LETHBRIDGE HERALD STORY OF THE YEAR – Discoveries of unmarked graves compels Canada to work toward reconciliation
By Lethbridge Herald on December 30, 2021.
Shoes line the steps out front of St. Patrick's Church as members of the First Nations, Métis and non-Indigenous communities gathered in May in honour of the 215 unmarked childrenÕs graves recently discovered at a former residential school in Kamloops, B.C. The Lethbridge vigil made its way from city hall to Galt Gardens where 215 seconds of silence was marked in memory of the young lives lost. Herald photo by Ian MartensDale Woodard – Lethbridge Herald
The discovery of unmarked graves at former residential schools in Canada shocked a nation and its impact was also felt locally.
These revelations and the ongoing focus, both locally and nationally, to work towards the goals of Truth and Reconciliation for Canada’s Indigenous peoples topped the list for the Lethbridge Herald’s 2021 News Story of the Year.
The story broke last May when the Tk’emlups te Secwepemc Nation in Kamloops said a section of land was searched at the former school with ground-penetrating radar and found what were believed to be the remains of up to 215 children.
Tk’emlups te Secwepemc Chief Rosanne Casimir said then they had “a knowing” in their community that the missing children were undocumented deaths.
The Kamloops Indian Residential School operated between 1890 and 1969, when the federal government took over its operations from the Catholic Church and ran it as a day school until it closed in 1978.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 4,000-page report detailed mistreatment at Canada’s residential schools, including emotional, physical and sexual abuse of children, and at least 4,100 deaths at the institutions. Canada had more than 130 residential schools, with the last one closing in 1996.
In the months that followed, more graves were found at other former residential school sites. Governments committed money to finding and commemorating more graves and the country marked its first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in September.
The national story hit home in southern Alberta.
At their June 1 meeting, Lethbridge City Council held 215 seconds of silence to remember the 215 Indigenous children discovered in unmarked graves on the site of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School.
Lethbridge Mayor Chris Spearman also confirmed City Hall would be lit orange that week in solidarity with the orange-shirt, “Every Child Matters” movement.
Flags had already been flying at half-mast at city hall that week to mourn the discovery at Kamloops with many Lethbridge residents attending a vigil at St. Patrick’s Church, city hall and Galt Gardens May 31.
Spearman said the discovery of these children’s graves has forced many Canadians to confront the uncomfortable truths of Canada’s colonial history which are exemplified by the residential schools system.
“I, like many of you, like many of my council colleagues, read the news out of Kamloops last week, and we were lost for words,” Spearman said. “We didn’t know how to respond. It is an unthinkable tragedy when human life is lost, but when the lives of children are taken it all feels too much. But this is the tragic legacy of the residential school system in Canada. It is not just a chapter in our history, it is an ongoing story in our lives today.”
As the Warrior Relay Races rode into the Rocky Mountain Turf Club on Canada Day, a teepee was set up on the tarmac at the RMTC in memory of the 215 children whose remains were discovered as people slathered orange paint on their hands and left their hand marks on the 21-foot teepee.
“My son (Travis Jr.) and nephew (Richard First Charger) build teepees on the reserve,” said Blood Tribe chief and council Travis Plaited Hair. “The boys delivered a teepee and we want to pay respect to the children who were found in Kamloops. We’re going to set up the teepee outside in the morning and throughout the day the kids can use a roller to dip their hands in orange paint and they can put their hand print on the teepee, all the way around.”
The Blackfoot Confederacy flag was flown and everyone in attendance was encouraged to wear orange to honour the lives lost.
On Canada Day, an Indigenous Awareness Rally started at L’Ecole La Verendrye School and passed by Lethbridge City Hall en route to Galt Gardens.
The event was organized by Ava Mountain Horse and Kellita Day Chief to raise awareness prompted by some bullying they faced as well as spread awareness.
“People are celebrating while we’re mourning the children who never made it home,” said Mountain Horse. “It’s so important because we’ve been dealing with this for decades. My grandfather is a residential survivor as well and it’s really close to me. It’s really sad and we just want people to know why we’re hurting and why we’re mourning for this. We want to help make a new Canada Day and help make things better.”
At the end of August, the Piikani First Nation began the task of searching the grounds of four former local residential schools for unmarked graves.
The band announced it would begin working on Aug. 27 with SNC Lavelin, which had offered its expertise and equipment, to begin ground-penetrating radar sweeps of suspected sites where unmarked graves may be located.
The investigation started at sites identified as having possible unmarked graves contained in the oral knowledge of Elders and residential school survivors within Piikani.
The tribe set up a working group to manage every aspect of the investigation project and was prepared for the grief any potential discoveries might cause its people.
On Truth and Reconciliation Day on Sept. 30, Lethbridge Public Library gave audience members a chance to hear about the reason for the day and create a dialogue to discuss the legacies of the residential school system.
The session included a short video presentation by Linda Webstad, who grew up near Williams Lake, B.C. and was sent to Saint Joseph Residential School at the age of six.
“Today is a day to honour and remember residential school survivors and their families,” said Webstad. “Every child matters… We must also remember those children that never made it and are no longer with us. Today is a day for survivors to tell their stories and for us to listen with open hearts.”
At Chinook High School, students honoured National Day for Truth and Reconciliation by immersing themselves in the Blackfoot culture all week, whether that was wearing it, speaking it, experiencing it and even eating it.
In addition to National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, the students also honoured Orange Shirt Day.
Outside the school, the school’s giant rock – normally painted gold – was painted orange by the Grade 12 students.
That colour was also the theme indoors as well with students donning orange shirts.
“I really wanted to emphasize the importance by having it for the whole week instead of just an orange day, to really educate students on the serious stuff and what truth and reconciliation means,” said Marley HeavyShield, Indigenous Education Liaison at Chinook High School. “The bulletin boards around the school have informational things on them. There was a class here that was working on those so they could learn and also teach other students about things that revolve around Orange Shirt Day and truth and reconciliation at residential schools, the United Nations Declaration of Rights of Indigenous people, all of those kinds of things.”
-with Herald files from Tim Kalinowski, Dale Woodard, Al Beeber and The Canadian Press
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Ok, so this was a 2021 news story. Now let’s move on into 2022 and put this to rest.
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