Anomalies found on grounds of former Portage la Prairie residential school
Long Plain First Nation Chief David Meeches made those comments Thursday, on the same day a ceremony was held to recognize the historic significance of the former Portage la Prairie Indian Residential School.
The anomalies were uncovered using ground penetrating radar, after the First Nation began probing a large swath of the property three or four months ago. They are buried in an area immediately in front of the former residential school, Meeches said in a phone interview.
MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS FILES
Portage residential school in Portage la Prairie where four 'anomalies' have been found using ground penetrating radar.
'Our elders performed a ceremony in the area where the anomalies were found, and that was actually the first place we searched, so they were immediately discovered,' he said.
Meeches said elders in his First Nation have been consulted, and further discussion is anticipated. Currently, there are no plans to excavate the site. Instead, the community is considering a memorial to honour those who were impacted by the residential school system, he said.
The search was launched in anticipation of future development on the lands surrounding the residential school, he said.
The building, constructed in 1916, is home to the National Indigenous Residential School Museum of Canada but needs significant repairs. It stands on land belonging to Long Plain First Nation, Meeches said.
He asked all levels of government to help cover an estimated $10 million in required upgrades to keep it operational.
'We want to ensure that future generations can see it. We don't only view it as a place of harm and a place of hurt. We need to recognize it now as a place of healing, and a place where you can visually see it,' Meeches said.
'I'm asking all levels of government to assist us for the benefit of all Manitobans and Canadians that are affected by residential schools.'
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Three plaques were unveiled Thursday at the museum. The building closed in 1975 and was deemed a national historic site in 2020.
Historical photo of the former residential school at Long Plain First Nation, which has been designated a National Historic Site.
The plaques are written in Anishinaabemowin, Anishinaabemowin syllabics, Cree, Cree syllabics, Dakota, English and French.
'The plaques are symbols of resilience, strength and a place where stories are embedded in truth and the spirits honoured,' Lorraine Daniels, the museum's executive director, said in a news release.
'These memorials acknowledge their legacy of pain and injustices endured with courage and dignity. Their lives matter. Their voices matter. Their healing matters. We are still here.'
tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca
Tyler SearleReporter
Tyler Searle is a multimedia producer who writes for the Free Press's city desk. A graduate of Red River College Polytechnic's creative communications program, he wrote for the Stonewall Teulon Tribune, Selkirk Record and Express Weekly News before joining the paper in 2022. Read more about Tyler.
Every piece of reporting Tyler produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.
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