Chapleau hosts ceremony for unmarked graves

First Nation leaders took part in a commemoration ceremony for recently identified graves at the St. Johns Indian Residential School site in Chapleau, Ontario.
Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) Deputy Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler, Chapleau Cree First Nation Chief Keeter Corston and other First Nation and community leaders took part.
“It is critical that the unmarked burial sites of these and all residential school children be found and the remains be put to rest in an appropriate and respectful manner,” said NAN Deputy Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler.
“The identification and acknowledgement of these and other unmarked gravesites are a sad but very important part of the healing process to help First Nations overcome the devastating legacy of the Indian Residential School system.”
Chapleau Cree First Nation located the abandoned and neglected graveyard of the St. Joseph’s Indian Residential School, which operated from 1920-1948. A preliminary reconnaissance survey by Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) archaeologists has identified an estimated 42 graves to date.