Tseshaht First Nation’s rese’s research says at least 67 children died at Alberni Indian Residential School | Globalnews.ca

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WARNING: This story contains details that may concern some readers.
The c̓išaaʔatḥ (Tsesaht) First Nation has spent the past 18 months researching records to find out how many children died at the Alberni Indian Residential School. They also worked with BC-based surveying firm GeoScan to use ground-penetrating radar to identify a suspicious grave on the site of a former school.
This work is part of a project called ʔuuʔatumin yaqckwiimitqin (Doing For Ancestors).

v. Chr. Tseshaht First Nation Releases Preliminary Information About Searches Of School Graves

As part of Phase 1, an investigation revealed the deaths of 67 children at the Albany Indian Boarding School, and ground penetrating radar identified 17 geophysical sites representing suspected burial sites in the study area. peculiarities have been revealed. The story continues under the ad

Of the 100 hectares surveyed, just over 10% have already been scanned. The decision of where to search was guided by historical records and survivors.
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Next Steps for Old Port Alberni Boarding School Survivors

The Alberni Indian Residential School operated from his 1900 to 1973 and Nuu-chah-nulth leaders helped close it, requiring at least 70 indigenous children in the state to attend school. bottom. “It’s a school we didn’t ask for or agree to,” said Wamish (Ken Watts), who was elected to the chief councilor of Tseshaat.
“We never agreed to have it placed on our territory, but we are doing our part to let the world know what happened at the Albany Indian Boarding School. Without truth there can be no reconciliation. ”

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Wahmeesh told the story of “Susie,” her non-English-speaking Gitxsan-Tsimshian child who was placed by her family at her Alberni Indian Residential School by the RCMP. He shared her experiences of verbal and emotional abuse when she was told she could not speak her own language and was a “good-for-nothing Indian.” bottom.

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He shared stories of the horrific things she had to witness from physical to sexual abuse.

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How certain are researchers about unmarked graves around the former Port Alberni residential school?

In 1995, a former supervisor at the school was convicted of 18 counts of indecent assault against Indigenous students. He was at the school from 1948 to 1968 and was sentenced to 11 years in prison.
But Wahmeesh also shared stories of comradery between students and how they banded together to protect and support one another. Story continues below the ad

“All these ‘students’ were just children. “Think of what would happen today if children were taken out of the house at the age of five,” he said.
“But there is hope and there is truth. It is because of all the survivors that we are able to stand up today, speak our language and dance. Thank you for surviving.”

Scanning of unmarked graves begins at former Albani Residential School

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission told Canadians in 2015 that many of the country’s 139 former Indian boarding schools had undocumented and unmarked graves. However, it wasn’t until May 2021 that the fact came to national attention. That’s when Tk`emlúpste Secwepemc announced that he believed there were 215 unmarked graves in the former Kamloops Indian Residential School.
As a result of these findings, the Government of Canada has initiated financial assistance to communities through the Boarding School Missing Children Community Assistance Fund.
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This grant is intended to assist communities in conducting their own research and knowledge gathering, commemoration and commemoration, and fieldwork. Tseshaht said he was awarded $554,000 for completing part of this work. 11:09 am
‘I want to know how many children died’: Kimberly Murray on recent anomaly found at boarding school site

Through research, the community was able to identify the names of her 67 children who died at her Indian boarding school in Albany. They chose bears to represent the children and plan to deliver the bears to families with 67 children.
Stories like this will continue to surface as communities try to find and identify buried children.
“It’s not just another number. For survivors, this is the truth they’ve shared since the beginning,” Whamish said. “I know some kids didn’t get home. This confirms what they always knew.”

The Indian Boarding School Resolution Health Assistance Program has a hotline to assist boarding school survivors and their families experiencing trauma brought on by memories of past abuse. The number is 1-866-925-4419.
The Hope for Wellness Helpline provides immediate toll-free phone and online chat-based emotional support and crisis intervention for all Indigenous peoples of Canada. This service is available 24 hours a day in English and French and is available on request in Cree, Ojibway and Inuktitut. Story continues below the ad

Trained counselors are available by phone at 1-855-242-3310 or online chat at hopeforwellness.ca.
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