ernest House Jr., who served as executive director of the Colorado Commission of Indian Affairs under former Gov. John Hickenlooper, said Polis' order is important to the state's government-to-government relations with tribes, the acknowledgment of history, and a movement toward reconciliation.

 

“I think there's oftentimes the general community think of American Indians as the vanishing race, the vanishing people. And I think it starts with things like this," said House, a citizen of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe. "It gives us a place that we were important and that our lives were important.”

 

A broader push for reconciliation and racial reckoning has occurred across the U.S. in the wake of George Floyd’s death at the hands of police, including efforts to remove Confederate monuments and statues of slave traders, colonizers, conquerors and others. Some states, including Colorado, have banned Native American mascots in schools.

That movement coupled with renewed attention to Evans’ history also prompted Polis to create an advisory board to recommend name changes for the highest peak in the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, known as “Mount Evans.” Discussions are taking place within the Colorado Commission of Indian Affairs to choose “more culturally sensitive names,” said Alston Turtle, a councilman with the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe.

 

Evans governed the territory of Colorado during three years of the Civil War, from 1862 to 1865. He resigned after the Sand Creek massacre happened under his order.

Col. John Chivington led the Nov. 29, 1864, slaughter. He and his soldiers then headed to Denver, where they displayed some of the victims’ remains.

The massacre is one of several long-ago terrible events that many Americans don’t know about, such as the Snake River attack in Oregon in 1887, where as many as 34 Chinese gold miners were killed. Others occurred within the lifetimes of many Americans living today, like the 1985 bombing by Philadelphia police of the house that headquartered the Black organization MOVE, killing 11 people.

 

Rick Williams, a Lakota and Cheyenne descendant who studies Native American history, found the original Evans’ order while researching the aftermath of the Fort Wise Treaty of 1861, in which U.S. government representatives met with Cheyenne and Arapaho leaders to establish a reservation along the Arkansas River in eastern Colorado. Williams said only 10 people signed the agreement.

 

“The next two years, it was hell for Indians because they didn’t sign the treaty, and they tried to kill as many of them as they could. And when that didn’t work, (Evans) issued an order to declare war,” Williams said.

One of Evans’ orders deemed Native Americans “enemies of the state,” and the second called for Colorado citizens to kill and steal from them, Williams said.

 

 

[UnkNuk]

"60 Minutes" did a segment on Canada's residential schools on their latest episode:

 

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/canada-residential-schools-unmarked-graves-indigenous-children-60-minutes-2022-02-06/

[UnkNuk]

Also:

 

https://bccatholic.ca/news/canada/papal-summit-with-bishops-and-indigenous-members-set-for-march

 

The meeting between Pope Francis and a Canadian delegation of bishops and Indigenous representatives that was supposed to take place in December has now been rescheduled for the end of March.

[Ilunga]

While an apology is better than nothing I would like to see the church pay reparations. 

 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/apr/01/pope-francis-apologizes-indigenous-leaders-abuses-canada-residential-schools

 

 

 

It should be the pope down on his knees begging for an apology.

 

 

I feel I can comment on this because I am a member of stolen generation's.

We have yet to be acknowledged. 

 

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/white-mothers-of-stolen-children-also-deserve-an-apology-20101207-18o7t.html

 

 

[-DLC-]

My friend is there as part of this. 

 

It's important, but as a first step toward actually addressing (not just acknowledging and apologizing for) the crimes that were committed. Apologies without action are really just words. Important ones, but not enough on their own.

 

I'm glad people are finding paths to healing, although I'm not sure that can ever be fully realized in considering what they've gone through.

 

It's truly sad that the horrible people who were involved in these atrocities didn't realize how much we could have learned from the people they were robbing of their culture...how much they had to offer. Stripping children of their identities is unthinkable...you're really depriving them of their full, true lives. For me, this is kidnapping and cult work in its basic form.

 

I wish Gord was still around to see the process unfolding....

[MeanSeanBean]

On 4/2/2022 at 7:34 AM, -DLC- said:

My friend is there as part of this. 

