Indigenous human remains found in Canada

Image Source: Reuters

Written by Neha and Sukeerthi

A recent search utilizing ground-penetrating radar uncovered 182 human remains in unmarked graves near a Roman Catholic Church-run residential school that housed Indigenous children abducted from their families, according to a Canadian Indigenous group. The remains are thought to be those of people from the Ktunaxa nation's bands, which include the Lower Kootenay Band, and nearby First Nation settlements.

Two more comparable findings were reported earlier this year at defunct church-run residential schools in Canada. 

Indigenous leaders in Canada announced earlier that investigators had discovered more than 600 unmarked graves at the site of a former residential school for Indigenous children, following the discovery of 215 dead at another school last month.

The bodies were discovered at the Marieval Indian Residential School, which was located near Cowessess, some 87 miles east of Regina, Saskatchewan's capital, from 1899 to 1997. 

Between 1863 and 1998, about 150000 indigenous children were removed from their families and placed in schools across Canada. These children were not allowed to speak their native dialect or participate in their culture. They were abused and mistreated in large numbers. The Kamloops Indian Residential School was the biggest of 139 boarding schools founded in the late 1800s, with up to 500 students enrolled and attending at any given time. From 1890 to 1969, it was run by the Catholic church on behalf of the Canadian government.

In 2008 a commission was launched to document the issue, where it was found that a large number of indigenous children never returned to their home communities.

In 2008, the Canadian government formally apologized after the report said the practice was cultural genocide.

Image Source: AP

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also said "To honor the 215 children whose lives were taken at the former Kamloops residential school and all Indigenous children who never made it home, the survivors, and their families, I have asked that the Peace Tower flag (in Ottawa) and flags on all federal buildings be flown at half-mast," Several municipalities, including the economic metropolis Toronto, announced they would also lower their flags. The discovery of the children's remains, some as young as three, sparked strong emotions throughout Canada, particularly in the indigenous communities.

"This was a crime against humanity, an assault on First Nations,”  said Chief Bobby Cameron of the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous First Nations in Saskatchewan. 

There have been many church fires across Canada since the uncovering of unmarked graves at the sites of old residential schools. 

Vandalism has also been perpetrated against churches and sculptures in cities.

"The destruction of places of worship is unacceptable and it must stop," Mr Trudeau said. "We must work together to right past wrongs.″