WARNING: This story contains details that may be distressing to some readers. c̓išaaʔatḥ (Tseshaht) First Nation has spent the past 18 months researching records to figure out how many children died while at Alberni Indian Residential School.
They’ve also been working with B.C.-based land surveyor GeoScan to identify suspected graves on the former school’s grounds by using ground penetrating radar.
This work is part of a project called ʔuuʔatumin yaqckwiimitqin (Doing It for Our Ancestors). As part of phase one, the research revealed that 67 children died while at Alberni Indian Residential School and the ground penetrating radar revealed that there are 17 geophysical features representing suspected graves from the surveyed area.
A little more than 10 per cent of the 100 hectares intended to be surveyed has already been scanned. Determining where to look has been guided by historical records and survivors.