'Made us believe we didn't have souls': Elder talks about time at Sask. residential school where graves were found
At the start of a virtual news conference joined by media outlets from around the world, elder Florence Sparvier began with a prayer.
When she finished, Cowessess First Nation Chief Cadmus Delorme revealed that as of Wednesday, through the use of ground radar, 751 unmarked graves had been discovered at the site of a former residential school located in the community.
The revelation comes nearly a month after the unmarked graves of 215 children were found at a former residential school in Kamloops.
When Delorme finished his remarks, the focus returned to Sparvier, who attended the Marieval Indian Residential School, not to offer prayer, but to share her story.
"If the parents didn't want to allow their children to go to boarding school, one of them had to go to jail. So in order to keep the family together. We went to boarding school. They brought us there we stayed there," Sparvier said.
"They told us our people, our parents, our grandparents … didn't have a way to be spiritual, because we were all heathens."
The school operated for nearly a century in the community before closing its doors in the late nineties.
"They made us think different. They made us feel different. A lot of pain we see in our people comes from there," Sparvier told reporters.
"They made us believe we didn't have souls," she said.
The elder spoke about the harsh treatment children were subjected to at the school.
"They pounded it into us and really they were very mean when I say pounding, I mean pounding. Those nuns were very mean to us. I don't know, I don't think they liked it being there either."
On another day which likely has stirred up difficult emotions for those with connections to Canada's residential schools, Sparvier closed out her remarks with an offer to help.
"But if you need an elder, you know, people want to come, they can come. I have a lodge, my husband had built me a little (sweat) lodge so that's where I see people," Sparvier said.
"I don't tell anyone who was there, but I'm busy."
If you are a residential school survivor in distress, or have been affected by the residential school system and need help, you can contact the 24-hour Indian Residential Schools Crisis Line: 1-866-925-4419
Regina/Treaty Status Indian Services is also openoing a crisis line Wednesday afternoon that can be reached by dialing 306-522-7494
Additional mental-health support and resources for Indigenous people are available here.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
'Sophisticated' cyberattacks detected on B.C. government networks, premier says
There has been a "sophisticated" cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, Premier David Eby confirmed Wednesday evening.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs to start for Canucks in Game 1 vs. Oilers
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs will start in net for the Canucks as Vancouver kicks off a second-round series against the Edmonton Oilers Wednesday night.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.