For those in need of counselling concerning the trauma caused by the Residential School System, please contact the Indian Residential School Survivor Society Emergency Crisis line at 1-800-721-0066.
Carrier Sekani Tribal Council stands in solidarity with the Cowessess First Nation and survivors of the Indian Residential School System after the confirmation of hundreds of unmarked graves at the site of the former Marieval Indian Residential School in Saskatchewan.
Seven-hundred-and-fifty-one unmarked burial sites have been confirmed by the Cowessess First Nation. The Marieval Indian Residential School was closed in 1997 and partially demolished in 1999. This is recent history, and the scars these schools have produced live on in the lives of survivors and their families who now live with the memories of these atrocities.
These graves are blaring markers of colonial violence and a stark reminder of the genocide the Canadian government and the Catholic Church have committed against Indigenous peoples across Canada. The Catholic Church removed the headstones in a blatant attempt to erase the names and lives of those buried and to hide their crimes against Indigenous peoples.
CSTC prays that those who were taken can find peace, and honours those whose lives were taken from them.
Our community can never forget the horrors inflicted upon our people, but we must be strong. We must come together to heal and to forge a better future. We must make sure these actions are remembered, and more importantly, that they can never happen again.
If you are in need of support as the truth is confirmed, please speak to somebody you trust. For those in need of counselling support, you can reach the Indian Residential School Survivor Society Emergency Crisis, which is available 24/7, by calling 1-800-721-0066.
Our hearts are with the Cowessess First Nation and all survivors of the Residential School System today and every day going forward.