The Tk̓emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation says its ongoing search at the former Kamloops residential school has proven to be “more complex than anticipated.” An update provided by the First Nation on Feb. 18 did not indicate that any excavation work has yet taken place.
Tk̓emlúps te Secwépemc said it has ruled out some areas of the former residential school grounds as containing potential unmarked graves, while data from multiple surveys have identified zones that “should now be the primary focus.”
The First Nation said that since it announced in May 2021 that ground-penetrating radar had detected 215 potential burial sites, it has worked with independent third-party experts from across Canada to search the grounds of the school. This has involved using ground-penetrating radar, a LiDAR scanner to “create precise, 3D representations of objects and environments,” and dogs that specialize in detecting human remains.
The data and findings from the three investigation methods “overlap” in several areas and are now the primary focus of search efforts, Tk̓emlúps te Secwépemc said, adding the radar and laser scanner has ruled out utility lines and clay tiles in those locations, while “signatures that resemble burials were found in some areas.”
“Some areas were ruled out as burials, while others cannot confidently be ruled out,” the release said.
The First Nation said while it is seeking “facts and answers as quickly as possible,” there have been challenges with accessing federal government and Catholic Church records for the 88-year period that the school operated. Progress has been “hindered” by government restrictions on certain records and a slow response to requests, Tk̓emlúps te Secwépemc said.
Obtaining the records is “critical to confirming the identities of the children who attended the school and those who never returned home, along with the community to which they belonged,” according to the First Nation.
Tk̓emlúps te Secwépemc also said there are 38 affected Nations involved in the search, and they are seeking “consensus on any future outcome,” but there is also an understanding that “full consensus may never be achieved” given the unique cultural and spiritual protocols of each Nation.
This includes disagreement about whether to preserve the area as a sacred site or whether to excavate. Any human remains would need to be repatriated to their home communities, which the First Nation said would be a “complex and sensitive process.”
The First Nation initially received $7.9 million for field work and records searches in relation to the residential school grounds, and the funding was later increased to total $12. 1 million, according to records obtained through the Access to Information Act by Blacklock’s Reporter.
The TRC report also noted that most of the schools would bury the bodies of students in school or school-related cemeteries, and not send their bodies back home. The report said many of these cemeteries have since been abandoned or become vulnerable to accidental disturbance, meaning some could have become unmarked burial sites.
The announcement about unmarked graves at former residential schools was followed by a significant uptick in arsons targeting churches in recent years.
