The Governor General of Canada has described the country’s residential schools as places of unimaginable cruelty, in praise of honoring the thousands of Indigenous children who died while attending institutions.
“Today we are heard all over the country. Although it is difficult, we are telling Canadians and the world about our wounds and pain, “said Mary Simon, the Queen’s representative in Canada, to hundreds of people gathered on the grounds of the former Indian residential school in Kamloops. .
One year ago, the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation announced the discovery of nearly 200 possible unmarked graves on the ground. The announcement sparked shockwaves across the country, prompting the federal government to establish a national holiday and promise millions of dollars to other indigenous nations to begin their own investigations.
Within months, other possible unmarked graves were discovered on the grounds of former residential schools in western Canada, including 751 at the site of the Marieval Indian School in Saskatchewan.
Simon, the country’s first indigenous governor-general, toured the old school grounds on Monday to commemorate the traditional end of the mourning period for Le Estcwicwéy̓, the missing children. However, in meeting with survivors and members of the community, Simon acknowledged that many were still in mourning.
“In this residential school and in others like this across the country, churches and governments have eradicated indigenous languages and identities through corrupt policies. They have taken the stories to us,” he said. “It is unimaginable that a place of learning would be so cruel. It is inexcusable that people could commit these atrocities, or that people could remain silent while it was committed. “
For more than a century, at least 150,000 indigenous children were forcibly converted to Christianity, given new names, and banned from speaking their mother tongue. The last school closed in the 1990s.
The schools, run by the two churches and the federal government, operated by coercion. The Prime Minister of Canada, Sir John A MacDonald, told the country’s parliament that an Indigenous child in his own community was “just a savage who can read and write.”
In contrast to Simon’s welcome, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau faced a cold reception, with a haunting crowd following him through the grounds of Pow Wow Arbor.
“Canada is all Indian land,” a group chanted, playing the drums aloud as he met the audience. “We don’t need your constitution.”
The Prime Minister said the discovery of unmarked graves had marked a “difficult year” for Canadians.
“It’s about remembering who we lost,” he said. “For those who are still full of hurt and anger, I hear it.”
Trudeau had previously declined an invitation from the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc to join them in observing the first National Day of Truth and Reconciliation in Canada in September. Instead, the prime minister spent some time at a beach resort on Vancouver Island.
Justin Trudeau with a survivor of the residential school at the Kamloops ceremony on Monday. Photo: Darryl Dyck / AP
Kukpi7 (chief) Rosanne Casimir told the crowd that Trudeau “owned” his mistake and apologized.
“He regretted our unmarked graves. I recognize that as a good start.”
He said last year’s discovery has led to strong talks across the country about Canada’s colonial legacy.
“Unmarked graves brought the truth to the world, and the world stood with us in solidarity,” he said.
The findings have also sparked a wave of contrition by institutions that were largely responsible for the abuses.
Earlier this month, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby called the schools a “terrible crime” and apologized for the church’s role.
“I’m sorry. I’m more sorry than I could say. I’m embarrassed. I’m horrified,” he told James Smith Cree Nation survivors.
His apology follows one from Pope Francis, who met with indigenous delegations in April and lamented the “deplorable” abuses that generations of indigenous peoples faced.
Francis is due to visit Canada during the summer, where he is expected to meet with indigenous groups and apologize once again for the role of the Catholic Church in the residential school system.
The federal government says it has already released nearly C $ 80 million (US $ 62 million) in funding to nations conducting their own research on unmarked graves, including a thorough search of the lands of the United States. Mohawk Institute.
In his statements, Simon acknowledged that the discoveries of the last year were a long-awaited reality for the indigenous communities whose loved ones never returned home.
“We cry with you. We are with you,” he said. “We believe you.”