Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc press release: KIRS missing children findings but a fraction of investigation and work need to bring peace to families and communities

CHASI is sharing this press release from Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc in support of their investigation of presumed unmarked graves of Indigenous children of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School, which is in part a collaboration with CHASI Faculty Associate Dr. Sarah Beaulieu.

Logo of Tk'emlúps te SecwépemcJuly 15, 2021 – Kamloops. Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc calls on people worldwide to bear witness to a very important truth about Indigenous People and Canada. Indian Residential Schools have been referred to as a historic dark chapter – but Indigenous people very much live with the repercussions today.

“We are here today to honour the missing children in our caretaking who may have experienced unthinkable circumstances leading to their death and whose remains were placed in unmarked graves. We are not here for retaliation. We are here for truth telling. We are mapping a way forward to bring peace to Kamloops Indian Residential School (KIRS) missing children, their families and their communities. We will follow the evidence and the science while we pay heed to what oral tellings KIRS survivors share with us,” affirmed Kukpi7 Rosanne Casimir

Download the full press release

You can view the full video of the press conference here: