The Kamloops Indian Residential School was part of the Canadian Indian residential school system. Located in Kamloops, British Columbia, it was once the largest residential school in Canada, with its enrolment peaking at 500 in the 1950s.
The school was established in 1890 and
in operation until 1969, when it was taken over by the federal government from
the Catholic Church to be used as a day school residence. It closed in 1978. The school building still stands today, and
is located on the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation. In May 2021, the remains of 215 children
buried in a mass grave were found at the site.
History of the School
What would become the Kamloops Indian
Residential School was established in 1893, after initially opening in 1890 as
the Kamloops Industrial School which had the aim of acculturating Indigenous
children. D. Ross of Kamloops was
awarded the $10,000 contract to erect the initial set of industrial school
buildings in April 1889. Three
two-storey wooden structures were the first buildings on the site, consisting
of separate living quarters for boys and girls, and the school's teachers,
along with classrooms and a recreation area.
Michel Hagan served as the industrial school's first principal,
resigning in 1892, at which time the government charged the Oblates of Mary
Immaculate with running the school. Father
Carrion was named principal of the school in March 1893, following Hagan's
departure.
In 1927, John Duplanil succeeded J.
Maguire as principal of the school, following Maguire's appointment as curate
of St. Patrick's Church in Lethbridge, Alberta.
G.P. Dunlop took over as head of the school in 1958, relocating from a
position at the Eugene Mission Indian School in Cranbook, British Columbia.
The school continued as the Kamloops
Indian Residential School until 1978, located on the traditional territory of
the Secwepemc (Secwépemcúl'ecw). The building was the first location of the
Secwepemc Museum, which opened in 1982. In
1991, a special edition of Secwepemc News reported that the
public policy which led to the operation of the school for more than 80 years
had "done its job; English is now the predominant language within the
Shuswap Nation and the survival of the Shuswap language is uncertain."
The school was featured in the 1962
Christmas-themed film Eyes of the Children. Produced by George Robertson, the film
followed 400 students as they prepared for Christmas and aired on the CBC on
Christmas Day.
Discovery of the Mass Grave
In May 2021, the buried remains of 215
children, some as young as three years old, were found at the school site with
the assistance of a ground-penetrating radar specialist. There had long been rumours of unmarked
graves at residential schools, but none had previously been uncovered. Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation Chief Rosanne
Casimir said the finding represented "an unthinkable loss ... never
documented by the school's administrators", and that work was underway to
determine whether the Royal British Columbia Museum holds relevant records. She also said the radar scanning is yet to be
complete, and she expects further discoveries to be made. The National Centre for Truth and
Reconciliation has so far released official recognition of some 51 students who
had died. Their dates of death range from 1919 until 1964. The continued radar survey suggests the
investigation is ongoing.
A provincial Indigenous leader said in
May 2021 there were plans being made for forensic experts to exhume, identify
and repatriate the remains of the children from the school.
Reactions to the Mass Grave
In a statement released by the First
Nations Health Authority, CEO Richard Jock said: "That this situation
exists is sadly not a surprise and illustrates the damaging and lasting impacts
that the residential school system continues to have on First Nations people,
their families and communities." Premier
of British Columbia John Horgan said that he was "horrified and
heartbroken" at the discovery, and that he supported further efforts to
bring to "light the full extent of this loss". Federal Minister of Indigenous Services Marc
Miller also offered his support. Prime
Minister Justin Trudeau called the discovery "heartbreaking" the day
of the announcement, and on May 30, ordered flags on federal buildings to be
flown at half-mast until further notice.
Other half-mastings included flags at the BC and Manitoba legislatures
as well as individual municipalities such as Ottawa, Montreal, Edmonton, M1ississauga,
Brampton, and Toronto, which also ordered the 3D Toronto sign dimmed for 215
hours.
Angela White, executive director for the
Indian Residential School Survivors Society, has also called on the Canadian
federal government and Catholic Church to take action and responsibility around
reconciliation efforts, stating: "Reconciliation does not mean anything if
there is no action to those words...[w]ell-wishes and prayers only go so far.
If we are going to actually create positive strides forward there needs to be
that ability to continue the work, like the Indian Residential School Survivors
Society does, in a meaningful way."
Inspired by a community memorial at the Vancouver
Art Gallery which laid out 215 pairs of children's shoes in rows. Similar memorials were created across Canada,
including in front of government buildings and church buildings that had been
in charge of running the residential school system. At the Ontario Legislative
Building, security initially ordered the shoes removed before acquiescing. The Anishinabek
Nation tweeted in support of social media calls to put out teddy bears on
porches on May 31, similar to what was done after the 2018 Humboldt Broncos bus
crash with hockey sticks. Another popular campaign called on people to wear
orange on May 31.
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