A First Nations community discovered the bodies of nearly 200 children in a mass grave at a Canadian school several weeks after authorities announced 1,000 unmarked graves were found in two different areas.
Using ground-penetrating radar, Lower Kootenay Bank said they found 182 bodies at St. Eugene's Mission school near Cranbrook, British Columbia. Officials said some of the children's bodies were placed in shallow graves not even three to four feet deep.
In a statement, the Lower Kootenay band said authorities believe the bodies of the nearly 200 children were members of the Ktunaxa Nation, which neighbored First Nations communities and Aq'am.
Indigenous Children Forced Into Schools
From the 19th century until the late 1900s, more than 150,000 indigenous children became victims of being forced into state schools. The discovery comes a week after the Cowessess First Nation in Saskatchewan discovered 571 unmarked graves.
The Tk'emlups te Secwepemc said they discovered 215 children's bodies in June. In Canada, many know about the circumstances that led to the death of indigenous people forced into educational facilities. However, very few actually talk about the issue in public or on television, The Sun reported.
The tragic discovery of the hundreds of graves coincided with the eve of Canada Day, the founding holiday that marked the time in 1867 when three British colonies joined to create the Dominion of Canada. Many indigenous people have refused to recognize the holiday, a sentiment that has grown in recent weeks after the discovery of multiple gravesites.
Celebrations across Canada have been canceled by several municipalities. Many indigenous residents have also resorted to vandalizing or removing statues of figures involved with residential schools throughout the nation.
Chief Jason Louie of the Lower Kootenay Band said no one could have fully prepared themselves for such a discovery. The discoveries of the graves also come amid a national soul-searching of Canada's legacy of residential schools.
Mass Graves of Children
In Kamloops, British Columbia, the bodies of 215 indigenous children were discovered in unmarked graves in May. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Wednesday that the discoveries of the mass graves have forced officials to reflect on the country's history and the effects that past administrations have on today's society, BBC reported.
Trudeau previously announced that he requested the national flag on the Peace Tower to remain at half-mast for Canada Day to honor Indigenous children who were found in the mass graves. A group of indigenous leaders will visit the Vatican later this year to demand a papal apology for the Roman Catholic Church's role in the residential schools, and subsequently, the deaths of the hundreds of children.
The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops announced indigenous leaders will go to the Vatican and stay from December 17 to 20. They will be scheduled to meet with Pope Francis to discuss the issue and foster meaningful encounters of dialogue and reconciliation.
The pope expressed his sympathies to the victims after the discovery of the graves in Kamloops. He then proceeded to press religious and political authorities to clarify the tragic circumstances of the incident, NPR reported.
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