KAMLOOPS, British Columbia, Canada – An announcement last week by the Tk’emlúps te Secwe̓pemc First Nation concerning the discovery of the remains of 215 children that were found on the grounds of the Kamloops Indian Residential School has renewed calls from Indigenous groups for a nationwide search for similar graves.
As part of a released statement by Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc (Kamloops Indian Band) Office of the Chief, Kukpi7 Rosanne Casimir:
This past weekend, with the help of a ground penetrating radar specialist, the stark truth of the preliminary findings came to light – the confirmation of the remains of 215 children who were students of the Kamloops Indian Residential School.
This work was undertaken by the C7élksten̓s re Secwépemc ne Ck̓últens ell ne Xqwelténs (Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc Language and Culture Department) with ceremonial Knowledge Keepers who ensured that the work was conducted respectfully in light of the serious nature of the investigation with cultural protocols being upheld.
Given that these lost loved ones are buried within the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc community, and with all community members still grappling with the effects of residential school, Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc Chief and Council first reached out to their community members to make them aware of the situation, albeit that it is still developing.
Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc will continue to work with the ground penetrating radar specialist to complete the survey of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School grounds. In undertaking this current investigation, Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc Chief and Council would like to acknowledge the preliminary work that was carried out in the early 2000’s. With access to the latest technology, the true accounting of the missing students will hopefully bring some peace and closure to those lives lost and their home communities.
“We had a knowing in our community that we were able to verify. To our knowledge, these missing children are undocumented deaths,” stated Kukpi7 Rosanne Casimir in the announcement. “Some were as young as three years old. We sought out a way to confirm that knowing out of deepest respect and love for those lost children and their families, understanding that Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc is the final resting place of these children.”
Casimir also said, “We are thankful for the Pathway to Healing grant we received to undertake this important work. Given the size of the school, with up to 500 students registered and attending at any one time, we understand that this confirmed loss affects First Nations communities across British Columbia and beyond. We wish to ensure that our community members, as well as all home communities for the children who attended are duly informed. This is the beginning but, given the nature of this news, we felt it important to share immediately. At this time we have more questions than answers. We look forward to providing updates as they become available.”
The Kamloops school was the largest of this type of facilities, being established and run by the Roman Catholic Church in 1890 but operations of the school taken over by the Canadian government in 1969 since the school no longer offered classes and had transitioned to a residence for students who attended day school elsewhere. The school was eventually closed in 1978.
Thousands of Indigenous children are known to have died in similar Indian Residential Schools which were compulsory boarding schools run by the government and religious authorities during the 19th and 20th Centuries throughout Canada. The 2015 landmark report, “Truth and Reconciliation,” characterized the policy of sending children to the schools as “cultural genocide.”
TWH covered the findings of the report and its impact it held on native communities across Canada shortly after its release in 2015.
In 2019, Canada released the names of 2800 children who had been identified by a team of researchers from remains recovered from unmarked burial sites. Many parents were never notified of the death of their children, nor why their children never returned.
This latest announcement came on the cusp of Canada’s National Indigenous History Month. While Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the announcement a “heartbreaking discovery” and noted it “is not an exception or isolated incident,” he offered up no specific plans for the government to take action beyond promising “concrete action” would be taken.
Since 2007 the Canadian government has paid out over $2 billion to survivors of the schools, though it has only been in recent years that more effort has leveled at reconciliation and regaining the trust of Indigenous peoples.
Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond, director of the Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver indicated that the Truth and Reconciliation Commission has been told 50 deaths occurred at the Kamloops institution.
Turpel-Lafond also said, “massive ongoing problems” with historical records, including those “held by certain Catholic entities that they will not release” making it difficult to accurately understand what had occurred. She also noted that the recent announcement confirms what community survivors had claimed for years–many children who attended the school simply never returned.
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HIGHGATE SPRINGS, Vermont – A Montreal, Quebec woman, Vanessa Rondeau, 26, was arrested by U.S. federal agents late last week and charged with smuggling and selling endangered species animal skulls and body parts under the Lacey Act Trafficking, and Lacey Act False Labeling.
Rondeau was arrested while attempting to cross the border into Canada in Vermont. She was in possession of a three-toed sloth, 18 crocodile skulls, and seven crocodile feet, which are protected under the U.S. Endangered Species Act and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.
According to news reports, she was also in possession of a number of other undeclared wildlife items that included 12 horseshoe crabs, 30 sea stars, 23 raccoon feet, eight African antelope horns, one human skull “with mounted butterflies,” four pufferfish, and six shark jaws.
Rondeau owns a taxidermy store, The Old Cavern Boutique, that lists itself on its Facebook Page as specializing in online sales of Antiquities, vintage objects, and taxidermy.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) had been investigating Rondeau for over three years. Agents had previously intercepted a number of packages that contained items such as the skin of a Hartmann’s zebra, bird skulls, a weasel, and a bat. Many of the packages were listed as being “art decoration,” “collectible,” and “art statue” and in other ways in order to skirt customs and avoid detection.
In 2020 and early 2021, USFWS special agent Ryan Bessey working undercover purchased two polar bear skulls from Rondeau that she had posted for sale online. He had purchased both skulls as part of the investigation.
