'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
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.