Ill-effects of residential schools on First Nations very much alive

The discovery of the remains of 215 children in unmarked graves in Kamloops, B.C. has served as a grim reminder of the impact of residential schools upon Canada's Indigenous people, including the Stoney Nakoda Nation, that continues to resonate today.

Two Morley youth have been erecting memorials in and around the community to pay respect to the 215 children discovered in unmarked graves near the former Kamloops Residential School. 

It's not only about the horrifying discovery in Kamloops; it brings to the front the experiences of the people of Stoney Nakoda.

So far, BreeAna Crawler and Isis Simeon have placed the memorials at the Morley United Church, Morley RCMP detachment, the McDougall Memorial United Church, and the ruins of an orphanage once located in Morleyville.

Shoes, teddy bears, flowers, and symbolic orange t-shirts with the words, "Every Child Matters"  are at each. A crisis support phone number is posted for those who need to talk.

Their grandmothers are among those who attended the residential school in Morley.

"When I heard about it, it became a reality, like a slap in the face," says Crawler. "We knew it was real, we knew that these children died these horrible deaths at the residential schools, but for it to actually come up, you can really feel the heartache and the abuse and everything they encountered in those institutions."

Simeon was heart-wrenched and almost haunted by the discovery.

"I wanted to break down and cry. Our parents went to day school, but It was heartbreaking because It made me think of my grandmother, who has passed away. I wouldn't want anyone to go through that."

According to the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation, the Morley residential school operated from 1922 to 1969. Previous to that, Methodist missionaries operated the McDougall Orphanage and Training Institution from 1880 to 1908 in Morleyville.

It states a new residence was constructed around the current location of Morley's high school in 1926, and classes were held at the community's United Church.

The report lists the names of nine students who are known to have died between 1934 and 1947.

Crawler says it is believed there remain unmarked graves of children from the residential school on the property.

"My grandma was in residential school here, and she mentioned that there are unmarked graves. We don't know the exact location, but they would definitely be around the high school."

She is hopeful efforts will now be made in Morley to discover if there are unmarked graves at the residential school site.

The pair believe the discovery in Kamloops reinforces the need to tell Canadians the truth about this nation's hidden and largely unspoken history.

"The education system in Canada does not include the real, bloody, horrific history that Canada is built on," says Crawler. "From what we're taught in school, people think it's ancient history, but the survivors are alive today.  My grandma just lives down the road, and she was taken as a little girl."

"We feel the effects because they came out of residential schools not knowing how to live in a white man's world. All of their culture and traditions were taken away from them. They were abused when they came out, and they were lost."

She says the result was major alcoholism, drug abuse, and mental issues among all the Nations that are still being dealt with today.

"I'm glad all of this is coming to light now so the rest of Canada can truly understand where we're coming from, and how we have suffered."

Retired senator Murray Sinclair, the former chairman of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, recently stated Canadians should be prepared for the discovery of more children’s remains at other residential school sites across the nation.