 

It's important, but as a first step toward actually addressing (not just acknowledging and apologizing for) the crimes that were committed. Apologies without action are really just words. Important ones, but not enough on their own.

 

I'm glad people are finding paths to healing, although I'm not sure that can ever be fully realized in considering what they've gone through.

 

It's truly sad that the horrible people who were involved in these atrocities didn't realize how much we could have learned from the people they were robbing of their culture...how much they had to offer. Stripping children of their identities is unthinkable...you're really depriving them of their full, true lives. For me, this is kidnapping and cult work in its basic form.

 

I wish Gord was still around to see the process unfolding....

Boom. apologies without action are just words, and talk is cheap. Hul'q’umi'num doesn't even have a word for sorry, it's just expected you do right with your actions.

 

After posting this I did a ton of soul searching and have become much more involved in the local first Nation communities. Being such a large part of my family, I started to take my Nana's (therefore my) heritage much more seriously.

 

I started buckling down on my language learning. I'm by no means a speaker, but I'm to the point I can read written word, understand some speach, and communicate at least the basics decently. My mom's a knowledge holder and speaker of our language so it feels really good to be following in her foot steps. My Nana hasn't spoken it since she was a child so doesn't know it anymore. She's very proud of us though, and I can see her becoming more proud of her heritage due to us taking an interest in it.

 

I also joined the First Nations Committee in my profession. It's been very eye opening trying to further the understand the relation between healthcare and our Indigenous population. 

 

My wife has also been very proud recently. She's Black and when the BLM movement was happening started taking a lot more interest in her background and culture. I did what I could to support, but that only went so far. I think seeing me take a vested interest in another important issue that is more relevant to me personally has been neat for her.

 

 

[JoeyJoeJoeJr. Shabadoo]

On 4/2/2022 at 12:45 AM, Ilunga said:

While an apology is better than nothing I would like to see the church pay reparations. 

 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/apr/01/pope-francis-apologizes-indigenous-leaders-abuses-canada-residential-schools

 

 

 

It should be the pope down on his knees begging for an apology.

 

 

I feel I can comment on this because I am a member of stolen generation's.

We have yet to be acknowledged. 

 

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/white-mothers-of-stolen-children-also-deserve-an-apology-20101207-18o7t.html

 

 

It takes a special kind of pos to use a laughing emoji for a post like this. 

[Gurn]

The year is 2022, and First Nations people are still being told what languages they have to  use, when naming their kids:

AFirst Nations family's push to convince Manitoba to recognize the traditional name of their newborn daughter has landed in the provincial legislature.

Parents Carson Robinson and Zaagaate Jock were on hand Wednesday to endorse an Opposition NDP bill that would formally recognize Indigenous names like the one granted to their daughter. 

They named their daughter, now three months old, Atetsenhtsén:we, which translates to "forever healing medicine" in Kanien'kéha, the Mohawk language. 

Except her name cannot be spelled like that on Manitoba birth certificates.

When registering a child's birth, the given name and surname must consist only of the letters A to Z, and only accents from English and French, but may include hyphens and apostrophes, according to the Vital Statistics Act. 

Chosen name fits with culture

In the case of Atetsenhtsén:we's name, the colon symbol is excluded, but the accent is permitted "because it is considered French," Robinson said.

"The reason why this colon is important is because it helps pronounce the words properly of the Mohawk language," the girl's father said. 

"We're looking to end that sort of way of thinking between you need to name your baby either in English or in French. We want to be able to name our baby how we see fit in our traditional ways and our traditional ways of living."

In support of the family, which was featured in a CBC story earlier this year, Ian Bushie, the NDP critic for Indigenous Reconciliation, introduced a private member's bill that would make necessary changes to the Vital Statistics Act. 

"This is really inspired by their story," Bushie said, "and their inability to actually name their baby the name that they wanted to give to their baby in a culturally appropriate way.

"In the spirit of reconciliation, I believe this is the right thing to do." 

Bushie needs the support of the governing Progressive Conservatives to do so — and he's hopeful he has it. 

