Kamloops residential school survivors take their spirits back
KAMLOOPS — Beginning in 1893, hundreds of Secwepemc children were forcibly removed from their homes, and taken to the Kamloops Indian Residential School. The school has been closed since 1977, but for many who survived their time there, the spiritual and emotional wounds still haven’t healed. Today, survivors from the Upper Nicola Indian Band came back to the school as part of their healing journey, as they walk from Kamloops to back to their homes, hoping to bring back the part of them that was left behind.
For Upper Nicola Band Chief Harvey McLeod, coming back to the Kamloops Indian Residential School opens up a deep well of memories
“As survivors, we’re going to be calling the spirits of our loved ones and our families who have passed on, and bring them home, as well,” McLeod explained. “ I’m going to be carrying the spirit of my Dad, and my two sisters who have passed on. All three of them went to this school.”
McLeod is one of the Upper Nicola band’s 148 survivors of the residential school system, many of whom gathered outside of the old school house to remember and reflect, before beginning the journey home.