Task 1 – Select a recent historical event

215 First Nations children found buried at former B.C. residential school

Task 2 – Write a summary based on research

In May 2021, remains of 215 indigoes children were found berried at the site, near the city
of Kamloops, in B.C.'s southern Interior (Dickson/CBC)
Adolphus Egerton Ryerson was a Canadian educator who created Canadian Indian residential
school system. From 1890 to 1978, native children age 4-25 years were forcibly taken to
Kamloops Indian Residential School and prohibited from seeing their families, practicing their
language, religion, culture, and traditions in order to assimilate into the dominant Canadian
culture(Ryerson University).
It was reported that many children went to the school and never returned. These children’s
death are undocumented. There may be reasons such as physical and sexual abuse, so that
might be the reason why they would not record the deaths properly and those they were not
treated with dignity and respect because that was the whole purpose of the residential school.
Their cause of death is still under investigation (BBC).
The statue of Egerton Ryerson that stood outside the university that bears his name was
toppled at a protest over this discovery of indigenous children at a school and will not be
restored or replaced (Sasitharan)( Newton).

Task 3 – Write an original news report

Remains of 215 children found buried at former B.C. residential school, First
Nation says [2]
CBC News · Posted: May 27, 2021 9:58 PM PT | Last Updated: May 29

Courtney Dickson, Bridgette Watson

Former Kamloops Indian Residential School have uncovered the remains of 215 children buried
at the site, the Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc

Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc hired a specialist in ground-penetrating radar to carry out the work,
and that its Language and Culture Department oversaw the project to ensure it was done in a
culturally appropriate and respectful way.
The death of these missing children are undocumented and made it is very hard to understand
accurately what happened. These children might died given the rampant sexual and physical
abuse documented in residential schools. It is estimated more than 150,000 children attended
residential schools in Canada from the 1830s until the last school closed in 1997 and many kids
never returned home from schools.
Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc is  working with the BC Coroners Service, contacting the students'
home communities, protecting the remains and working with museums to find records of these
deaths.
The Kamloops Indian Residential School was in operation from 1890 to 1969, when the federal
government took over administration from the Catholic Church to operate it as a residence for
a day school, until closing in 1978.
It is said the discovery confirms what community survivors have said for years, that many
children went to the school and never returned. She also said federal agents often moved
children around, so it is possible some of those found are from other First Nations communities.
"There may be reasons why they wouldn't record the deaths properly and that they weren't
treated with dignity and respect because that was the whole purpose of the residential school
to take total control of Indian children, to remove their culture, identity and connection to their
family," she said Friday on CBC's The Early Edition.
"There are no words to express the deep mourning that we feel as First Nations people, and as
survivors, when we hear an announcement like this," wrote Grand Chief Stewart Phillip,
president of the UBCIC.
"Today we honour the lives of those children, and hold prayers that they, and their families,
may finally be at peace."
"This is a tragedy of unimaginable proportions. And it is a stark example of the violence the
Canadian residential school system inflicted upon Indigenous peoples and how the
consequences of these atrocities continue to this day," said Horgan.
The FNHA said immediate supports for the Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation have been
identified through its Interior health team, and its teams are on standby to support further
needs.

Task 4 – Write a short narrative

It was sometimes in May 2021 that I saw a sad news on social media. “215 bodies of young
innocent native children were found in B.C”. It was a heart breaking news and it happened back
in 1970s.
Ryerson was a person who created a boarding school and forced native children from age 4-12
to go to those schools to forget everything bout being aboriginal. A lot of them never came
back home. The discovery of the remains was made using Ground penetrating radar
technology.
I watched survivor’s stories about being sexually and physically abused as well has sicknesses
that killed so many of the kids and they all are saying tat they were lucky that they survived.
After the news was released, a lot people, especially indigenous communities decided to
protest in Downtown Toronto and as a result, they destroyed Ryerson statue, which was
located at Ryerson University. Later, it was in news that Ryerson University‘s name will get
changed as he was the person who created those boarding school and promoted this type of
education.

Recourses;
1. BBC. . “Canada Mourns as Remains of 215 Children Found at Indigenous
School.” Bbc.Com, BBC, 29 May 2021, www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-57291530.
2. Dickson, C. “Remains of 215 Children Found Buried at Former B.C. Residential School,
First Nation Says.” CBC.COM, cbc.com, 27 May 2021, www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-
columbia/tk-eml%C3%BAps-te-secw%C3%A9pemc-215-children-former-kamloops-indian-
residential-school-1.6043778.
3. Newton, P. “‘Unthinkable’ Discovery in Canada as Remains of 215 Children Found Buried
near Residential School.” CNN.COM, CNN.COM, 1 June 2021,
www.cnn.com/2021/05/28/world/children-remains-discovered-canada-kamloops-school/
index.html.
4. Ryerson University. (2021, June 1). Statement on the 215 First Nations children found
buried at former B.C. residential school. Ryerson.Ca.
https://www.ryerson.ca/journalism/news-events/2021/06/statement-on-the-215-first-nations-
children-found-buried-at-former-b-c-residential-school/
5. Sasitharan, K. “Hundreds Gather in Toronto to Honour 215 Indigenous Children Found
Buried in B.C.” CBC.Com, 6 June 2021, www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/hundreds-toronto-
bring-our-children-home-rally-march-1.6055557.