After nearly two years of geophysical surveys, Nadleh Whut’en First Nation has announced that there are newly identified potential unmarked graves at the former site of the Lejac Indian Residential School.
A preliminary report on a ground penetrating radar and magnetometry survey has identified several geophysical signatures that have traits consistent with burials.
The Lejac Indian Residential School has had an active cemetery on the grounds since it was founded in 1922.
Matching the survey results with archival records, the preliminary data points to a number of unmarked graves that have not been accounted for.
The school was open between 1922 and 1976 with at least 7,850 Indigenous children, including day school students, attending.
A Guiding Team of survivors and intergenerational survivors is determining how to manage the former site, including directing the ongoing survey.
The team continues to provide stewardship and guidance on the next steps.
They will oversee further geophysical surveys and the extensive engagement with survivors needed to determine the next steps for potential unmarked graves.
There is no immediate intention to excavate or exhume.
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