He said he's spoken about the issue with the government house leader. 

A provincial spokesperson told CBC in February that "Manitoba is actively working on the inclusion of Indigenous names and syllabics, including exploring potential legislative amendments."

"This will of course require consultations to ensure changes are made appropriately to meet the needs of community."

The spokesperson wrote the province is in communication with other provinces "to learn and share experiences" and that the Vital Statistics Branch wants to work toward a solution with the parents who have come forward.

Robinson has a meeting set up with an official at the Vital Statistics Branch on Thursday to discuss his request. 

He said he's thankful for the support he's already received. He applauded the nurses at the hospital, who were right away supportive of the names. He also thanked the Southern Chiefs Organization and NDP for their advocacy. 

"On behalf of my family," he said, looking fondly at his partner and child. "And I'm proud to say that. I've been proud to say that for the last three months: 'My family.'

"On behalf of my family, thank you very much." 

 

 

Edited May 19, 2022 by gurn

[Gurn]

I've also placed this story in the Truth and Reconciliation thread, but here looks good too.

Canada- not all that great a place, to some of our people:

https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/canada/birth-alerts-have-ended-but-babies-still-being-apprehended-in-manitoba-data/ar-AAY498f?bk=1&ocid=msedgntp&cvid=a09fc387332644b392f8670b442e72f2

 

WINNIPEG — Manitoba’s families minister has touted a significant drop in the number of newborns seized by social services since the province ended the controversial practice of birth alerts, but government data shows hundreds of babies are still being taken into care every year.

%7B© Provided by The Canadian Press

“We have reduced … childbirth apprehensions by 75 per cent since that policy was implemented," Rochelle Squires said during question period on Tuesday.

Data obtained by The Canadian Press through freedom-of-information requests shows, on average, a baby is still seized in Manitoba nearly every day.

Birth alerts were used to notify hospitals and child-welfare agencies that a more thoroughassessment was needed before a newborn was discharged to a parent deemed high-risk. 

The province stopped the practice in 2020 after a review found it discouraged pregnant women and their families from reaching out for prenatal support.

The province clarified the minister's numbers later in the week. It said there had been a decrease in newborn apprehensions, but it was not what the minister reported. There were 101 babies up to three days oldseized in 2020-21, a 46 per cent decrease from 186 newborns the year before.

The province said the minister had been including children up to a year old who had been taken into care.

The data obtained by the news agency shows there has been a gradual decrease of apprehensions involving babies under a year old, but it doesn't match what the minister said. 

In 2019, 496 babies were apprehended. That dropped to 386 babies the following year when birth alerts ended. Last year, 339 were apprehended. 

That's a decrease of 32 per cent from the year before and after birth alerts stopped.

The minister’s office further clarified that newborn apprehensions decreased by 65 per cent since the Progressive Conservatives took office in 2016. And, it said in an email, a 75 per cent reduction is expected this year.

“Those are staggering numbers of babies being apprehended," said Cora Morgan, First Nations family advocate for the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs.

Morgan said ending birth alerts was the right move. 

The practice has long been criticized by Indigenous leaders who say birth alerts are stacked against families. The final report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls said the alerts are “racist and discriminatory and are a gross violation of the rights of the child, the mother and the community.”

There are about 10,000 children in care in Manitoba and about 90 per cent are Indigenous.

Morgan said it's clear ending birth alerts has not stopped babies from being seized. She said mothers are still telling her they are scared to get prenatal support and she hears of babies and children being apprehended regularly.

“I still believe that they are still flagging mothers.” 

The province needs to do more to support women who are pregnant or who have just given birth to keep families together, Morgan said. 

Squires said in the legislature that “there has been a lot of damage done stemming back decades” around child welfare. She said all levels of government must move forward together. 

Bernadette Smith, a legislature member for the Opposition NDP, said babies should not be seized unless there’s a threat to the child.  

“We do more harm than good by apprehending kids,” she said. 

Smith agrees ending birth alerts was a good decision. But, she pointed out, it means the number of babies being taken into care should have been closer to zero. 

