The article from Global News reports that the Penelakut Tribe in British Columbia announced the discovery of over 160 undocumented and unmarked graves at the site of the former Kuper Island
Indian Industrial School, now known as Penelakut Island. The school was operated by the Roman Catholic Church from 1890 until 1969, and then by the federal government until its closure in 1975. The building was demolished in the 1980s.
The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation at the University of Manitoba lists the names of 120 students who died while attending the Kuper Island school, but the dates of death for 22 of those students are unknown. A survey conducted in 1896 found that out of 264 former students, 107 had died.
The Penelakut Tribe is planning several events in late July and early August to raise awareness and provide healing opportunities for survivors of the residential school. Steve Sxwithul’txw, a member of the Penelakut Tribe and a former student of the Kuper Island school, said the discovery of the graves was not surprising and was something that was bound to be revealed eventually.
Source file:Kuper Island Residential School survivor shocked by discovery of 160 unmarked graves