Cowessess First Nation in Saskatchewan says 751 unmarked graves have been discovered at the site of the former Marieval Indian Residential School east of Regina. In an interview with Canadian Press, Chief Cadmus Delorme said the community always knew the graves were there.
A photograph provided to CP by Chief Delorme shows a grassy field with coloured markers protruding from the ground. Delorme said not all of the graves are those of children, and some burial locations once had markers. He says based on stories that have been passed down over generations, it is known that adults are buried there too.
Marieval Residential School opened at the close of the 1800s. It was founded and administered by the Roman Catholic Church. Records there there was already a communal gravesite on the property when the school began operating.
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