Band chief calls on feds to acknowledge responsibility for Residential School deaths
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KAMLOOPS — Kukpi7 Rosanne Casimir thanked all those who supported the Tk’emlups te Secwepemc following the recent discovery of 215 bodies, in unmarked graves near the site of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School.
Casimir also called on the federal government to face ownership and accountability for the tragedies that plagued the residential school system. She said no words are sufficient to express the comfort and love extended by the band to survivors and intergenerational survivors.
Casimir also said she was disturbed by recent vandalism to Saint Joseph’s Catholic Church. She said there are many emotions connected to the Roman Catholic Church over the Residential School Situation, but she said the church was built from the ground up by Tk’emlups te Secwepemc.
The Chief called on everyone to refresh themselves with the contents of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and to help fund efforts to bring forth initiatives to spread awareness of what has already been done. She also asked the media and the public to refrain from visiting the community until further notice. She said there are concerns about the COVID pandemic, and the band wants to ensure noone is put at risk of the disease by visiting the site.
