Former Kamloops Indian Residential School, Tk̓emlúps te Secwépemc, British Columbia, circa 1930 © Archives Deschâtelets-NDC / Fonds Deschâtelets

Tk̓emlúps te Secwépemc and the Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Minister responsible for Parks Canada, announced the designation of the Former Kamloops Indian Residential School as a national historic site under Parks Canada’s National Program of Historical Commemoration.

The Former Kamloops Indian Residential School is located on Kamloops Indian Reserve #1 of Tk̓emlúps te Secwépemc.

“The commemoration and designation of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School to a site of national historic significance reflects how arrangements made collaboratively will benefit all people, indigenous and non-indigenous,” said Kúkpi7 Rosanne Casimir. “It will serve as a place that will contribute to greater understanding of Secwépemc history and traditional knowledge. The designation symbolizes hope and the vision of our ancestors for a prosperous future for our children, and those not yet born.”

“We collectively know all too well the often-impoverished view of reciprocal obligations and how it has dominated our people. Today, at Tk̓emlúps we take great pride in this path we walk together to commemorate that real collective history.”

“Proud and honored to be in my ancestor’s vision of Clexléxqen or Petit Louis (1828-1915), who advocated for schooling that would benefit the Secwépemc people, together we will educate and share for a prosperous future with pride, the designation is a confirmation of our shared commitment and the hope for change.”

Casimir says the thought of the designation not coming through never even crossed her mind. “It is historical in every aspect. Knowing the traumatic impacts that it has had on generations, it is a building, a structure, a piece of history, architecture that will always share that historic significance. I think that it would have carried that even without the designation.”

“But to have that designation and be recognized by the government, is truly appreciated because it is about healing, but also sharing the collective history. But it is also about being able to educate others, and knowing the history of Chief Louie and his passion for education, the lands and the designation, but also the revitalization and reclamation of language and culture.”

Steven Guilbeault says today’s designation acknowledges the harms suffered by the Survivors of the Former Kamloops Indian Residential School. “Their strength and grace in retelling their stories ensures that we can learn from them and enables us to advance the journey of truth-telling, reconciliation, and healing. The designation of the Former Kamloops Indian Residential School as a site of national historic significance will serve as a testament and memorial to the children who were forced to live there and who died there. The legacy of their stories will resonate throughout future generations.”

When it comes to the idea of reconciliation, Casimir calls it is absolutely significant. “Because it’s also about fostering understanding, but also reflection of the history and the culture. Also the legacies and realities of the past and the present. Also the hope for change, but also the importance of education and that history.”