In Canada, the remains of 215 children have been found on land belonging to a former residential school established over a century ago to integrate the country’s indigenous peoples, according to a local tribe.
In a statement released Thursday, the “Tequimloops Te Squibymak tribe said an expert had used underground radar to confirm the presence of student remains on school grounds near Kamloops, British Columbia. Read also How did indigenous women disappear in America and Canada? “Hoshilaga” … An Arab novel about American Indians that evokes Palestine and the indigenous peoples of America Blood Democracy. How America Was Founded on the Remnants of Indigenous Peoples?
“Some of them are only three,” said tribal chief Rosan Casimir, describing the case as “an unimaginable loss which has been spoken of but never documented” by school officials. She added that the preliminary results of this discovery are expected to be published in the report next month.
Meanwhile, the tribe is working with forensic scientists and museums to try to find out what happened and find traces of these deaths.
She also tries to connect with the home communities of students across British Columbia and beyond.
For his part, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Twitter Friday evening that the discovery of the body “breaks my heart”, adding: “It is a painful memory of this dark and shameful chapter of the history of our country “.
Canadian Minister of Crown and Indigenous Relations Caroline Bennett reiterated Trudeau’s message, announcing government support to Indigenous families and communities for their “recovery as we honor their lost parents.” / p>
The Kamloops Indian Residential School was the largest of 139 residential schools established at the end of the 19th century and accommodated 500 students.
The school was run by the Catholic Church on behalf of the Canadian government between 1890 and 1969.
Tens of thousands of victims
About 150,000 indigenous boys and girls were forced to enroll in these schools, where they were subjected to physical violence and sexual assault and were stripped of their culture and language.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada has identified or disclosed information regarding at least 3,200 children who died as a result of abuse or neglect while in residential school, but the exact number is still unknown.
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In 2008, Ottawa formally apologized for what the committee later called “cultural genocide”, in a settlement amounting to C $ 1.9 billion (1.6 billion billion US dollars) paid to former students.