Solemn day of ceremony to mark anniversary of Kamloops unmarked graves
Beginning at sunrise on Monday, the Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc will host a solemn day of ceremony and reflection to mark the one-year anniversary of unmarked graves being located at the site of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School.
For decades, survivors who once spent time at the school told the stories of peers who suddenly vanished. Some believed the missing children had run away, but many always suspected something more sinister.
A survey last year using ground-penetrating radar showed the existence of 215 potential unmarked graves.
Kukpi7 Rosanne Casimir, chief of Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc, will be joined by Governor General Mary Simon.
Cultural protocols call for Monday to mark the end of a year of mourning for the missing children, but for survivors and the families of the children who never made it home, the healing journey will continue.
“When I first shared the news, it was devastating for many of our community members,” Casimir said last week. “For many, this is about our collective history. And it’s about those meaningful steps moving forward.”
Since the announcement of the Kamloops graves being located, hundreds more potential grave sites have been found at residential schools across the country.
The federal government declared Sept. 30 a holiday known as The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
And in April, at the Vatican, Pope Francis delivered a historic apology to delegations of Indigenous, Inuit and Metis Canadians on behalf of the Catholic Church, which administered many of Canada's residential schools.
The next steps for the Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc remain to be finalized, but Casimir says discussions are ongoing about possibly exhuming the remains of any children in the unmarked graves so they can be repatriated to their First Nations.
A woman places one of 215 pairs of children's shoes on the steps of the Vancouver Art Gallery as a memorial to the children whose remains have been found buried at the site of a former B.C. residential school, on Friday, May 28, 2021. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck)
'UNTIL ALL THE BABIES ARE FOUND'
In Vancouver, Haida artist Tamara Bell created a memorial honouring the victims and survivors of the Kamloops Residential School the day after the Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc announced what the search of the site had found.
At the time, she told CTV News decided on shoes, to give the public an understanding of the scope of the discovery. Bell said she woke up early, cried, composed herself, and came up with a plan.
"I'm a mom, and I can't imagine my child dying at school. I can't imagine a child that I love never coming home, and not getting an answer," Bell said last year.
In the year since, the steps of the Vancouver Art Gallery have been lined with hundreds of pairs of children's shoes, stuffed animals, placards and paintings.
Desiree Simeon, who is also from the Haida Nation, is one of a small group of people who have been keeping vigil and watching over the memorial.
"I spend 24/7 here, day and night. I practically live here. I do have a home, but I reside here as a second home," she said on Sunday as she reflected on the impact of the memorial as she prepared to mark the anniversary.
"What we are looking for is to open eyes more to what we've already known for generations after generations of all this abuse. There are always tons of people that are shocked by what they hear from us when we provide the information as to what happened to the children."
While the future of the memorial has not yet been decided, Simeon says there are no plans to dismantle it any time soon.
"This vigil is going to be here till all the babies are found," she said.
On May 28 there will be a ceremony at the site.
There will be singing, dancing food -- the traditional way. Everybody's invited and we encourage them to bring more stuffed animals and more shoes," she said.
With files from CTV News Vancouver's Kendra Mangione.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
'Sophisticated' cyberattacks detected on B.C. government networks, premier says
There has been a "sophisticated" cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, Premier David Eby confirmed Wednesday evening.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Canucks claw out 5-4 comeback win over Oilers in Game 1
Dakota Joshua had a goal and two assists and the Vancouver Canucks scored three third-period goals to claw out a 5-4 comeback victory over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series Wednesday.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.