Unmarked Graves Across Canada

Cole Burston/AFP/Getty Images

When several hundred unmarked graves were found on former residential school sites on Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc territory and on Cowessess First Nation territory in mid-2021, public outrage ensued. The eyes of many Canadians were opened to the veiled horrors of residential schools, which had mortality rates of up to 60 per cent. Publicizing these findings and spreading awareness on the treatment at these schools is crucial to prevent cultural genocide from reoccurring. 

Indigenous Peoples have known about these unmarked mass graves for years, but it was only with the recent developments in radar technology that they were finally able to prove that these graves existed. Most recently, Williams Lake First Nation in British Columbia discovered 93 more potential burial sites near the former St. Joseph Mission Residential School.

Self-identity was a trait especially stripped away by the Indian Residential School System. Students were forced to assimilate and appear more European through the chopping of their hair, changing of their names, and stripping of their language. Their inability to identify how they wished was detrimental to Indigenous cultures.

Indigenous leaders have expressed relief that these discoveries are finally highlighting the reality of what occurred at residential schools. Many view this as a progression in the process of reconciling with the trauma faced at the hands of the Canadian Government.

“There can be no reconciliation before there is truth,” Williams Lake First Nation Chief Willie Sellars voiced. With the potential burial sites having been discovered, Sellars emphasized, “this reawakening in Indian country has allowed us to start the process of healing.”