Barry Ellsworth
29 June 2023•Update: 30 June 2023
TRENTON, Canada
Survivors and tribal elders remembrances led searchers to 88 potential unmarked graves at a former Indian residential school in Canada, it was reported on Thursday.
The possible burial site was found by researchers at the University of Alberta at St. Bruno’s Indian Residential School in the community of Joussard in Alberta. The site is in the remote northwest area of the province, home to Sucker Creek First Nations.
Dr. Kisha Supernant led the university team who, with knowledge gained from tribal members, used ground-penetrating radar to search an area about 4,500 square meters (48,437 square feet) in size.
Supernant was surprised when the suspected unmarked graves were uncovered at two locations outside of the school cemetery grounds.
"What is going on here?” she told the Canadian Press. “What are graves doing in these locations that are not inside of a known cemetery area?"
Talisha Chaput, anthology professor at the university, cautioned people should not to jump to conclusions about the graves until they are confirmed by other methods of detection.
"Ground-penetrating system is one way of looking underneath the ground (but) it is not an end-all-be-all technology," she said.
Other tools include historical records such as school enrolment documents, the use of trained dogs to sniff out human remains and testimony from survivors and elders that helped locate the 88 potential graves at St. Bruno’s.
While searchers seek confirmation that the sites contain graves, there is a possible snag with excavation, Chaput said.
"Most (First) nations believe that once people (are) to laid to rest, you do not disturb them again," she said. "Although there are cases where it may be unavoidable."
St. Bruno’s was a boarding school established in 1913 and run by Roman Catholic Missionaries. It was closed in 1969.
Records show at least 18 Indigenous children died while attending the school, according to the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation.
