Canada First Nations finds 40 suspected unmarked graves

Shishalh First Nations in Canada's British Columbia province said Thursday that ground-penetrating radar has located what is believed to be 40 unmarked graves at a former Indian Residential School.

The Nation said older tribal members have said for decades that such graves existed at the old St. Augustine's Residential School.

"We have always known the truth our elders have told us and we always believed them. We want to show the little ones to know we haven't forgotten them, we love them, and they are important," said Chief Lenora Joe of Shíshalh Nation. "The children have spoken, and we are listening. We have heard their voices."

The research into the residential school grounds is a joint project between the First Nations and the University of Saskatchewan. Associate professor Terry Clark said there was no doubt the suspected graves were there and they "didn't need GPR (ground-penetrating radar) to prove this happened."

"This (40 possible graves) is a very conservative number. Through all aspects of the research, we strongly believe there are many more," he said.

The Nation said that survivors told researchers of the disposal of children's remains that did not include burial during the years St. Augustine was in operation.

The school, located in Sechelt, British Columbia, operated between 1904-1975 and was run by the Catholic Church. In 1923, First Nations parents withdrew their children "to protest the poor quality of education, harsh discipline and inadequate diet," according to the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation.

Following the protest, a new school principal was appointed and funding from the Canadian federal government was increased, the center said. The attendance figures changed over the years, but it is thought that around 46 children were enrolled when the school opened, rising to 80 in 1922 and peaking at 153 in 1956.

An estimated 150,000 Indigenous children across Canada were forced to attend one of more than 130 Indian Residential Schools beginning in the 1800s. At least 4,500 died at the schools. The last one closed in 1996.

The stated goal was to nullify the Indigenous culture and replace it with white culture. About 2,000 unmarked graves have been found at former residential schools since 2021.