The 800 lights donated for the vigil held at the Cowessess First Nation. (Submitted photo/Mark Ripley)

By Ian Gustafson

Showing Support

Prince Albert business donates 800 lights for Cowessess First Nation unmarked graves

Jun 26, 2021 | 12:15 PM

The news of the 751 unmarked graves discovered on the Cowessess First Nation where the Marieval Indian Residential School once stood hit close to home for Prince Albert’s Kevin Friesen.

Friesen said the Cowessess First Nation is his home reserve and he has aunts, uncles, and other family still living there. The Sixties Scoop survivor was adopted out at six years old and has called Prince Albert home ever since. His sister was adopted out to Ontario, and he hasn’t seen his brother since he was a child. To this day he doesn’t know where his brother is.

Friesen sits as a housing board member for Cowessess, a trustee and helps in other areas.

His grandparents, mother, aunts, uncles, cousins, even his older nieces attended the Marieval Indian Residential School. He said there are countless horror stories.

“Even today [Friday] even a day after the news it’s still very hard to take, hard to understand how this all could happen,” he said. “This started back in the 1800s and even over the years, even with different reports coming out, different investigations saying this wasn’t good, the government and the Catholic church still kept on with it.”

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Friesen will be driving to Cowessess First Nation to help place solar lights on each unmarked grave. The lights were donated by Mann Northway GM where Friesen works in the sales department. He said he was talking with Councillor Jonathan Lerat of Cowessess who he’s worked with through committees and boards who mentioned they wanted to do a four-day solar light vigil.

Members of the community impacted by the news will be there to help lay lights on the graves. He added there will also be a sacred fire lit in the teepee for four days.

“This is part of the truth coming out now. Now’s the time for healing it’s not going to be easy there’s going to be more bodies found. Can almost guarantee that because this is only phase one done of four phases. There’s still lots to be done yet,” Friesen said adding the big task ahead is to identify all the individuals.

Sales staff at Mann Northway GM pose for a picture with their coworker Kevin Friesen to show their support for him and his community. (Ian Gustafson/paNOW staff)

Mark Ripley, the dealer principal at Mann Northway GM, said after the news he asked Friesen if there was anything he could do to help.

“It’s not something you write a cheque and make go away so I said, ‘we just want to be there to support you and your community so however we can do that you just tell me,’” Ripley said.

Once Friesen came forward to Ripley and told him about the vigil Ripley said he got on the phone with the owner of the local Canadian Tire Malcolm Jenkins who found a way to get them 800 lights. Ripley said he didn’t do it for recognition but rather to show his support to Friesen and the whole community.

“Kevin’s an employee here but he’s part of our family so he’s grieving and so are we,” Ripley said, adding he encourages others to offer help.

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Ian.Gustafson@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @princealbertnow