After the announcement that 171 anomalies had been detected within the cemetery grounds at St. Mary’s Indian Residential School, Wauzhushk Onigum Nation Chief Chris Skead says next steps include additional surveys of the grounds through survivor testimony, archaeological assessment, and archival investigation.
Wauzhushk Onigum Nation announced on Tuesday that the anomalies, which they also called plausible burials, had been found on the site.
Moving forward, the testimony of 51 survivors from Wauzhushk Onigum First Nation will continue to provide information on plausible burial sites. Skead said “those lived experiences” are significant in uncovering the truth, as well as, “having a health pathway moving forward.”
During the initial investigation, specialists used archival photos and maps along with 3D imaging techniques such as LIDAR and photogrammetry. Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) was used to measure the density within the ground to show signs of disturbance.
“With the technology, we were using, the GPR, it would go into the subsurface. They would have colour codes on it,” Skead in a Wednesday interview with Dougall Media.
As a result, the radar detected 171 anomalies in the unmarked areas within the cemetery grounds.
“That was information we should our survivors yesterday. It was very difficult to see the reaction. It was very impactful to see that, but the survivors lived through that experience. They witnessed it. They’ve seen a lot of the horrific things that happened within those walls,” Skead said.
Skead said that the GPR has limitations when used in highly dense bush areas. Therefore, in the spring, they will be using cadaver dogs to aid in the project.
“We are looking at next spring to search other areas we haven’t identified because some of these stories, memories, and lived experiences a lot of our survivors recall the priest and the nuns talk the children off of the site. Some returned and some didn’t,” said Skead.
Skead also acknowledges that the broader canvas testimonials of First Nations outside the community might be necessary as St. Mary’s Residential School house many children from different Treaty nations.
“I am absolutely heartbroken at the announcement of 171 potential grave sites at St. Mary’s Indian Residential School," Treaty Three Grand Chief Ogichidaa Francis Kavanaugh said in a statement on Tuesday. "The entirety of the Anishinaabe Nation in Treaty #3 mourns with Wauzhushk Onigum, the survivors, and intergenerational survivors of St. Mary’s Indian Residential School.”
In an interview with Dougall Media on Wednesday, Kavanaugh elaborated on the effect the discovery at St. Mary’s Indian Residential School has had on the broader community.
“There are a lot of people still wondering what happens to a certain child or a relative. So, there is never any closure,” Kavanaugh said.
“It is whole communities that are affected. It is our territory, Treaty Three. So, all of us are affected.”
Skead said the process to investigate the site remains a work in progress.
"Since the announcement [Tuesday], we’ve had visitors come to the community, former residential school survivors, and people coming to give their support,” he said.
