Research finds 169 anomalies found at former Grouard Mission site near High Prairie

There were also 54 potential graves located outside of the school’s property.

Dr. Kisha Supernant, Director of the Institute of Prairie and Indigenous Archaeology, University of Alberta, and her team, completed the first phase of GPR in October 2021.

“Today’s announcement is painful and it’s fortunate so many of us can be together today,” said Kapawe’no First Nation Chief Sydney Halcrow. “The work completed is just the tip of the iceberg and the beginning of the uncovering of our truth.”

“Finding one grave is too much. Finding multiple is incomprehensible. One-hundred sixty-nine anomalies were found. Some were in a cemetery and outside of the cemetery and this was only one acre of that vast site,” Chief Halcrow added.

“This marks a long journey ahead of us, on hopes to find children who never made it home. Once we do that, we can start our journey of healing and rebuilding our identities that they fought so hard to take from us.”

Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and drone imagery were both used in the search back in October 2021 by a team from the IPIA. The search took six days in the fall.

While it hasn’t been confirmed if the research has led to the discovery of unmarked gravesites, researchers are confident that is what eventually be determined.

“All of the data was analyzed to look for anomalies containing traits associated in the scientific literature with unmarked graves,” said Dr. Supernant.

“As Chief Halcrow noted, 169 potential graves were identified based on analysis of anomalies based on analysis within the GPR data that had characteristics with unmarked graves.”

“Due to the combination of these being inside the cemetery and some corresponding service indication such as depressions, we can be reasonably confident that these most likely represent graves, but we can’t determine if these are graves of children or members of the community.”

She says the other 54 graves around the school property share characteristics with those inside the cemetery.

Grouard Indian Residential School was first opened by the Roman Catholic Church in 1894 and was in operation until 1961.

‘We can now begin our collective healing and honour the lives of these children so they can finally rest in peace,” Chief Halcrow stated.

“We honour all Elders and Survivors who have bravely shared their truth with us-truths that were not believed or acknowledged for many, many years. We are forever grateful for their forced sacrifice and unparalleled courage.’

Kapawe’no First Nation will be conducting phases two and three to further research other land, based on testimonies from survivors.

Chief Halcrow says the plan to search the areas of the Anglican Church, the areas of the North-West Mounted Police, and the Indian Agents who had structures around that area,

A documentary has been created for the public to see what the research process was like for researchers who conducted this study.

A link to the full report can be found by clicking here.

There is a list of supports available for those who need it:

Indian Residential Schools Survivors (National):1-800-721-0066
Indian Residential School Survivors and Family Crisis Line (National): 1-866-925-4419
Hope For Wellness Help Line: 1-855-242-3310
Non-Insured Health Benefits Program Toll-Free Line: 1-800-232-7301
Mental Health Helpline: 1-877-303-2642
Native Youth Crisis Hotline: 1-877-209-1266
Addiction Hotline: 1-866-332-2322
Kids Help Phone: 1-800-668-6868
Suicide Prevention Line: 1-800-721-0066

by Shane Clausing

Research finds 169 anomalies found at former Grouard Mission site near High Prairie

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