George Gordon First Nation announces 8 more potential unmarked burial sites near former residential school
Findings come in addition to what the Sask. First Nation described as 14 anomalies detected in its 2022 search
WARNING: This story contains distressing details.
George Gordon First Nation announced Friday that the second phase of its geophysical investigation has detected eight anomalies, consistent with the shape, size and pattern of graves or burials close to the site of the former Gordon's Indian Residential School.
These findings are on top of what the First Nation described as 14 anomalies detected in its Phase 1 search that ended in 2022. The First Nation is located about 95 kilometres north of Regina.
"This recent discovery deepens our collective grief and strengthens our resolve to continue the search for truth and justice for all those affected," George Gordon First Nation Chief Shawn Longman said.
The surveyed area, he said, has two zones of interest that will require further investigation.
"We will continue to explore every area with utmost care and respect, ensuring that no possibility is overlooked," Shawn Longman said.
He said he recognizes the grief that's associated with the findings, and he asked community members to support one another, lean on available resources, offer comfort and hold space for healing.
In 2021, George Gordon First Nation started the journey of trying to locate unmarked graves of former residential school students who never returned to their families, then-chief Byron Bitternose said after the band had completed Phase 1 of the process.
A committee was formed in 2021 to honour the experiences and memories — and "to acknowledge the genocide and the impact this collective legacy" has on members of the George Gordon First Nation, Bitternose said at the time.
Sarah Longman, chair of the unmarked graves committee, said on Friday that they identified the areas to investigate after consultation with residential school survivors, descendants and community members.
She said "this is just the beginning," and that they will be entering Phase 3 of the search, where they'll expand the area of interest where the anomalies have been found. The areas, she said, were and will continue to be identified after consultation with residential school survivors, descendants and community members.
Phase 2 was the first time, Sarah Longman said, that the band received a federal grant to continue its work.
"We have covered very small, small sections of this very, very large reserve. To continue to do the searching, we're going to require a whole lot more support," she said.
Phase 1 of the search involved probing four different areas within the First Nation, where the chief had said they'd detected one high-probability site.
The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation's memorial for children who died or went missing at residential schools lists nearly 50 names tied to the institution at Gordon's.
On Friday, Shawn Longman said that he, along with George Gordon First Nation councillor Joseph McNab, had attended the school. He said reports of Indigenous children who were "brutalized, beaten and abused" were common — and a reason to believe that there are "a lot more" graves waiting to be found.
"It really brought up the memories of the harmful things that had taken place there," he said.
McNab was 11 or 12 years old when he started attending the school, but said he didn't observe a death in his time there from 1968 to 1975. However, McNab said his ancestors' history with the land made him feel unsettled when he was a student.
"It does make you feel uncomfortable about this, and I believe that finding the truth about all that happened here is a priority for our community," McNab said.
According to The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation, a school was established on the First Nation in 1876 by the Anglican Church of Canada, which operated it until 1946, when it was taken over by the Indian and Eskimo Welfare Commission and eventually the government of Canada.
It was expanded in 1888 to house students before the first rendition was destroyed by fire in 1929. It was rebuilt, but issues with water and maintenance would leave it closed again for extended periods of time between 1947 and 1953.
It would become one of the last residential schools to close in the country when it shuttered in 1996, the centre says.
Shattering the Silence: The Hidden History of Indian Residential Schools in Saskatchewan ebook, published by the University of Regina, cites federal government documents regarding student deaths and the decades of sexual abuse which took place at Gordon's.
In 1993, a former employee pled guilty to charges related to sexually assaulting students at the institution's residence between 1968 and 1984.
Support is available for anyone affected by their experience at residential schools, and those who are triggered by the latest reports.
A national Indian Residential School Crisis Line has been set up to provide support for survivors and those affected. People can access emotional and crisis referral services by calling the 24-hour national crisis line: 1-866-925-4419. A Saskatchewan-based line is now available by calling 306-522-7494.
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With files from Alexander Quon