St. Eugene Golf Resort and Casino, the site of the former St. Eugene Mission School. (Supplied by St. Eugene Golf Resort and Casino)

By David Opinko

Indigenous leaders in Cranbrook area say human remains may not be linked to residential school

Jul 2, 2021 | 11:47 AM

CRANBROOK, BC – “ʔaq̓ am Leadership would like to stress that although these findings are tragic, they are still undergoing analysis and the history of this area is a complex one.”

Leaders at the Ktunaxa Nation in Southeastern B.C. say there might be more than meets the eye following the recent discovery of 182 unmarked graves near the site of the former St. Eugene Mission School.

READ MORE: First Nation says remains of 182 found by former residential school near Cranbrook

ʔaq̓ am is one of a few bands within the Ktunaxa Nation.

They say, while conducting remedial work around the ʔaq̓ am Cemetery last year, an unknown and unmarked grave was found. The decision was made to scan the entire area using a ground-penetrating radar system to identify any other unmarked graves.

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The preliminary result from this search was the remains of 182 bodies in unmarked graves within the cemetery grounds, some of whom were only buried three-to-four feet deep.

The First Nation explains that the cemetery was built in 1865 for settlers to the region.

“In 1874, the St. Eugene Hospital was built near the St. Mary River and many of the graves in the ʔaq̓ am cemetery are those who passed away in the hospital from within the Cranbrook region during this timeframe. The hospital burned down in 1899 and was rebuilt in Cranbrook. The community of ʔaq̓ am did not start to bury their ancestors in the cemetery until the late 1800’s,” reads a statement from the Ktunaxa Nation.

The St. Eugene Mission School was built adjacent to the cemetery site and was in operation from 1912 to 1970. Hundreds of Ktunaxa children, as well as youths from neighbouring nations, were forced to attend.

“Graves were traditionally marked with wooden crosses and this practice continues to this day in many Indigenous communities across Canada. Wooden crosses can deteriorate over time due to erosion or fire which can result in an unmarked grave.”

“These factors, among others, make it extremely difficult to establish whether or not these unmarked graves contain the remains of children who attended the St. Eugene Residential School.”

Further radar searches will be conducted in the area and ʔaq̓ am says they remain committed to working with external parties to identify as many graves as possible and to memorialize all unknown graves with stone markers to ensure that no soul is truly forgotten.

The National Indian Residential School Crisis Line is a 24-hour phone line available to provide support for residential school survivors and can be reached at 1-866-925-4419.