93 suspected unmarked cemeteries discovered at the former site of an Indigenous boarding school in Canada
Ottawa, August 29 (Xinhua) - An indigenous tribe in Canada announced on August 29 that 93 suspected unmarked cemeteries, including 79 children's cemeteries and 14 baby cemeteries, have been found at the site of an indigenous boarding school in central Saskatchewan.
According to local media reports, an indigenous tribe named "Ingrid River First Nation" held a press conference in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan on the same day, announcing the first phase of the search for unmarked graves at the former site of the Bowar Indian boarding school.
On May 28, 2022, in Vancouver, Canada, people participated in the one-year anniversary event of the discovery of children's remains at Indigenous boarding schools. In May 2021, the remains of 215 indigenous children were discovered on the site of the former Camp Indian Boarding School. This school is one of the larger Indigenous boarding schools established in Canada in the late 19th century and was closed in 1977. Shen Jizhong
Chief Jenny Wolverin said, "This is not the final number, there may be more. We are not sure what we will find, but we do know the stories of students being abused and unable to return home that have been passed down for generations." She called on the Canadian federal and provincial governments to provide resources for search work.
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The tribe began using ground penetrating radar to search for the old school site in August 2021. The Bowar Indian Boarding School was founded in 1860 and has been in operation for over 100 years.
After the establishment of the Canadian Federation, a boarding school system for Indigenous children was gradually established, attempting to forcibly assimilate Indigenous people and separate Indigenous children from their families under the name of "boarding schools", causing them to suffer from malnutrition, physical and sexual abuse. The Canadian Truth and Reconciliation Commission refers to it as "cultural genocide". In 2015, a report released by the committee showed that from the 1840s to the 1990s, the Canadian government established at least 139 boarding schools, and at least 150000 indigenous children, including Native Americans, were forcibly sent to boarding schools. According to current statistics, more than 4000 children have been abused to death. More than 1700 unmarked graves have been discovered near the former sites of Indigenous boarding schools in various parts of Canada, including British Columbia, Saskatchewan, and Ontario.