Kamloops Indian Residential School

Kamloops Indian Residential School
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Name	Kamloops Indian Residential School
Location	Tkʼemlúps te Secwépemc, Kamloops, British Columbia
Type	Indian Residential School
Established	1890
Closed	1978
Former names	Kamloops Industrial School
Affiliations	Roman Catholic Diocese of Kamloops, Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate

Kamloops Indian Residential School was a federally funded, church-run Indian residential school located on the grounds of the Kamloops Indian Band (now Tkʼemlúps te Secwépemc]) near Thompson River in British Columbia. Founded in the late 19th century during the era of the Indian Act (1876) and the implementation of the Residential school system in Canada, it operated under denominational sponsorship and federal policy until its closure in the 1970s. The institution became a focal point in national conversations involving survivors linked to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and contemporary efforts toward acknowledgment and restitution.

History

The school originated as the Kamloops Industrial School established amid settler expansion in the Colony of British Columbia and the post-Confederation administration of Indigenous affairs under the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development. Construction and early operation involved religious orders such as the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate and the Sisters of Saint Ann, reflecting broader denominational participation seen at institutions like Shubenacadie Indian Residential School, Mohawk Institute Residential School, and St. Anne's Indian Residential School (Ontario). Governance and funding were shaped by policy tools including the Indian Act (1876), the Gradual Civilization Act, and subsequent federal ordinances that mandated attendance tied to treaties such as Treaty 8 and local arrangements with bands including Tkʼemlúps te Secwépemc and neighboring communities. Over decades the facility expanded its dormitories, chapel, and industrial training facilities, paralleling developments at Kuper Island Indian Residential School and Marieval Indian Residential School before later consolidations and eventual decommissioning in the 20th century.

Operations and Administration

Administrative oversight combined church authorities—principally the Roman Catholic Diocese of Kamloops, the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, and the Sisters of Saint Ann—with federal agents from the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development and national bureaucrats based in Ottawa. Day-to-day management included superintendents and staff who implemented curricula influenced by models used at Mush Hole, St. Michael's Indian Residential School (Alert Bay), and Lawrence Avenue. Vocational training programs mirrored practices at Coal Harbour Residential School and Gordon Indian Residential School, emphasizing industrial trades and agricultural labor. Records, ledgers, and inspection reports maintained by officials in Ottawa and diocesan archives documented admissions, mortality registers, and correspondence with Indigenous leadership such as chiefs from Tkʼemlúps te Secwépemc, Skeetchestn Indian Band, and Kamloops Indian Band. Legal frameworks including federal statutes and landmark inquiries such as the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada later scrutinized administrative policies and institutional accountability.

Student Experiences and Oral Histories

Survivor testimonies, oral histories collected by groups like National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation and local organizations including Tkʼemlúps te Secwépemc Cultural Department, recount experiences of cultural suppression akin to narratives from Sixties Scoop survivors, testimonies presented to the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples, and accounts archived at UBC Museum of Anthropology. Former students described forced assimilation measures, language prohibition of Secwépemc, Stʼátʼimc, and other Indigenous languages, and enforced separation from families in patterns also reported by survivors of Kuper Island and Gordon Residential School. Oral histories document daily routines, religious instruction by Roman Catholic Church clergy, industrial labor similar to programs at Fort George Residential School, and the impacts on intergenerational parenting echoed in literature produced by Assembly of First Nations and cultural revitalization initiatives, including language reclamation and ceremony restoration.

Abuse Allegations and Investigations

Allegations of physical, sexual, and emotional abuse, negligence, and inadequate healthcare were raised by survivors and investigated alongside systemic inquiries like the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada and provincial reviews similar to probes into St. Anne's Indian Residential School (Ontario). Complaints lodged with institutions including the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and civil litigation parallel cases against the Canadian federal government and religious orders such as the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate and the Sisters of Saint Ann. Archives and depositions held by the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation and court filings documented patterns comparable to those alleged at Marieval Indian Residential School and Lebret Indian Residential School. Investigative journalism and academic research by scholars affiliated with University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University, and Indigenous research centers contributed to the public record and informed legal settlements and class actions.

Discovery of Unmarked Graves

In 2021, ground-penetrating radar and community-led searches at the school site and adjacent cemetery areas conducted by teams associated with Tkʼemlúps te Secwépemc, specialized archaeologists from agencies like First Nations Health Authority, and independent consultants produced findings that spurred national attention, echoing earlier discoveries at Marieval Indian Residential School and investigations near Kuper Island Indian Residential School. The reporting triggered responses from federal agencies in Ottawa, religious institutions including the Roman Catholic Church in Canada, and international bodies such as the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. The identification of unmarked graves prompted municipal actions in Kamloops, legal reviews, coroner inquiries, and expanded searches supported by organizations like the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation and provincial health authorities, while raising complex issues of exhumation, repatriation, and forensic practice.

Legacy and Reconciliation

The school's legacy intersects with national processes including the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, the implementation of Calls to Action (Truth and Reconciliation Commission), and policy shifts championed by Indigenous leadership such as the Assembly of First Nations and First Nations Summit. Reconciliation efforts involve survivor compensation programs negotiated with the Government of Canada, apologies issued by religious orders including the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, cultural revitalization projects led by Tkʼemlúps te Secwépemc Cultural Department and educational initiatives at institutions like Thompson Rivers University, University of British Columbia, and local school districts. Memorialization, including monuments, commemorative events connected to Orange Shirt Day, and archival preservation by the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation aim to acknowledge harms and support healing, while legal, academic, and community-based programs continue to address systemic harms identified across sites such as Shubenacadie, Kuper Island, and Marieval.

Category:Residential schools in Canada Category:Secwépemc