Tseshaht First Nation formally unveiled their findings of ground penetrating radar searches at the former Alberni Indian Residential School. (David Wiwchar/93.3 The Peak)

By Alex Rawnsley

residential schools

Nearly 70 children now believed to have died at former Alberni residential school site

Feb 21, 2023 | 2:24 PM

Editor’s Note: This story addresses tragedies at former residential school sites and may be unsettling for some readers. Discretion is advised. Direct links to support resources are included at the bottom of this article.

PORT ALBERNI — Long known truths held by the Tseshaht First Nation have now been more widely confirmed.

Scanning of the former Alberni Indian Residential School (AIRS) site in Port Alberni revealed 17 “geophysical features representing a suspected grave of children who never made it home”, according to the Nation.

However, Tseshaht First Nation said Tuesday their research team found evidence of at least 67 child deaths at the site, a sharp increase from the 29 previously recognized by the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation.

Wahmeesh (Ken Watts), Tseshaht elected chief councillor, told an assembly on Tuesday, Feb. 21, confirmation of their truths is a small part of the path forward.

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“Let’s ensure we commit to educating future generations, so that this never happens again, so they have respect for what’s happened to our children. And why we can’t just get over it, because it takes more than one generation to get over 150 years of colonization and abuse of our people.”

A presentation of songs and prayers opened a ceremony on Tuesday, Feb. 21 which delivered phase one results of searches from the Alberni Indian Residential School. (Tseshaht First Nation)

Wahmeesh spoke passionately about ensuring both the victims and survivors of residential schools are remembered and supported.

“We need to remember that all of these students were just children. Think about what would happen today if children were five years old and removed from their homes, that’s the reality our communities have to live with. But there’s also hope, there’s truth behind all of this of everything survivors have been through.”

He praised those who survived, in addition to the children who didn’t make it. He said the only reason their culture and practices live on is because of those who refused to let it die in residential schools.

“They’re the ones that are warriors, they made it through all those troubling times, even when they weren’t allowed to speak their language or they weren’t allowed to sing and dance, they carried it on and that’s why we can get up in front of all of you and do what we did today.”

The results presented Tuesday represent work done in phase one of the project, which saw approximately 10 hectares of land searched, of the roughly 100 total hectares which make up the site.

Future phases include more scanning and research into the school records in a bid to bring further answers to survivors and families.

Excavation and exhumation of graves was mentioned as the “only way we can know for sure” by Tseshaht First Nation.

“As a Nation, we take this as a sacred responsibility to do this work. It’s not a job, I don’t even like calling it a project or initiative, it’s a sacred responsibility that we have to get the answers survivors need and deserve, as well as those who didn’t make it home.”

A map of Vancouver Island-based children who attended AIRS. More from the mainland were also brought to the school. (Tseshaht First Nation)

Sheri Meding, research lead for the project and 13-year subject matter expert on residential schools told Tuesday’s gathering the experience speaking with survivors was eye-opening

“Survivors carry a different truth, there’s things that would not be in the historical record, things that I didn’t know that happened at AIRS and residential schools. So the truth of lived experience is something our project team really received from the statement gathering process.”

She said until recently, there hadn’t been a safe space for survivors to share their knowledge, meaning decades went by with survivors trying to speak their truth with few people listening.

Many spoke on similar topics, including witnessing forced abortions, seeing small coffins being taken from the building at night, finding skulls or other human remains, or becoming aware of a different accounting of “accidental” deaths which could have been as a result of staff, or suicide.

“The survivors told us where to look and they were correct, the knew multiple locations,” Meding said. “Some survivors actually drew a map of multiple locations of unmarked grave locations and we’ve heard the lived experience of AIRS survivors and stand with them in sharing the truth of their lived experience.”

The research team admits even with all the information available, a complete picture may never be known due to lost or destroyed records, survivors passing without sharing their information or some documentation currently inaccessible to researchers due to privacy legislation.

The Alberni Indian Residential School operated from 1900 to 1966, however the site was a girls boarding school in the 1890’s and continued as a student residence until 1973.

Tseshaht First Nation recognize August 2023 as the 50th anniversary of the school finally shutting down.

If you are in need of support, please reach out:

• Quu’asa Cultural Support
  250-724-3939
• Kuu-Us Crisis Line Society
  1-800-388-8717
  www.kuu-uscrisisline.com
• Tsow – Tun Le Lum Society
  1-888-403-3123
• IRSS Crisis Line 24/7
  1-800-721-0066
• Metis Crisis Line
  1-888-403-3123
• Hope For Wellness
  1-855-242-3310
• First Nations Health Authority
  https://www.fnha.ca/benefits/mental-health

— with files from David Wiwchar, 93.3 FM The Peak

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