Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew joined First Nations leaders and elders Wednesday at a burial site for children who died at the former Brandon Indian Residential School, as communities marked the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
Kinew took part in a ceremony at Turtle Crossing Campground, south of the former residential school in western Manitoba. The ceremony was held in a teepee at the site, where Indigenous communities have long advocated for further research into the children buried there.
The Sioux Valley Dakota Nation says more than 50 children are believed to be buried at the site. A cemetery area is currently marked off by a gate, while a sign indicates that work continues to learn more about the burial ground and the identities of the children.
The ceremony comes one day after the Manitoba government announced a partnership with the City of Brandon to purchase the private campground where the burial site is located. The acquisition could help create greater opportunities for Indigenous communities to protect and further investigate the area.
First Nations communities have for years called for additional investigation of the site to determine the number of children buried there and learn more about their identities and circumstances. The Sioux Valley Dakota Nation has previously worked with researchers to investigate possible unmarked graves in the area.
The former Brandon Indian Residential School was part of Canada’s residential school system, which removed Indigenous children from their families and communities and subjected many to abusive conditions and the loss of language and culture.
Kinew, Manitoba’s first First Nations premier, is expected to take part in a later event to unveil a memorial honouring children who attended the school.
The day’s ceremonies are part of broader efforts across Canada to remember children who died at residential schools and recognize the continuing impact of the system on Indigenous families and communities.
The Manitoba government and First Nations leaders continue to face the task of balancing commemoration with the ongoing work of identifying burial sites, preserving the land and ensuring that the stories of the children are documented and remembered.
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