Up to 4,500 indigenous children perished in schools established throughout the nation.
A search team announced Thursday that they have discovered an additional 114 potential unmarked graves believed to be those of children at the former McIntosh Indian Residential School in northern Ontario, Canada.
According to a press release from the Wiikwogaming Tiinahtiisiiwin Project Team, “seven inscribed burial monuments were known to be located within the historical cemetery area.”
It further stated, “An additional 114 unmarked burial features were documented by the visual survey, 106 of which were located within the historical cemetery area and eight of which were located elsewhere on former school grounds.”
Roman Catholic missionaries operated the school from its opening in 1925 until its closure in 1969.
According to the study team, “members of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate, who were in charge of the school and the students who attended, have discovered the names of 165 individuals who were buried on the Mclntosh IRS (Indian Residential School) property through extensive historical research.”
Abuse, both physical and sexual
“Aside from a few adults from Grassy Narrows First Nation and at least two Oblates school administrators, children made up the majority of those known to have been buried on the Mclntosh IRS property.”
The school site also used ground penetrating radar, a search technique that is currently employed at other old school locations. The results at the McIntosh school were consistent with the dimensions and form of graves.
The McIntosh was one of over 130 Indian Residential Schools that the government created in the early 1800s, many of which were administered by the Roman Catholic Church.
As the government attempted to eradicate indigenous culture and replace it with European white culture, the children were compelled to go.
A sizable portion experienced malnourishment and physical and sexual assault. It is suspected that up to 4,500 children perished, and in certain instances, parents were never informed of their children’s fates.
