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