The University of Windsor has signed on to help with the sad task of identifying students who died at a residential school in Manitoba.
The school has teamed up with Simon Fraser University and Brandon University in collaboration with the Sioux Valley Dakota Nation, which has begun the Brandon Residential Schools Cemeteries Project. The initiative's mission is to identify Indigenous children who died at the Brandon Indian Residential School, which operated from 1895 to 1972.
U of W Associate Professor Dr. John Albanese, a specialist in forensic anthropology and bioarchaeology, is heading the school's contribution to the project.
The recent discovery of unmarked graves containing the remains of 215 children near a former residential school in British Columbia has only heightened the need for awareness of this painful chapter of Canadian history, according to Sioux Valley Dakota Nation councillor Evelyn Pratt.
"This project is integral in raising awareness and reinforcing public education on the legacy of the historical trauma of Indigenous people in Canada," said Pratt. "The proper and respectful identification leading to the repatriation of the remains of those innocent lives lost will hopefully provide closure and healing for families."
The team is using non-intrusive forensic techniques, survivor interviews, and school records to identify the children and provide the information to family members and affected communities.
The unmarked graves at the Brandon school have been under investigation since 2012 when a thesis was published identifying 70 children. An accompanying site survey said that there were more remains in the area, some of which were not in the cemetery.
The team received a federal grant two years ago, but work was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
A Global News reporting showed that there were 139 residential schools across Canada, identified by the Indian Residential School Settlement Agreement. This does not include any schools that were operated by provincial governments, or solely by religious denominations.
