First Nation says that 12 radar readings seem to match up with the burial of babies
WARNING: This article talks about some sad things.
A radar search in and around the cemetery of a former residential school in Saskatchewan has led to what a First Nation in Saskatchewan thinks are dozens of graves.
The English River First Nation says that a two-year ground-penetrating radar search at the cemetery of the former Beauval Indian Residential School has found 83 possible graves or areas of interest, some of which were not marked.
Twelve of the possible graves are about 2.5 feet long on average, which Chief Jenny Wolverine said is consistent with infants being buried there. “This is in line with several witness accounts of infant births and deaths,” she said.
Most of the graves look like they are for children.
Wolverine said in a news release on Thursday, “It is with deep sadness that we announce that after more research and study of these possible unmarked grave sites, most of them were labeled as “child-sized” or “sub-adult” in length.”
The English River First Nation says that there are 10 more findings that are being looked into.
At the grave site, there are 56 historical headstones.Some of the headstones didn’t seem to have graves below them, but the First Nation didn’t know why.
Wolverine wants the people in the community to have some privacy while they think about the new information. At an event on August 29, the First Nation plans to give more information.
A University of Regina publication says that the Beauval Indian Residential School became a real boarding school in 1897, when the government gave it money to do so. It was in use until 1983.
The English River First Nation is the most recent Native American group to talk about possible unmarked graves in and around Indian Residential Schools.
In June 2021, the Cowessess First Nation was the first to say that unmarked graves had been found. They said that they had found 751 unmarked graves in a cemetery near the former Marieval Indian Residential School. Other communities soon followed suit.
According to a news release from the English River First Nation, survivors of the school have told of other places that the radar team will search over the next year.
It also says that the National Centre of Truth and Reconciliation has records about the school. They hope that these records will help them find out who the children buried there are and where they came from in the First Nation communities.
The Elders Council of the town said it was shocked but not surprised by what the radar team found.
In a statement, the council said, “Horrifying and painful stories of abuse from survivors have been told in our communities for generations.”
“We can confirm that we have heard heartbreaking stories from survivors of physical, sexual, emotional, and spiritual abuse, including stories of children dying under suspicious circumstances and even babies being born and dying at this school.”
The council sent its condolences and prayers to the people who were hurt by the recent findings. It also asked people, governments, and institutions to recognize the findings of the team and asked the government to work with First Nation communities to give them resources to help them heal.
“Many people are still hurting because of what happened at this school and similar schools across the country,” it said.
In a statement released on Thursday, the Métis Nation-Saskatchewan (MN-S) said that the English River First Nation is very close to the Métis community of Patuanak. Both Métis and First Nation children have gone to the Beauval school.
It said that a team of emergency responders from MN-S had been sent to the community to help.
“Today’s terrible discovery has affected more than 15 northern communities, and it’s likely that every family in the north will be affected. We are here to help everyone,” MN-S vice-president Michelle LeClair said in a press release.
There is a national Indian Residential School Crisis Line that can help survivors and others who were affected by the schools. People can get emotional and crisis referral services by calling 1-866-925-4419, which is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
The Hope for Wellness hotline at 1-855-242-3310 or online chat is also open 24 hours a day, seven days a week for mental health counseling and crisis support.