Tk'emlups families gather to unite in days after residential school discovery in Kamloops, B.C.
An extraordinary gathering of Indigenous family leaders occurred in the days following the discovery of what are believed to be the remains of 215 children at the site of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School, says a former chief.
The leaders left the emergency meeting united to pursue the truth about a tragedy that could have profound impacts on Indigenous people and Canadians, Manny Jules said in a recent interview from an office inside the former residential school.
Jules described the meeting as a gathering of historic importance to address the approach the people of the Tk'emlups te Secwepemc First Nation would take to reunite missing children with their families and promote national healing.
“This meeting goes back to traditional times when there were areas we needed to get together and make major decisions,” said Jules, who was the elected chief from 1984 to 2000 and is currently chief commissioner of the First Nation Tax Commission.
“The decision that was made is that we have to work together because this is going to be setting a precedent for the rest of the country,” he said.
Those who attended represented almost two dozen of the family names engraved on the residential school survivors' memorial that stands near the main entrance to the former school building.
“We're on the forefront for the struggle of finding the missing and trying to resolve all of these issues on a national basis,” Jules said. “There was a meeting of the family heads (several) nights ago and one of the last things that was said was, 'Let's make sure all of this is done respectfully because that's our way. We give respect and we want respect in return.”'
It's not the first time the Tk'emlups te Secwepemc nation has set off to change, he said.
In 1904, Tk'emlups chief Louis was part of an Indigenous delegation that travelled to Europe to meet with the pope to seek church support for British Columbia land claims and education reforms that included backing an Indigenous-led school system, said Jules.
The church did not endorse the reforms, but the nation has continued to pursue and achieve innovative education, economic and infrastructure initiatives, he said.
“We're not afraid to take on challenges,” said Jules, pointing to a billion-dollar residential housing development in the hills behind the residential school.
Peter Milobar, who represents the Kamloops-North Thompson riding in B.C.'s legislature, said the decades-old connections between the city of Kamloops and the First Nation are economic, environmental and social.
“They've always been very progressive in terms of recognizing the economic development potential of their lands,” said Milobar, who is a former Kamloops mayor. “They are always looking for ways to benefit their community, but also at the same time making sure things they are doing are in conjunction and complementary to all the residents in the area.”
He cited joint sewer, fire and tax agreements between the city and the nation, providing seamless services to Kamloops residents and nation members.
Kamloops residents also share the pain of the Tk'emlups te Secwepemc Nation, said Milobar.
“You have to remember these are interconnected communities,” he said. “These are actual friends. They're not just people we've never really met before or talked with. A lot of our kids have grown up playing on the same sports teams or gone to school together. Myself, my son-in-law, is a band member of Tk'emlups. It's very much an interconnected community in Kamloops.”
The Kamloops residential school operated between 1890 and 1969, when the federal government took over operations from the Catholic Church and operated it as a day school until it closed in 1978.
Chief Rosanne Casimir of the Tk'emlups te Secwepemc First Nation said ground-penetrating radar equipment was used to find the remains of children long believed missing from the school. She said the findings are preliminary and a report from the investigation will be ready by the end of the month.
The National Truth and Reconciliation Commission's 4,000-page report details mistreatment at Canada's residential schools, including the emotional, physical and sexual abuse of children, and at least 4,100 deaths at the institutions.
Jules said the nation views reuniting the missing children with their families as an obligation that must be met.
“We're famous for all of our internal disputes, but in this time, all of that's put aside,” he said. “We made a decision that this is important not only for our community, but for the rest of the country and the Shuswap people.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 15, 2021.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
BREAKING Ottawa public school board, 3 Toronto-area school boards launch lawsuit against social media giants
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and three school boards in the Toronto-area have launched legal action against social media giants, accusing them of "disrupting students' fundamental right to education."
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 mm among weather alerts in effect for 7 provinces
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 millimetres, air quality advisories and other alerts have been issued for seven Canadian provinces, according to the latest forecasts.
Tipping is off the table at this Toronto restaurant
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Donald Trump assails judge and his daughter after gag order in N.Y. hush-money criminal case
Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at the New York judge who put him under a gag order that bars him from commenting publicly about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in his upcoming hush-money criminal trial.
A fight to protect the dignity of Michelangelo's David raises questions about freedom of expression
Michelangelo's David has been a towering figure in Italian culture since its completion in 1504. But in the current era of the quick buck, curators worry the marble statue's religious and political significance is being diminished.
Doctors visiting a Gaza hospital are stunned by the war's toll on Palestinian children
An international team of doctors visiting a hospital in central Gaza was prepared for the worst. But the gruesome impact Israel’s war against Hamas is having on Palestinian children still left them stunned.
China's latest EV is a 'connected' car from smart phone and electronics maker Xiaomi
Xiaomi, a well-known maker of smart consumer electronics in China, is joining the country's booming but crowded market for electric cars.