A bill Smith introduced in 2018 amended the province’s apprehension laws so that no child could be seized solely because of poverty. Smith explained that when she was a teenager she was placed in care because her mom couldn’t afford the supports needed to help her. 

With more than 300 babies seized a year, it's clear there are other families who need help, she said. 

“Moms should get the support before, during and after they have their children."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 4, 2022.

[Gurn]

Story about the Kuper Island residential school:

Surrounded by water, B.C.'s Kuper Island Residential School had such a notorious reputation, survivors call it "Alcatraz" — after the maximum security prison in San Francisco Bay where no prisoner could escape.

But unlike Alcatraz, the stories out of the school, and the motivations and circumstances of the young children who tried to leave are harder to uncover. 

Survivor Karen McCallum, 67, whose older half-sisters Beverly and Patricia Joseph were presumed drowned trying to escape, is still looking for answers.

"There was obviously something going on [at the school] that they did not want to be there," McCallum told CBC.

Located on what is now known as Penelakut Island, off the coast of Chemainus on Vancouver Island and surrounded by the Salish Sea, the only way to and from the school was by ferry, commanded by the Catholic priests and brothers who worked there.

In the new CBC podcast Kuper Island, survivor Belvie Brebber, a cousin of Beverly and Patricia, describes experiences of sexual abuse at the school, which operated from 1889 to 1975.

"It wasn't only me that [it] was done [to]," Brebber said. "This Brother was raping them all."

The school was demolished in the 1980s.

Kuper Island is an eight-part series about four former students forced to attend the institution: three who survived and one who didn't. Host Duncan McCue pieces their stories together through historic records, police investigations and coroner's reports, in addition to interviews with community members and former school officials. 

Warned against escaping

When Brebber was ordered to attend the school against her family's wishes, she says her mother warned against trying to escape.

Over the years, many children tried to, clinging to logs or small boats — but few were successful. Student Emile William, who escaped in 1907, drowned. His body wasn't found until spring.

In the 1940s and 1950s, government officials recorded concerns about the large number of runaways from the area. 

McCallum, who was four when her sisters died, says she could only imagine what prompted them to make the dangerous journey.

She says she remembers them as the type of siblings who would let their little sister nestle in their soft, long hair as they held her on their laps.

"I see other people with brothers and sisters and how they can call them up ... there's nobody else around me," said McCallum. "[It's] a very deep loss."

Deaths found 'accidental'

The deaths of the Joseph sisters attracted attention from local media. 

They reported it was a Friday night in January 1959 when Beverly and Patricia Joseph, age 12 and 14, slipped from their beds, snuck down to the waterfront and stole a six-foot canoe.

Though their disappearance was noted in the morning, it was only reported to police in the afternoon. Two days later, Patricia's body washed ashore. Beverly was never found.

They were presumed drowned.  

The media speculated on why the girls would want to leave the school in the dead of winter and make their way across the frigid and gusty open ocean. One theory was they were trying to attend a dance; another was they were trying to see their mother.

An inquest was scheduled in the days following their deaths.

Around that time, letters from Kuper Island's principal expressed concern to Catholic officials about the impact the inquest might have on the school's reputation.

But little was revealed: the coroner who examined Patricia's body found nothing unusual and considered her death a drowning.

An oblate who worked at the school told the jury the sisters had arrived only a few months earlier and they "seemed happy and well-adjusted to the school life."

The jury took 15 minutes to find Patricia's death was "accidental with no blame attached to anyone." 

The sisters were just two of the 167 children who died at Kuper Island identified by the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation. In July 2021, the Penelakut Tribe, on whose land the school was built, found unmarked graves in the area. They're working on identifying more.

The school has been subject to police investigations, including the province-wide B.C. RCMP Native Indian Residential School Task Force between 1994 and 2003. Future episodes of Kuper Island explore the investigations and court battles.

Enduring grief

McCallum says she remembers running up to her sister's casket during the funeral.

I remember yelling at them, 'You can't take her,'" McCallum said. "That's my sister. Don't take her away ... and I remember somebody grabbing me and trying to take me away."

