More undiscovered burials 'possible' at former residential school sites: Shingwauk Residential Schools Centre

Shingwauk Residential Schools Centre (SRSC) says there have been preliminary discussions with Children of Shingwauk Alumni Association about the potential for burial sites on the grounds of Algoma University. 

The institution pledged to take every measure, including the use of technology, to address "the potential that there may be burial sites outside the marked grave sites” according to a joint statement with survivors and community stakeholders issued Wednesday. The news follows the discovery of a mass burial site containing the remains of 215 residential school children at the site of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School in British Columbia. 

Although there are 109 recorded burials at the cemetery associated with Shingwauk Indian Residential School - 72 students, the rest staff - SRSC interim director Krista McCracken says it’s possible there could be more burials both inside and outside of the cemetery’s boundaries.  

“We also know that we don’t have all the records, so there could be more than 72 former students buried in that space - so technology could allow us to learn more about that space,” said McCracken. “But also, some survivors have said that they do remember students being buried outside the bounds of the cemetery.”

Shingwauk Indian Residential School operated from 1873 to 1970. Algoma University College relocated to the site in 1971.  

When asked about the possibility of burials being within close proximity to the university’s existing infrastructure, McCracken told SooToday that the Children of Shingwauk Alumni Association will determine how the search plays out. 

“I think that’s a conversation that we’re open to having, and that we’re going to have with the Children of Shingwauk Alumni Association,” said McCracken. “Again, they’re really going to be guiding this process, and so if they think it’s necessary to look in those places, I think that’s a possibility.”

There’s also the former site of the Wawanosh Home, one of Canada’s first residential schools for girls, located on the grounds of the present-day Royal Canadian Legion Branch 25 in Sault Ste. Marie. The local legion branch, which has plans in the works for a new multi-million dollar building and apartment complex on its grounds, didn't respond to SooToday's request for comment. 

The Wawanosh school would be moved to the Shingwauk site in 1900, and the two schools were merged in 1935 with the construction of a new building. Wawanosh Home was eventually demolished in 1965. 

According to a previous story from SooToday’s David Helwig, 83 per cent of Wawanosh students either died or left within its first five years of existence. 

“We’re unsure if they were then buried in the Shingwauk cemetery or what the case was there,” McCracken said. 

When asked about the recollections of non-Indigenous students who went to Shingwauk Residential School, McCracken told SooToday that there are former students of Anna McCrea Public School who remember being in classes at Shingwauk in the 60s, and have talked about their memories of the cemetery. 

A non-Indigenous SooToday reader, requesting anonymity, openly wonders if he had come across grave markers beyond the cemetery while walking to and from school as a grade 5 student attending classes at Shingwauk. 

On Wednesday, the federal government said it will expedite the distribution of the $27 million earmarked in the 2019 budget to assist in uncovering unmarked graves at former residential schools across the country. 

“The Shingwauk Residential Schools Centre is definitely aware of that announcement, and will be looking into the details to see if we’re eligible for funding,” McCracken said.

Algoma University has worked with Children of Shingwauk Alumni Association on an updated burial register, which provides a summary of Shingwauk students buried in the cemetery: 

Statistics based on known burials in Shingwauk cemetery

Total number of burials: 109

Total number of students: 72 (65 per cent)

Student age range: 5-20 years old

Average age of students when they passed: 13 years old

Common causes of death: Tuberculosis and related illnesses (48.5%), brain related illnesses (10%), pneumonia, drowning, typhoid fever

List of student home communities by region

Southwestern Ontario (38 per cent) - Moraviantown, Muncey, Sarnia, Walpole Island

Manitoulin Island (12 per cent) - Little Current, Sheguiandah, Sheshegwaning, Sucker Creek, Whitefish River

Mid-Ontario (10 per cent) - Cape Croker, Rama, Saugeen, Christian Island

Quebec (10 per cent) - Kahnawake, Oka, St. Regis

Northeastern Ontario (10 per cent) - Michipicoten, Missanabie, Spanish River

Northwestern Ontario (5 per cent) - Fort William, Lake Nipigon

Alberta (1 per cent) - Blackfoot Crossing

A memorial ceremony to honour the 215 children who lost their lives at the Kamloops Indian Residential School will be held virtually outside of Shingwauk Hall Friday.