Please note this story may contain information that is triggering to readers. Survivors and those impacted by residential schools can call the 24-hour national Indian Residential School Crisis Line for support services: 1-866-925-4419. Support is also available through Hope for Wellness helpline at 1-855-242-3310 or at hopeforwellness.ca.
The shíshálh Nation has announced the discovery of 41 additional unmarked graves at the site of the former St. Augustine’s Residential School, bringing the total number of graves identified to 81.
The findings are the result of an 18-month investigation using ground-penetrating radar (GPR), guided by the memories and testimonies of Survivors from the shíshálh Nation and 53 other Indigenous communities across Canada.
“This wasn’t a school, it wasn’t a choice, and the children who attended were stolen,” said hiwus yalxwemult (Chief Lenora Joe), in a press release. “We didn’t need the GPR to prove this happened; we always had enough proof to know.”
The GPR scans were conducted in areas identified through interviews with Survivors, many of whom shared accounts of children being led into the forest by staff and never returning.
The release explains that some child witnesses were punished for asking questions.
These stories, along with documented historical events and archaeological research, form the foundation of the shíshálh Archaeological Research Project, which has been underway for years in partnership with askîhk Research Services.
Katie Willie, director of operations at askîhk, emphasized the importance of Survivor testimony in the release.
“These findings and areas scanned were all driven by the experiences and memories of shíshálh Survivors, Elders, and family members. Survivors’ truths play a huge role in guiding us in our efforts to support the Nations.”
The former St. Augustine’s Residential School operated from 1904 to 1975.
Children from the shíshálh Nation and other communities, some as far away as Saskatchewan, were forced to attend.
The release explains that the school was part of a federally funded, church-run system designed to assimilate Indigenous children by removing them from their families and suppressing their cultures and languages.
yalxwemult acknowledged the pain felt by Survivors from other communities who are reluctant to return to Sechelt due to the trauma they experienced.
“We understand because this trauma was done to us, and this is our home. We want to heal together,” she said.
The shíshálh Nation is asking for space and privacy as the community processes these findings. They have invited the public to show support by wearing orange shirts, flying flags at half-mast, cherishing their children, and sending messages of support to [email protected].
Jordan Copp is Coast Reporter’s civic and Indigenous affairs reporter. This reporting beat is made possible by the Local Journalism Initiative.
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