Excavation planned at suspected burial site near Blue Quills residential school at Saddle Lake
CBC
WARNING: This story contains distressing details
A group investigating a suspected communal grave near the site where Blue Quills (Sacred Heart) residential school stood in Saddle Lake Cree Nation in Alberta says it hopes to begin an excavation as early as this summer.
Leah Redcrow, CEO of Acimowin Opaspiw Society (AOS), which represents survivors of Blue Quills residential school, said excavation is necessary at this point.
"It's either we have to get it done or we let nature continue to do it and it'll be a very, very, very horrific situation that will unfold within the next couple of years," she said.
At a news conference on Wednesday, AOS defined a communal grave or pit as an area containing more than one set of human remains "where the circumstances surrounding the death and body disposal method warrant an investigation."
Redcrow said while excavation of graves is difficult, survivors who heard about the plans were supportive.
"I think they just felt a lot of relief," she said.
"They want the children buried respectfully."
Blue Quills residential school was located first in Lac La Biche, Alta., before moving to Saddle Lake from 1898 to 1931, then to St. Paul, Alta.
AOS, which was formed in 2021, is searching the Saddle Lake site of the school, about 170 kilometres northeast of Edmonton.
In October 2023, operators were setting up grids for ground penetrating radar on the suspected burials when they discovered skeletal remains of at least one child above ground.
Forensic anthropologist Soren Brau with the International Commission on Missing Persons determined the remains to be those of a child under five, although the identity of the child or children is still unknown.
Redcrow said AOS investigators believe the remains were uncovered by animals.
"We don't feel any child deserves to be in a communal pit and have their bodies disinterred by animals," she said.
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