Possible burials were located at the Gordon’s Indian Residential School located on the George Gordon First Nation (GGFN).
The GGFN leadership revealed on April 20, 2022, that 14 possible grave sites were found during one of the searches within the community.
“George Gordon First Nation began a difficult journey of attempting to locate areas within our community that have been a final resting place for the children and attendees who never returned to their families,” said GGFN Chief Byron Bitternose.
“It is with a heavy heart and the results of the first search indicates an area of high probability. In this area, it is determined through the data to have located 14 possible burials.”
GGFN established a committee in July of 2021, made up of community members and interested people. Afterward, in October, they secured a firm to conduct ground-penetrating radar (GPR) of three searches.
“Based on the validation of survivors and the descendants’ stories, four areas within our community were identified as areas of interest,” he said.
The committee worked alongside the GPR firm throughout the winter months and have concluded three searches. Chief Bitternose said in the upcoming months, the area of the burials will be deemed a priority for continued searching.
Band member and Chair of the George Gordon First Nation IRS Cemetery Committee Sarah Longman said the area that showed positive markings is in the vicinity very close to where the original residential school stood.
“This was phase one … there’s another area of interest that will continue to be searched,” said Longman. “(It) has been two weeks that we have been informed … we can only imagine that it’s going to have a great impact on many people.”
There are community supports in place for members who are experiencing difficulty comprehending the news and who may experience trauma with the discovery. The GGFN leadership will be supporting their band members as well as those who attended the school outside of of the community.
“It is my hope one day that we would be able to tell our children the whole story,” he said. “We ask the larger community to continue to respect this time as we work to alleviate emotional and spiritual impact this day has on our community.”
The Gordon Indian Residential School was first built in 1888 and was the last federally-run residential school to operate in Canada which closed in 1996.
The Indian Residential Schools Crisis Line (1-800-721-0066) is available 24 hours a day for anyone experiencing pain or distress as a result of their residential school experience.
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