The first phase ground penetration radar (GPR) on the grounds of the University of nuhelot’įne thaiyots’į nistameyimâkanak Blue Quills (UnBQ) came to an end April 21st.
President of UnBQ Dr. Sherri Chisan spoke on April 19th about how the build stands not only as a reminder of the past but also on how UnBQ has become a place of healing and moving forward.
Dr. Kisha Supernant who is the team lead for the GPR team from the Institute of Prairie and Indigenous Archaeology who conducted the search of the grounds. The team worked closely with testimony from survivors and administration of UnBQ to navigate where to start the search back in August.
Photo source: Summary of the Phase 1 Ground-Penetrating Radar Search
at Blue Quills IRS, AB
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Dr. Supernant spoke on how they found areas of interest because it is still unclear if there are human remains as the technology isn’t 100 per-cent accurate.
See related article: 19 anomalies located in search for unmarked graves at former residential school northeast of Edmonton
As the days continued, the university was made open to the public to not only education the surrounding communities about what happened in their own backyard but also, a chance for people to come for some kind of closure with ceremonies and tours lead by survivors of the school.
One survivor Bertha Janvier Moyer with the support of her niece Agnes, shared what it was like returning to the school after all her years away.
UnBQ grounds front exterior
The Indian Residential Schools Resolution Health Support Program has a hotline to help residential school survivors and their relative’s suffering trauma invoked by the recall of past abuse. The number is 1-866-925-4419
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