Western Manitoba First Nation to start search of church site for potential unmarked graves

A First Nations community in western Manitoba is preparing to excavate the ground beneath a Catholic church after potential unmarked graves were found in the area using ground-penetrating radar.

Minegoziibe Anishinabe, also known as Pine Creek First Nation, plans to unearth the area under the Our Ladyof Seven Sorrows Catholic Church beginning on Monday.

The community hired a company to search the site of the former Pine Creek Residential School last year, which detected 14 anomalies beneath the church.

The excavation is expected to take up to a month.

The community says in a release it will be hosting a ceremony before the search is to start and will burn a sacred fire in a safe space next to the excavation site, where the public is welcome to make tobacco offerings.

The Pine Creek school was run by the Roman Catholic Church and operated from 1890 to 1969 in different buildings on a large plot of land.

The initial search also determined there were 57 additional anomalies found on the grounds around the church and old school site, but the community is only looking into the ones found under the church.

"We understand that over time burial sites may be lost to the natural elements, but to bury remains under a building suggests a dark and sinister intent that cannot be unaddressed as we expose the truth of what happened in our homeland," Chief Derek Nepinak said in a statement Thursday.

Manitoba RCMP announced last fall they were working with the community to investigate the potential graves.

The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliationrecords the deathsof21 students who were at the Pine Creek school. Survivors have long spoken about the abuse there.

Support is available for anyone affected by their experience at residential schools or by the latest reports.

A national Indian Residential School Crisis Line has been set up to provide support for former students and those affected. People can access emotional and crisis referral services by calling the 24-hour national crisis line: 1-866-925-4419.