Each light represents one of the unmarked graves on Cowessess First Nation. (Submitted photo/Kevin Friesen)

By Ian Gustafson

Tragedy Strikes

Year in Review: 751 unmarked graves found on Cowessess First Nation

Dec 30, 2021 | 12:00 PM

As 2021 draws to a close, paNOW is looking back on the most important and impactful stories of the year, as selected by our reporters and editorial staff.

In June the Cowessess First Nation announced searchers had discovered 751 unmarked graves on the site of former Marieval Indian Residential School.

Cowessess Chief Cadmus Delorme made the announcement during a media conference on June 24.

“We cannot affirm that they are all children, but there are oral stories that there are adults in this gravesite as well because it was the Roman Catholic church that oversaw this gravesite,” Delorme said. “Some may have gone to the church and from our local towns and they could have been buried here as well.”

The search using ground-penetrating radar at Cowessess First Nation began June 2.

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The discovery came after 215 unmarked graves of children were found at a site of a former residential school in Kamloops, which led to First Nation’s in Saskatchewan to begin searching. FSIN called the discovery horrific and shocking and the First Nation said a monument would be erected at the site.

Local impact

The news of the 751 unmarked graves hit close to home for Prince Albert’s Kevin Friesen.

Friesen told paNOW back in June, Cowessess First Nation is his home reserve and had plenty of family members who attended the former residential school. He sits as a housing board member for the First Nation and said his family would tell horror stories of their time at the school.

“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.”

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

Friesen drove to Cowessess First Nation to help place 800 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 solar light vigil.

The next day Friesen drove to his home reserve and they held a vigil using the donated lights, as well as a moment of silence. A teepee was also erected at the site and a fire burned for four days.

Friesen said to see all the flags marking the graves and to lay the lights down was overwhelming.

“This covers probably just about a city block for space wise and talking to the elders and some of the residential school survivors’, people who have lived on their reserve for 60-70 years never knew those graves were there,” Friesen said.

Government action

In July, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Sask. Premier Scott Moe were on hand for a ceremony where the Cowessess First Nation took control of its child and family services. They became the first First Nation to do so.

Cowessess First Nation Chief Cadmus Delorme (left), Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (centre) and Premier Scott Moe (right) on July 6, 2021. (Alex Wellstead/Twitter)

Trudeau announced the federal government would invest $38.7 million over the next two years to support Cowessess as it implemented its child and family services system and the provincial government would provide protection services for Cowessess children off reserve.

“Every First Nation, Inuit, and Metis child should have the opportunity to grow up with their families and in their communities, so they can reach their full potential,” Trudeau said in a media release. “We are pleased to support Cowessess First Nation in exercising their jurisdiction to ensure a better start for their children.”

First Truth and Reconciliation Day

Canada marked it’s first ever Truth and Reconciliation Day on Sept. 30 and was the first time they recognized it as a statutory holiday.

The new holiday was made official on June 3 when a Bill to officially recognize the day received Royal Assent.

(File photo/The Canadian Press)

The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is a direct response to Call to Action 80, one of 94 calls to action from the final report released by the Truth and Reconciliation Committee in 2015.

The new holiday also falls on Orange Shirt Day, an annual initiative that honours the children who survived Residential Schools while remembering those that did not come home.

On that day in Prince Albert, over three dozen people, including Elders, young children and city officials, took part in a special five-kilometre walk.

(Nigel Maxwell/paNOW Staff)

Organizer Cory Guy explained each step made by the walkers had a special significance.

“The 5K walk generally symbolizes the number of children they would have found searching these residential areas,” he said.

With files from CKOM, CJME and The Canadian Press.

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Ian.Gustafson@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @IanGustafson12