Nearly 100 people march along La Ronge Avenue on Monday. (Derek Cornet/larongeNOW Staff)

By Derek Cornet

remembrance

‘Never made it home’: Residents honour children found at former Kamloops residential school

May 31, 2021 | 6:47 PM

It was warm and overcast Monday as more than 100 tri-community residents gathered to honour the 215 children who’s remains were found last week at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School.

The event began with a smudge walk from the Lac La Ronge Indian Band (LLRIB) office to the urban reserve in La Ronge. As a sacred fire burned in a nearby teepee, invited speakers approached the microphone and addressed the crowd. Some of the dignitaries in attendance included LLRIB Chief Tammy Cook-Searson, Cumberland MLA Doyle Vermette, La Ronge Deputy-Mayor Jordan McPhail and Air Ronge Mayor Julie Baschuk.

Elder and residential school survivor Tom Roberts was also one of the speakers and he said the event was meant to honour, remember and pray for the children who attended residential schools. He also spoke of the remains of children recently discovered in Kamloops and the people in charge of operating the schools.

“What were these people doing? What were these people thinking? What happened way back then is terrible, horrible,” Roberts said, “and to hear about the graves of children; a mass grave in Kamloops, B.C., that sparked a movement right across Canada that’s happening today for these things to never ever happen again.”

Roberts spoke about the time he spent travelling throughout Canada with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC). He explained the stories that he heard from survivors were the same across the country, noting there was a loss of culture and identity.

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Roberts also mentioned the history of the Lac La Ronge All Saints Indian Residential School and the school that came before it that was once located on the urban reserve. Immediately adjacent to the urban reserve is a historic cemetery where residential school children were buried.

“It scared me because maybe there’s a mass grave back there,” he said. “This summer, we’re going to clear that area, we’re going to get some equipment that will find bodies under the Earth and try to find out what happened. One of the Elders told me, in order for us to heal, we must go back in time to find out what happened, when did it happen and why. If we can find those out, then we can understand them and the healing process can begin.”

In an interview with larongeNOW, Cook-Searson confirmed ground penetrating radar will be brought in to scan the site. She noted it’s possible there could be unknown victims buried in La Ronge too.

Elders Albert Ross and Tom Roberts spoke to the crowd gathered at the urban reserve. (Derek Cornet/larongeNOW Staff)

Teddy bears have become of symbol of the remains of 215 children found last week. (Derek Cornet/larongeNOW Staff)

“That’s something we will work on, because I think it is important for us to mark the graves and to bring closure to our communities and honour all the lives that have been lost,” Cook-Searson said.

Cook-Searson also talked about how children were forced to attend residential schools and parents never received justice for the death of their children. She said if parents tried to intervene and stop their children from attending such schools, it would be the parents who would face consequences. Cook-Searson added it was heartbreaking to learn of the 215 bodies in British Columbia.

“My heart sank because these are children who never made it home,” she said. “I thought about the parents not knowing really to have full closure about what happened or why their children didn’t make it home.”

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derek.cornet@pattisonmedia.com

Twitter: @saskjourno