3rd National Gathering on Unmarked Burials in Vancouver focuses on data sovereignty

Many of the challenges facing searches for missing children and unmarked graves associated with residential schools are tied to Indigenous data sovereignty, and that's what a gathering in Vancouver this week aims to address.

The third National Gathering on Unmarked Burials from Jan. 16-18 follows gatherings last year in Winnipeg and Edmonton.

Participants at the gathering will have the opportunity to attend workshops, attend breakout sessions and hear from speakers from various organizations on data sovereignty and community control over knowledge and information as part of the three-day event.

The issue of who owns and controls access to records, church archives, blueprints and other relevant documents has continued to be one of the barriers for families and communities conducting searches.

Konwentenras Joslyn Jamieson, a Kanien'kehá:ka forensic scientist at McMaster University's Ancient DNA Centre in Hamilton, Ont., will be in Vancouver to offer what help she can.

"I was hearing a lot of survivor stories where I worked," said Jamieson, a member of Six Nations of the Grand River.

"It made me think of my own grandparents' history of attending residential school and it got me thinking that I wanted to be more active in being able to assist with finding some answers as to validating survivor stories."

Jamieson is using her training to help communities understand what is possible with the current science and what is not. 

"Communities that may be more removed from city centres may not know what the extent of the current science capabilities are," Jamieson said.

"We're hoping people won't be tricked by modern companies that offer ancestry results that may not give them the specific identification that they need to say that this is this particular child."

The gatherings are being held by the Office of the Independent Special Interlocutor for Missing Children and Unmarked Graves and Burial Sites associated with Indian Residential Schools.

Kimberly Murray was appointed last year with a two-year mandate to provide recommendations for a federal legal framework for the treatment and protection of burial sites of children at former residential schools. 

Attendees of the conference this week will be able to access trauma informed and culturally appropriate supports.

A fourth gathering focusing on upholding Indigenous law is scheduled for Toronto in March.

Support is available for anyone affected by their experience at residential schools or by the latest reports.

A national Indian Residential School Crisis Line has been set up to provide support for former students and those affected. People can access emotional and crisis referral services by calling the 24-hour national crisis line: 1-866-925-4419.

Mental health counselling and crisis support is also available 24 hours a day, seven days a week through the Hope for Wellness hotline at 1-855-242-3310 or by online chat at www.hopeforwellness.ca.