She says she remembers how her heartbroken mother turned to alcohol afterward, and how they became homeless, sleeping on cardboard under streetlights in Duncan.

"She wasn't able to ever get back to herself," McCallum said. "She never really got over losing them, ever."

A few years later McCallum herself was forced to attend Kuper Island, and was ferried across the same waters that took her sisters' lives.

She says there was one bright spot: attending the institution connected her with her long-lost father who worked near the school. Donald Thomas Seymour, who himself had been caught trying to escape Kuper Island as a young boy, visited his daughter every Friday. 

They lost touch after McCallum left the school but reconnected again later in life. Neither spoke of their experiences at Kuper Island.

"We had some good years together after that ... he never spoke of Kuper Island. So I don't think I would want to remember him that way. I just want to remember the happiness that he had," she said.

McCallum says feeling robbed of time and connection with her sisters remains fresh to this day — along with the mystery behind what prompted them to leave.

"I just wish we had more time. But we didn't. That was taken away from us."

New episodes of Kuper Island air Tuesday.

[MeanSeanBean]

I hope y'all are wearing orange today and taking a few minutes to reflect and learn. I'm keeping my practicing running today, but every dollar I would have pocketed is going to the Chanie foundation.

 

https://downiewenjack.ca/

 

 

[-DLC-]

I was moved to tears yesterday during our Orange Shirt assembly at school. I am grateful that our reconciliation team is so dedicated to getting it right, it was incredibly powerful and respectful and lingered long after we left the gym. 100% focused on the reality and pain of the past...so much so that younger children were removed from the gym for part 2.

 

We visited the Hiwus Feast House in March to learn a great deal as our school is committed to reconciliation and what stuck with me was how important it is to not use it all as a trophy or ticket to be "cool". The "in" thing. It's all very deep and raw and emotional and we can't teach the information, we can only share it. We are not the story tellers, it's just important that we really listen to the stories.

 

The event was pin drop quiet...I saw many tears being wiped away. We took a pledge to be allies that I will take very seriously. 

 

The most important thing in life is our children. And by "our" I mean all children of the world. The ferocious avalanche after a child is traumatized and, even worse, secretly murdered and disposed of, takes out many in its path. I can't imagine what these families endured, and I am deeply sorry. How the hell was this allowed to happen? 

Please...make sure if you purchase indigenous items that they are from indigenous artists and not knock offs that exploit and cash in on the pain associated with it all. That the proceeds go to programs for healing and reconciliation and support.

 

[RUPERTKBD]

3 hours ago, Shayster007 said:

I hope y'all are wearing orange today and taking a few minutes to reflect and learn. I'm keeping my practicing running today, but every dollar I would have pocketed is going to the Chanie foundation.

 

https://downiewenjack.ca/

Today is a holiday for us, so we've been wearing orange pretty much all week.

[MeanSeanBean]

43 minutes ago, RUPERTKBD said:

Today is a holiday for us, so we've been wearing orange pretty much all week.

Right on, me too. I teach at a college which is closed today, so I wore my orange yesterday. Hope you have a chance to do some reflection today, siem. 

[-DLC-]

Spent the day REALLY reflecting.

 

Kids and I went to Pacific Spirit Park for a quiet nature walk. The setting was right for the occasion and we embraced all that we were gifted. My daughter taught us about the different plants and we saw a bald eagle and ravens that reminded us of the people before us. How they appreciated the land. 

 

It was an emotional day for me for reasons that tied in...my own child has been going through potentially serious devastating medical stuff since May and we got the news the day before that she was all clear. It was an enormous weight lifted and I thought of all the parents who never got to experience that sense of relief in learning their children were safe. As a parent, the "limbo" of not knowing is immense and it never goes away, it invades every moment and everything you do. Their children were ripped away and that was the worry they lived with their entire lives...the not knowing. They didn't get their moment of sheer joy and relief like I had just experienced.

