Searching for unmarked burial sites is a painstaking process that not all Indigenous communities could be immediately ready for after the remains of more than 200 children were found at a former residential school in British Columbia, says an anthropologist who has done similar projects on the Prairies.
"Just a note of caution -- we can't just show up with our equipment and run surveys tomorrow," says Kisha Supernant, an anthropology professor at the University of Alberta in Edmonton.
Kamloops Indian Residental School operated between 1890 and 1969. The federal government took over operation from the Catholic Church to operate it as a day school until it closed in 1978. "In the case of looking for unmarked graves and burial locations, what this piece of equipment is able to show are areas that have been disturbed," Supernant explains.
Supernant says she expected to get more requests after that project, but acknowledges that many Indigenous communities have a lot of pressing needs, such as mental health supports, housing and clean drinking water.
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