Tk’emlups narrowed focus, ‘ruled out’ some areas in search for graves

A Tk’emlups investigation into roughly 200 suspected graves of former Indian residential school students has seen some progress over nearly five years, and the number of graves could be dropping.

A combination of techniques has helped rule out some areas, while some results still show what are suspected to be graves, according to a Feb. 17 news release from the band.

Tk’emlups te Secwepemc has continued its “independent, multipronged investigation” since its 2021 announcement that shocked the nation, now narrowing the search area, according to the release.

At the time, the band said 215 suspected graves of former Kamloops Indian Residential School students were discovered in the orchard near the building. The archaeologist who led the ground-penetrating radar study later said the count was around 200.

The continued search has included the same radar scans, along with laser scanners and teams of dogs trained to find historic human remains, according to the release.

“The data and findings from all three unique investigative methods overlap in several areas, indicating those zones should now be the primary focus,” the release reads, adding the scanners ruled out utility lines and clay tiles in those locations.

Some areas showed “signatures that resemble burials.” Some areas were also ruled out as burials, while others “could not confidently be ruled out.”

It’s not clear whether the number of suspected graves has changed and no other details of the search were released as part of the update, but the band did say the investigation has turned out to be more complex than initially anticipated.

Tk’emlups is also still scouring for 88 years of Catholic Church and federal government records, but said it has been hindered by government restrictions on some records and slow responses, according to the release.

The band added that once the investigation nears its end, it will seek consensus with the province’s 38 Indigenous nations to determine how to deal with the remains, though consensus “may never be achieved.”

Possible outcomes could be preserving the orchard as a sacred site or excavating and repatriating remains to their communities, according to the release.

Tk’emlups concluded by noting it will provide updates as the investigation develops, but it would not conduct media interviews.