 

It was also the 5 year anniversary of my Mum in law's death and so the day held all kinds of emotions that tied in for us. She taught me about crows. Plants. Many things. Made us REALLY stop and think about what's important and what these people had ripped away from them. The experiences, the passing down of knowledge, even the togetherness in facing obstacles as a family unit. Being able to comfort our children when they're facing something scary. Even the grieving over family members lost...because they just never knew the outcomes until they were unearthed. Literally. So the grieving was never fully "established" and it was accompanied by the worry of not knowing. A lot to carry and it likely becomes an infestation of the soul, mind and heart. As a Mother, I'd be done if I had to endure what these people have and the strength in just surviving is incredible. People stigmatize and judge how some fell apart but...what human being wouldn't? I am good friends with the sister of one of Clifford Olsen's victims and seeing how that family was impacted as individuals is very eye opening. I commend anyone who can go on after something so incredibly traumatic...they are strong, not weak.

 

Was weird when toward the end of our walk two older women, one in an orange shirt, passed by smiled and said "Happy" orange shirt day. I don't know that they fully understood it. Happy didn't really fit and so it punctuated why we were off work and appreciate the fact that we were together, as a family unit, sharing stories and an experience that other families never got to do. Something these people had ripped away from them. My kids looked at me like "wth"? Happy wasn't what we were aiming for...reflection. 

[thedestroyerofworlds]

Ronda Rousey 

[RUPERTKBD]

Very disappointing story out of Port Alberni....

 

https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/canada/bridge-leading-to-former-residential-school-on-vancouver-island-vandalized-with-racial-slur/ar-AA12vTLh?cvid=bff885871adf40ac9133ca2e803584a2

 

 

Quote

 

The Tseshaht First Nation is condemning an act of hate after a bridge leading to a former residential school on Vancouver Island was defaced with an anti-Indigenous slur on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

 

According to the First Nation, the incident happened around 10 p.m. on Friday at the Riverbend Bridge, known locally as the Orange Bridge, which crosses the Somass River in Port Alberni, B.C., at Highway 4 and Falls Street.

 

A barrier at the entrance to the bridge had been  painted with the slogan "Every Child Matters" — a reference to the thousands of children who died in federally run residential schools. On Friday, someone wrote over the word "child" and replaced it with a hateful slur against Indigenous people.

Orange Bridge was repainted recently by the First Nation in advance of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

"Although this type of act does not come as a surprise to many, it is a sad reminder of the depth of work we, as a community and broader society, have in front of us to eliminate racism," read a statement from the First Nation on Saturday.Before the bridge was vandalized on Friday, more than 1,000 survivors and community members marched across it to the site of the former Alberni Indian Residential School (AIRS) to honour the children who died there.

"After the uplifting day of community gathering that took place [on Friday], we hope that this hurtful and disrespectful act does not bring our survivors down," the statement read. Port Alberni RCMP said they're investigating the incident and are asking for anyone with information to contact them. "Senseless acts such as this are unacceptable and troubling to our community, and revert the efforts towards truth and reconciliation," said Const. Richard Johns in a statement.

 

[canuck73_3]

On 4/6/2022 at 3:38 PM, JoeyJoeJoeJr. Shabadoo said:

It takes a special kind of pos to use a laughing emoji for a post like this. 

Sadly don’t expect any less from a pos lik DB. 

[canuck73_3]

37 minutes ago, RUPERTKBD said:

Very disappointing story out of Port Alberni....

 

https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/canada/bridge-leading-to-former-residential-school-on-vancouver-island-vandalized-with-racial-slur/ar-AA12vTLh?cvid=bff885871adf40ac9133ca2e803584a2

 

 

Sounds like white trash from Port Alberni. 

[King Loui]

On 7/2/2021 at 1:37 PM, Kootenay Gold said:

I have copied this post by my niece concerning the discovery of 182 unmarked graves at the St. Eugene mission near Cranbrook BC. Lots of unanswered questions about who is buried there and the cause of death. Sadly both social media and the news media have become nothing more than gossip columns with little to no journalistic investigative standards to base their narrative on.

