Tŝilhqot’in leaders say they want a key role in the search for a residential school in Williams Lake, but will not meet with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau when he visits on March 30. Trinto and Crown-Indigenous Minister Mark Miller will visit the St. Joseph Mission, which opened in 1891 and closed in 1981. At least one priest was jailed for sexual abuse at school. In a Truth & Reconciliation Committee report in 2015, student Rick Gilbert remembered school as a place without love. “When you were hurt or beaten or something like that and you started crying, no one comforted you. “Just sit in the corner and cry and cry until you get tired of crying and then get up and move on with life,” he said. Now, local First Nations are investigating the site. “This site search has already caused so much trauma in our communities,” said Joe Alphonse, Tŝilhqot’in National Government Tribal Chair. “It only intensifies the trauma when we are treated as attending a process that has such a profound effect on our families and our communities. “No one talks about our nation except us.” What the Tŝilhqot’in want is a greater role in space research to promote healing for Tŝilhqot’in survivors and families. “We are calling for an essential planning role in this process, so that our protocols, our leadership and our ceremonies are respected and honored,” Alphonse said. But as Trinto and Miller visit the site, the leaders will not be there. Instead, they call on Ottawa to set up a planning committee to investigate St. Joseph’s site – a committee that includes leaders, along with leaders from all affected First Nations. The leaders want the planning committee “to guide this sensitive project in a way that respects the culture and protocols of every nation.” Alphonse further called on the federal and state governments to “recognize the special importance of the sites of St. Joseph’s Mission and to take steps to secure these lands on behalf of all the nations affected as a sacred historic site.” The St. Joseph’s was the main residential school for the six Tŝilhqot’in communities as well as Nuxalk, Southern Dakelh, Northern Secwepemc and others. The Williams Lake First Nation (WLFN) said last year it would use ground penetration radar and other technologies to look for graves at the site. At the time, WLFN’s title and rights director Whitney Spearing told Glacier Media that while the school was gone, other buildings were still privately owned. Some would like to see them burned or returned to indigenous property, Spring said. “There is definitely a sense of urgency,” he said. But it is important not to disturb the property until investigations are conducted to protect the integrity of this project, Spearing added. For immediate assistance to those who may need it, the National Indian Residential School Crisis Line is available 24 hours a day at 1-866-925-4419. [email protected] twitter.com/jhainswo
