The English River First Nation (ERFN) claims it has found 93 unmarked graves at the old Beauval Indian Residential School, near the northern Saskatchewan village of Beauval. .ERFN said it believes the graves contain the bodies of 79 children and 14 infants..“Schools should come with playgrounds, not graveyards,” said ERFN Chief Jenny Wolverine in a statement..The ERFN announced that they used ground-penetrating radar to scan the ground at the former school site. .The results showed “Areas of Interest” that seemed to have 83 unmarked graves..“We are saddened to learn of the additional findings and we know our work is not over, not at Beauval and not at any of the other residential school sites,” said Wolverine..“We need to pool our resources, First Nations and Métis, to continue. We need Canada and Saskatchewan to step up, acknowledge and provide meaningful resources that meet the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual needs of survivors and addresses the intergenerational impacts to families.”.In 1860, Roman Catholic missionaries opened St. Bruno's boarding school at Ile-a-la-Crosse, according to the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation..“In 1906, the school was moved to the confluence of the La Plonge and Beaver Rivers,” said the NCTR..“In 1927, 19 students and one teacher died in a fire that destroyed the school and the dormitories. In 1969, the federal government took over the administration of the school. In 1985, full control of the school and residence was transferred to the Meadow Lake Tribal Council. The residence closed in 1995.”.On Tuesday, the ERFN chief and council were joined by elders and representatives from the Meadow Lake Tribal Council, Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations, Métis Nation–Saskatchewan, and the Office of the Treaty Commissioner for the announcement..They asked Canadians and government leaders to do something about the injustices suffered by residential school survivors..The graves found at the old Beauval residential school are similar to discoveries made at other First Nations in Saskatchewan, including the Cowessess First Nation and the Keeseekoose First Nation..Not a single body has been found at 'unmarked graves' at former indigenous residential schools in Canada.