While Pagans, Witches, and other magical practitioners often incorporate the use of animal parts and bones in their magical practice, sourcing animal parts from unethical dealers or purchasing anything that is from endangered or protected animals can carry big fines and even jail time.
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Today marks the 100th anniversary of the 1921 Tulsa Massacre – one of the worst incidents of racial violence in US history. The community called “Black Wall Street” was decimated and the story purposefully erased.
President Biden joined three survivors in Tulsa Oklahoma and said “My fellow Americans, this was not a riot. This was a massacre, and among the worst in our history. But not the only one.” He proclaimed a national Day of Remembrance.
The White House proclamation read “One hundred years ago, a violent white supremacist mob raided, firebombed, and destroyed approximately 35 square blocks of the thriving Black neighborhood of Greenwood in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Families and children were murdered in cold blood. Homes, businesses, and churches were burned. In all, as many as 300 Black Americans were killed, and nearly 10,000 were left destitute and homeless. Today, on this solemn centennial of the Tulsa Race Massacre, I call on the American people to reflect on the deep roots of racial terror in our Nation and recommit to the work of rooting out systemic racism across our country.”
Tulsa Mayor GT Bynum posted an apology on behalf of the city government for failing to protect its community and “to do right by the victims.”
The White House proclamation added “I commit to the survivors of the Tulsa Race Massacre, including Viola Fletcher, Hughes Van Ellis, and Lessie Benningfield Randle, the descendants of victims, and to this Nation that we will never forget. We honor the legacy of the Greenwood community, and of Black Wall Street, by reaffirming our commitment to advance racial justice through the whole of our government, and working to root out systemic racism from our laws, our policies, and our hearts.
In other news:
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- Diana Paxson will be teaching the course “Carrying A Torch For Liberty: Using Pagan Skills to Reclaim and Restore our American Symbols and Soul” at Cherry Hill Seminary. The course runs June 7 through July 4, and will focus on how Pagans can use spiritual technology to “reclaim and strengthen” Pagan symbols “to support the foundational principles of our Democracy.”
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- A few organizations are announcing in-person events for the coming season, perhaps most notably, Stonehenge’s Summer Solstice. While the English Heritage Foundation is allowing the celebration to take place, strict pandemic protocols will be in place including social distancing, hand sanitizer stations, and that people limit their groups attending to no more than 30 people. Should the current guidelines for precautions change due to an increase in infections, so will those of the site. The Solstice will also again be live-streamed and viewable for free. By contrast, the National Trust announced last week that there will be no extended or overnight opening hours of any of its facilities at Avebury during the summer solstice weekend (June 19 to 21).
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- While a number of events plan to continue with plans for virtual events this year, like Pagan Spirit Gathering and Order of Bards Ovates and Druids (OBOD), other events are looking to hold in-person gatherings. Magic in the Woods: Art and Metaphysical Craft Festival in Palmetto, Florida is scheduled for July 31, from 11 am to 7 pm. Hexfest in New Orleans also has plans to operate as usual, and in-person.
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- Today marks the beginning of hurricane season for the Atlantic region. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has again forecast an above-normal number of storms for this season, though not quite as active as last year — which produced 30 named storms, 12 of which hit the U.S. mainland. NOAA has 21 names ready for the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season, though the first named storm, Ana, occurred on May 22. The names for this year are Ana, Bill, Claudette, Danny, Elsa, Fred, Grace Henri, Ida, Julian, Kate, Larry, Mindy, Nicholas, Odette, Peter, Rose, Sam, Teresa, Victor, and Wanda.
Today marks the beginning of the 8th annual Immigrant Heritage Month which was first recognized with the passage of House Resolution 606 on May 29, 2014:
The House of Representatives:
(1) recognizes “Immigrant Heritage Month” in honor of the accomplishments and role of immigrants in shaping the history and culture of the United States;
(2) pledges to celebrate immigrant contributions to, and immigrant heritage in, each district; and
(3) encourages the people of the United States to commemorate the history of immigrants in the United States and to always remember our immigrant roots.A large number of organizations partner with the site I Am An Immigrant to help celebrate the monumental contributions of immigrants in the U.S. by telling their stories. National Public Radio is featuring a month-long series titled, Where We Come From, highlighting the stories of immigrants told in their own words and voices.
Whether it be through food, family or language, our origin stories are more than just a place.
During Immigrant Heritage Month, immigrant communities of color talk about #WhereWeComeFrom in our own voices. https://t.co/wsdXWbw5wC
— NPR (@NPR) June 1, 2021
Tarot of the week by Star Bustamonte
Deck: Voyager Tarot, by James Wanless, PhD, published by Merrill-West Publishing.Card: Major arcana (XI) Strength
The week ahead will likely have a focus on authenticity, transparency, and freedom of expression that exemplify a person’s true colors on a full and balanced spectrum.
Conversely, the negative aspects of egocentricity, vanity, and the desire to control through domination, oppression, and intimidation may be revealed.
Decks generously provided by Asheville Pagan Supply.
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