Maan Alhmidi, The Canadian Press
Posted Tuesday, November 9, 2021 at 12:04 p.m. EST
Last updated Tuesday, November 9, 2021 at 3:50 p.m. EST
BRANTFORD, Ont. – An Ontario First Nation began excavating the grounds of a former residential school on Tuesday, looking for unmarked graves in what some survivors have called a difficult but necessary step towards recovery.
The research in Brantford, Ontario, will cover approximately 200 hectares around the Mohawk Institute, located near the Six Nations of the Grand River territory.
First Nation Chief Mark B. Hill said his community is finally ready to begin investigating the former residential school grounds.
“For many this day is long overdue, but it also brings a stark reminder of the atrocities that have been committed against our people in these institutions,” he said.
He said members of his community were preparing for the research’s potential discoveries.
“The scope and depth of this investigation is unique … it is very uncharted territory,” said Hill.
“The coming months will be difficult, but this work will allow our community to begin the healing process together. “
Two ground penetrating radars are used to conduct grid searches around the school. Members of the First Nation and members of its police force have been trained in the use of speed cameras and will work together to conduct the search.
Some of the survivors of the old residential school attended the first day of the ground search.
John R. Elliott, of the Six Nations of the Grand River, said he attended school between 1947 and 1952.
The 84-year-old said he escaped the school several times during this time, but was still being forced to return.
“I would run away a lot… between 25 and 30 times,” Elliott said.
“(I was) 10 and in 3rd grade and when I left five years later I was 15 and in 5th grade.”
The research is a step in the right direction to bring a conclusion to survivors and families so they can begin to heal, he said.
“It just took them a long time to get started, but they finally started, which is great to see,” Elliott said.
The executive head of the Six Nations of the Grand River Survivors Secretariat said the first phase of the research will focus on the land where the school building is located.
Kimberly R. Murray said survivors know the truth about what really happened on the grounds of the Mohawk Institute.
Modern technology and machines can help uncover the truth, but they won’t replace the first-hand knowledge of survivors, she said.
“Those who were here and are here with us today are our witnesses,” said Murray.
“They are the ones who know what this land looked like decades ago and where the many different structures are located. “
This week, the research will focus on the areas surrounding the building and then expand to the rest of the 200 acres in the spring, Murray said. The data will be uploaded to secure servers and then sent for analysis by experts.
Once the final report is ready, Murray said the findings will be communicated to the community and survivors, and then to the general public.
Murray said First Nations communities should take ownership of residential school records because they can analyze and assess records faster and more accurately.
“They do not need, nor have they requested, that the government review the cases on their behalf. The time has come for the institutions to hand over all the files to the communities now, ”she said.
The Mohawk Institute was one of the oldest and oldest residential schools in Canada, established in 1831 and closed in 1970.
In May, a First Nation in Kamloops, British Columbia, reported that ground-penetrating radar had detected what are believed to be the remains of 215 Indigenous children in unmarked graves at the site of an ancient boarding school.
The Cowessess First Nation in Saskatchewan revealed a similar find of more than 700 unmarked graves a month later.
The Progressive Conservative government of Ontario recently announced a top-up of $ 10 million to the $ 10 million originally pledged in June for inquiries into unmarked graves in that province.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published on November 9, 2021.
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