In the same year, a survey showed that out of 264 former students, 107 died. The Indian Residential School History & Dialogue Centre reports that two sisters drowned while trying to escape the school in 1959, and another committed suicide in 1966.
“We understand that many of our brothers and sisters from our neighbouring communities attended the Kuper Island Industrial School. We also recognize the tremendous amount of grief and loss that too many did not return home.”
“It is impossible to get over acts of genocide and human rights violations. Healing is an ongoing process, and sometimes it goes well, and sometimes we lose more people because the burden is too great,” continued the statement, signed by various elders of the Penelakut Tribe, including Chief Joan Brown.
Remains of 215 children found at Kamloops residential school site
Remains of 215 children found at Kamloops residential school site
Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc leadership believes the missing children s deaths were undocumented By Charlie Smith
The new classroom building of the Kamloops Indian Residential School, circa 1950.
There’s been a new discovery highlighting the horrors of Canada’s Indian residential school system.
With the help of ground-penetrating radar specialists, the leadership of the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc have located the remains of 215 children who were students at the now-closed Kamloops Indian Residential School in BC.
“We had a knowing in our community that we were able to verify. To our knowledge, these missing children are undocumented deaths,” stated Kukpi7 (Chief) Rosanne Casimir in a news release. “Some were as young as three years old.