No human remains were unearthed during an archaeological excavation at a former residential school in Pine Creek, Manitoba.
Manitoba residential school excavation turns up nothing | True North | Quinn Patrick:
August 21, 2023 - "No human remains were found in the excavation of a church basement in Pine Creek, Manitoba, which was formerly part of a residential school run by the Catholic Church from 1890 to 1969. The four-week excavation was conducted after Minegoziibe Anishinabe, a first nations tribe northwest of Winnipeg, hired a team of archaeologists to dig up the church basement following 14 abnormalities that were detected in the soil by ground-penetrating radar equipment. The archaeologists were from the University of Brandon and have regularly assisted police on excavations throughout Manitoba.
"In his response to the dig’s results, Chief Derek Nepinak said it takes, 'nothing away from the difficult truths experienced by our families who attended the residential school in Pine Creek'.... Nepinak has asked that people continue to search for truth and not compare the results of their excavation to others across Canada. 'This does not mark the end of our truth-finding project,' said Nepinak.
"This isn’t the only residential school excavation that have concluded with no findings of human remains.
- In August, 2021, a team of researchers in Shubenacadie, Nova Scotia conducted an excavation at the former Shubenacadie Residential School in search of clandestine burials but to no avail.
- In October of 2021, an excavation was conducted for unmarked graves on the site of former Camsell Hospital in Edmonton. The hospital used to treat Indigenous people who suffered from tuberculosis and some believed that the dig would uncover patients that had been buried there, however no such evidence was discovered.
"The calls for these and other excavations at former residential schools came in early 2021 after First Nations in Kamloops, B.C. claimed that the remains of 215 children were buried at the Kamloops Indian Residential School based on soil disturbances detected by radar. The Kamloops First Nations said that they couldn’t say for sure just how many potential burials are at the school with certainty because they have no intention of conducting an excavation at the site."
Read more: https://tnc.news/2023/08/21/manitoba-residential-school-excavation/
The Pine Creek Burial Boondoggle Needs Celebrating | True North | Hymie Rubenstein:
August 22, 2023 - "To its credit, and unlike any other such search for the remains of students associated with the former boarding schools, the RCMP was called in last October to assist with the investigation. Given all the accusations of school abuse, some passed down from generation to generation, band leaders, elders, knowledge keepers, and former boarding school students must have been devasted by the RCMP announcement on July 21 that:
The investigation into possible criminality in relation to potential burials at Our Lady of Seven Sorrows Roman Catholic Church has moved into a new phase. After a year of interviewing community members, conducting surveys, and following up on leads, the RCMP has not uncovered evidence at this time related to criminal activity specific to the reflections detected at the site.
In consultation with the community and partners, a way forward has been found. A community-led forensic anthropological dig in the basement of the church is taking place. If anything is located that is possibly related to criminal activity, the RCMP has plans in place and investigators assigned to continue the investigation.
Read more: https://tnc.news/2023/08/22/rubenstein-pine-creek-celebrating/
Excavation of residential school site finds nothing | True North | August 21, 2023:
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