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(WARNING: This story contains details that may be disturbing to some readers)
The site of a former residential school in Saskatchewan is the latest to report a grim discovery.
Several possible unmarked infant graves have reportedly been found on the site of the former Beauval Indian Residential School.
Using penetrating radar, the English River First Nation began searching the site of the former residential school in August of 2021.
Having completed the first phase of the search — covering a large area in and around the grounds of the school’s cemetery — the radar has produced several positive hits. These areas of interest are reportedly consistent with what English River First Nation believes to be 83 possible unmarked graves.
In a news release from the First Nation, English River Chief Jenny Wolverine revealed that most of the possible unmarked grave sites seem to be those of children.
“It is with sincere sadness that we announce that upon further investigation and study of these possible unmarked grave sites, most of them were labeled as ‘child-sized’ or ‘sub-adult’ in length,” Wolverine said.
She said 12 of the unmarked graves average two and a half feet in length — consistent with the burial of infants. Wolverine said that coincides with several witness accounts of infant births and subsequent deaths by survivors of the residential school.
Elders from the community who are part of the First Nation’s elders council are confirming these survivor accounts.
The council is sharing sincere sympathy and prayers to people affected by the findings at the Beauval Indian Residential School site.
“We are shocked, but not surprised by these findings. Horrifying and gruelling stories of abuse from survivors have been circulating in our communities for generations,” a release from the council said.
“We can confirm that we have heard heart-wrenching survivor accounts of physical, sexual, emotional, and spiritual abuse, including stories of children dying under suspicious circumstances, and even babies being born and dying at this school.”
The community has assembled a special council of community members, elders and survivors, who are providing guidance and directions for how the community should move forward.
More sites are set to be searched over the next year, as identified by survivor accounts.
According to the release, A “vast number” of records that pertain to the Beauval Indian Residential School have been made available to the National Centre of Truth and Reconciliation.
Some of those records are handwritten in French, and are presently undergoing a translation and analysis process, which is expected to continue for up to three years in the hopes they may help identify the remains located on the school grounds.
The council said the findings from the ground-penetrating radar verify stories collected from elders and survivors, in addition to the ongoing review of the residential school’s records, will further corroborate survivior’s stories.
“These children and babies are no longer lost. They were never forgotten and we find some relief in that they have been discovered,” the council said in its release. “Their final resting places can now be properly marked and cared for.”
The cemetary grounds at Beauval Indian Residential School. (Submitted)
The council is calling on people, governments and other institutions to take notice of these findings and how the legacy of residential schools continue to affect Indigenous people today.
Wolverine said the community’s elders and survivors of the residential school are asking for privacy for the next two weeks to ensure proper protocol and ceremony can be done to honour the lives of the babies and children who have been found.
“We kindly ask that the public and media respect the privacy of the First Nation and the community of Beauval, as our community members process this highly sensitive and delicate matter,” Wolverine said.
A media conference is set to be held in the afternoon on Aug. 29 just south of Saskatoon to provide more information and answer questions.
Unmarked graves have been discovered on the sites of several residential schools in Saskatchewan, including the Marieval Indian Residential School on the Cowessess First Nation, two schools on the Keeseekoose First Nation, and the Qu’Appelle Indian Residential School on the the Star Blanket Cree Nation.