Muscowequan Indian Residential School

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Muscowequan Indian Residential School
Location
Lestock, Saskatchewan
Information
Other nameLestock, Muskowekwan, Touchwood[1]: 354 
Religious affiliation(s)Roman Catholic
Established1889 (1889)
Closed1997 (1997)

The Muscowequan Indian Residential School was a school within the Canadian Indian residential school system that operated on the lands of the Muskowekwan First Nation and in Lestock, Saskatchewan from 1889 to 1997.[1]: 354 

As of 2021, the school building is the last-standing residential school in Saskatchewan.[2][3] The three-storey brick structure was erected in 1931 after the previous building burned down.[4] The school was added to the National Trust for Canada's list of endangered places in 2018.[5] Former students want to see the building restored and used as a museum and archive.[5] In 2018, 331 out of 335 former students voted in favour of keeping the building in place as a reminder of the site's history.[6]

History[]

What would become the Muscowequan Indian Residential School began as a Touchwood Hills Mission school started in 1884 by the Qu'Apelle Oblates.[7] The school was enlarged in 1886 to accommodate boarders.[8] In 1888, teacher Fred Dennehy received a grant from the Canadian government to support the boarding of students, at which time the school began operating as a day and boarding school.[7]

The school operated on the Muskowekwan Reservation until 1895, at which time it relocated to a building in Lestock with assistance from the federal government.[9]: 74  The government purchased the school's land from the Roman Catholic Church in 1924, with the church continuing operation of the school.[9]: 74  The Canadian government took over management of the facility in 1969.[8][9]: 74 

Discovery of unmarked graves[]

Unmarked graves were discovered on the grounds of the school in 1992 during the construction of a water line.[2] Construction was halted and the remains were relocated to a nearby cemetery.[10] The fourth volume of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada's final report linked the discovery to the importance of documenting and protecting residential school cemeteries "as urban development, infrastructure expansion, and resale or reutilization of old school lands become more common."[11]: 133  More unmarked graves were discovered between 2018 and 2019 with the assistance of research teams from the University of Alberta and the University of Saskatchewan using ground-penetrating radar.[2] Between both events, 35 unmarked graves were discovered.[12][13] Members of the First Nation expect more to be found.[14][2] During a memorial service on June 1, 2021 in honour of residential school attendees and survivors following the discovery of the remains of 215 children buried in unmarked graves on the grounds of the Kamloops Indian Residential School, Cynthia Desjarlais, a Muskowekwan First Nation councillor, said: "Our elders have told us that there's a lot of areas here that haven't been explored and eventually we will do that".[12]

References[]

  1. ^ a b "Honouring the Truth, Reconciling for the Future: Summary of the Final Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada" (PDF). National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation. Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. May 31, 2015. Retrieved 27 June 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d Giles, David (1 June 2021). "Saskatchewan First Nation remembering lives lost at residential schools". Global News. Retrieved 29 June 2021.
  3. ^ Bramadat-Willcock, Michael (23 June 2021). "Ottawa funds Saskatchewan First Nations to search unmarked residential school grave sites". Prince Albert Daily Herald. Retrieved 29 June 2021.
  4. ^ "Muscowequan Residential School". National Trust for Canada. 23 May 2018. Retrieved 29 June 2021.
  5. ^ a b Shield, David (28 May 2018). "'A dark history': Muskowekwan First Nation fights to save former residential school building". CBC News. Retrieved 29 June 2021.
  6. ^ Giesbrecht, Lynn (7 July 2018). "Unmarked grave search near residential school paving the way for new wellness centre". leaderpost. Retrieved 29 June 2021.
  7. ^ a b "Muscowequan School (Lestock)" (PDF). Société historique de Saint-Boniface. Retrieved 29 June 2021.
  8. ^ a b "Muscowequan (Touchwood)". NCTR. 2021-01-28. Retrieved 29 June 2021.
  9. ^ a b c Niessen, Shuana (July 2017). Shattering the Silence: The Hidden History of Indian Residential Schools in Saskatchewan (PDF). University of Regina Faculty of Education. Retrieved 29 June 2021.
  10. ^ Issawi, Hamdi (2019-02-07). "Dignity in death: Searching for the lost graves at a Prairie residential school". thestar.com. Retrieved 29 June 2021.
  11. ^ Canada's Residential Schools : Missing Children and Unmarked Burials (PDF). Montreal: Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. 2015. ISBN 978-0-7735-9826-3. Retrieved 29 June 2021.
  12. ^ a b Davis, Stefanie (1 June 2021). "Muskowekwan First Nation recognizes 35 unmarked graves at residential school site". Regina. Retrieved 29 June 2021.
  13. ^ Wolf, Priscilla (2 June 2021). "Muskowekwan Nation ready to start painful search for school graves again". APTN News. Retrieved 29 June 2021.
  14. ^ Salloum, Alec (1 June 2021). "'We're still here': Survivors of Sask. residential schools offer prayers for 215 children". leaderpost. Retrieved 29 June 2021.
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