My hope is that these discoveries of numerous burial sites spurs this younger generation of adults and children to be ashamed by the atrocities that were committed and work very hard to ensure that every Canadian, regardless of race, color or religion, is treated with respect, dignity and equal opportunity for success in life.

 

 

 

"With the media flurry over the finding of unmarked graves in the vicinity of residential schools, I have been growing more distressed by the direction of both media and social media posts. Stephen asked me why I was so upset, and in thinking it over, I am really concerned about truth. What we have is truth: that unmarked graves have been found.

 

Like the Cowessess cemetery graves, the Lower Kootenay unmarked graves are within an existing cemetery — and again the cemetery was used by the broader community.

Former chief Sophie Pierre told Global News “there’s no discovery, we knew it was there, it’s a graveyard.”

“The fact there are graves inside a graveyard shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone.”

The history of this cemetery is complex. Records show it was established in 1865 — 50 years before the residential school opened. In 1874, the cemetery began servicing the only local hospital in the Cranbrook region.

The Lower Kootenay Band was clear about these points in their original news release, noting that the graves were originally marked.

 

“Graves were traditionally marked with wooden crosses and this practice continues to this day in many Indigenous communities across Canada. Wooden crosses can deteriorate over time due to erosion or fire which can result in an unmarked grave.”

“These factors, among others, make it extremely difficult to establish whether or not these unmarked graves contain the remains of children

 

 

 

 

 

 

On 7/2/2021 at 12:42 PM, Shayster007 said:

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-canada-day-celebrations-subdued-amid-focus-on-residential-schools/

 

I didn't see a thread for this, apologies if I just missed it but this deserves its own thread, not just to be talked about in the world events page. This is a place where we can share our feelings, and talk about what ever needs to be talked about.

 

We are up to over 1500 bodies found in 7 schools. There was a total of 139 schools across Canada, so that death toll will likely sky rocket as schools are further investigated. We have witnessed first hand over the last few years the results of rascism down in America with the Black Lives Matter movement. This is a stark reminder that this inequality is rampant even in our own country.

 

 

 

I am a very proud Canadian. Right now is the time for all proud

Canadians to pay attention to our history. Do research and find out what you can do to support our indigenous population, because as this death toll rises, so will the wounds caused by this stain on our Canadian history.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Thousands dead in unmarked graves from Canadian residential schools"  ?????  

 

"1500 bodies found in 7 schools"  ????

 

Actually, not a single body has been uncovered, discovered, unearthed, excavated, DNA tested ETC.  

 

Am I the only one who thinks it's wild that we've been told that thousands of children have been "FOUND" buried in unmarked graves, yet there actually hasn't been a single piece of evidence to confirm this?  And no I am not saying indigenous children were not abused, killed, tortured etc.. so let's please not turn this into that.   I am simply talking about truth and facts.

 

The anthropologists themselves will tell you that none of this can be confirmed without excavation.  They use ground penetrating radar which detects irregularities in the soil... irregularities can also be detected from things such as root formations, minerals and rocks.  

 

On Thursday, Sarah Beaulieu, who performed the search just days before the preliminary results were made public, said nothing has changed substantively since her initial findings. She did, however, reduce the number of probable gravesites from 215 to 200, taking into account previous excavation work that had been done in the area that could have influenced the results.

She also stressed her findings can’t be confirmed unless excavations are done at the scene.

“Which is why we need to pull back a little bit and say that they are ‘probable burials,’ they are ‘targets of interest,’ for sure,” said Dr. Beaulieu, who has about a decade of experience searching for historic grave sites, including working with the RCMP and other First Nations communities. She said the sites “have multiple signatures that present like burials,” but that “we do need to say that they are probable, until one excavates.”

 

The poster I quoted above brought up unmarked graves near Cranbook.  The media was all over that one as well, 183 "Children found dead"  When is reality it turns out that this was an old burial ground which was once marked and which contains the resting place for many people of different ages, most of who were buried before the residential schools had even opened

 

We have been told that thousands of children's bodies have been discovered, yet not one finding has been confirmed.