Association takes possession of residential school cemetery

On Pinkie Road at the west edge of Regina is a small plot of land surrounded by a white fence.

In the ground inside that fence, at least 35 children are buried who died at the Regina Indian Industrial School (RIIS). Now that land is back in the hands of those who would protect and take care of it.

On Tuesday, the land was officially transferred to its commemorative association.

“Finally we’ve given recognition and we’re honouring the children that have lost their lives in Indian Residential School,” said Barry Kennedy.

Kennedy wasn’t part of the ceremony, but he and his late mother were recognized a few times by the master of ceremonies as people who did a lot in the push to preserve the cemetery.

Barry Kennedy said one of the last things his mother told him was to take care of the children’s grave sites, he was recognized for his contributions at the ceremony transferring land for the Regina Indian Industrial School to the commemorative society. June 25, 2019. (Lisa Schick/980 CJME)

“My mother, when she passed away, the last thing she told me was, ‘Barry, take care of those gravesites. If nothing else, just take care of those gravesites.’ And that’s what I’ve done,” said Kennedy.

He said he first came across the land in 1996, so it has been more than 20 years to get to the ceremony on Tuesday.

Kennedy said the cemetery is a significant site in Regina. Yes, it’s a part of the dark history of colonialism, but he said it can be used as a teaching tool.

“We can use this as something to ensure that this never happens again, that our children, our grandchildren, never have to live the life that we survived,” he said.

Kennedy pointed to things like the residential school settlements, the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls inquiry, and the ’60s Scoop settlement, before coming back around to the cemetery.

“This is one of those small victories — and we’ve had a number of them lately — and for the Indigenous people of Regina, Saskatchewan, and Canada, it’s time to celebrate. But not only to celebrate amongst ourselves, but to celebrate with Canadian society,” he said.

It took a lot of legal manoeuvring to get the land into the association’s hands. It was owned by a private party, so in the end, the federal government had to figure out how to trade some Crown land with that owner. Then, on Tuesday, the RCMP officially gifted the land to the association.

The RCMP and former landowner gave the Regina Indian Industrial School commemorative association a pouch of tobacco made from the RCMP’s red serge. June 25, 2019 (Lisa Schick/980 CJME)

The gift was made symbolically with a pouch of tobacco made from the RCMP red serge.

“It’s a symbolic gesture of a very, very important relationship as we move together and work along the journey to reconciliation,” explained Sarah Longman, the president of the RIIS commemorative association.

Longman said the whole ceremony was emotional.

“It was hard to keep it together because it has been a journey — it has been an emotional journey, it has been a physical journey, it has been a spiritual journey,” she said. “And today, to have the support of so many people from different areas … it’s unbelievable.”

During the ceremony, thanks were spread across to everyone who was involved — politicians, the former landowner, the people who spent countless hours on the project, those who researched and found the land, and children who’ve come to take care of it.

According to Longman, the association isn’t really sure what will be next for the cemetery, though she said they have dreams.

“Now that it is ours, we can make some of those decisions and not have to wait for whether or not we can get the green light to make some of the changes we’d like to with the cemetery,” she said.