Community Articles
General News · 21st April 2023
Mark Vonesch
Some newsletters are easier to write than others. This one is hard. Not because it involves a divisive issue, but because it calls for us to feel into the devastating truth of our collective history.
Our love for children - their innocence and sweetness - is something we all inherently know and feel. Children are born with their hearts wide open, seeking safety and love. When that space is broken it is the worst kind of tragedy.
The shíshálh Nation revealed yesterday that they have used ground penetrating radar to discover 40 unmarked, shallow graves of children around the St. Augustine's Residential School in Sechelt, BC. More graves are expected to be found.
The institution, run by the Catholic Church, was open from 1904 to 1975. Fifty one First Nations in the area had members attend, including our Klahoose, Tla'amin, Homalco friends and neighbors. Elders from these communities knew of this tragedy because they witnessed and lived through it. They knew where the bodies were and pointed the ground penetrating radar to confirm it.
Let us not hide from the truth. Forty innocent children taken from their families into an institution of fear and abuse. Small, innocent beings murdered and their bodies hidden in the hopes of not being found.
Please take a moment to read the shíshálh Nation press release and watch their video:
https://shishalh.com/2023/04/20/results-of-the-shishalh-ground-penetration-radar/?fbclid=IwAR0k-dRufI73YNf8wmtz0BVMhbv1KR1-L3DgLKu-TEBmf_M6bVlSl25HQi8
One of the most powerful things we can do is feel deeply into grief and let that grief transform into healing and action. Society has taught us to bury our emotions and pretend we are okay, even when we are not. Things are not okay.
We are living on the grounds of attempted genocide. We are living in a society that is still carrying out and benefiting from colonization at the suffering of Indigenous people. For settlers on this island, we have so much work to do and it starts with our personal relationship with the truth.
Chief Lenora Joe says in the video statement, "I ask you to not focus on the numbers. Not all of the missing children have been found, and many will never be found."
"As more communities search for answers and share results, I urge you not to lose sight of the devastation and the impacts."
I hope you take time to feel the sadness, the rage, the compassion, and whatever comes up for you as we face the horrifying recent history of this place we call home.
This song has been useful for me in accessing and being with that grief:
https://youtu.be/fbszJJr9I9U
I want to express my deepest condolences to the families connected to this unfolding tragedy. I hope this public revealing of the truth is ultimately healing for you.
May this be a moment on Cortes Island that deepens our empathy, strengthens our shared humanity, and builds our power and resolve for reconcili-action.
Mark
Mark Vonesch
Regional Director - Cortes Island
Strathcona Regional District
mvoneschsrd.ca
250-202-4422
Our love for children - their innocence and sweetness - is something we all inherently know and feel. Children are born with their hearts wide open, seeking safety and love. When that space is broken it is the worst kind of tragedy.
The shíshálh Nation revealed yesterday that they have used ground penetrating radar to discover 40 unmarked, shallow graves of children around the St. Augustine's Residential School in Sechelt, BC. More graves are expected to be found.
The institution, run by the Catholic Church, was open from 1904 to 1975. Fifty one First Nations in the area had members attend, including our Klahoose, Tla'amin, Homalco friends and neighbors. Elders from these communities knew of this tragedy because they witnessed and lived through it. They knew where the bodies were and pointed the ground penetrating radar to confirm it.
Let us not hide from the truth. Forty innocent children taken from their families into an institution of fear and abuse. Small, innocent beings murdered and their bodies hidden in the hopes of not being found.
Please take a moment to read the shíshálh Nation press release and watch their video:
https://shishalh.com/2023/04/20/results-of-the-shishalh-ground-penetration-radar/?fbclid=IwAR0k-dRufI73YNf8wmtz0BVMhbv1KR1-L3DgLKu-TEBmf_M6bVlSl25HQi8
One of the most powerful things we can do is feel deeply into grief and let that grief transform into healing and action. Society has taught us to bury our emotions and pretend we are okay, even when we are not. Things are not okay.
We are living on the grounds of attempted genocide. We are living in a society that is still carrying out and benefiting from colonization at the suffering of Indigenous people. For settlers on this island, we have so much work to do and it starts with our personal relationship with the truth.
Chief Lenora Joe says in the video statement, "I ask you to not focus on the numbers. Not all of the missing children have been found, and many will never be found."
"As more communities search for answers and share results, I urge you not to lose sight of the devastation and the impacts."
I hope you take time to feel the sadness, the rage, the compassion, and whatever comes up for you as we face the horrifying recent history of this place we call home.
This song has been useful for me in accessing and being with that grief:
https://youtu.be/fbszJJr9I9U
I want to express my deepest condolences to the families connected to this unfolding tragedy. I hope this public revealing of the truth is ultimately healing for you.
May this be a moment on Cortes Island that deepens our empathy, strengthens our shared humanity, and builds our power and resolve for reconcili-action.
Mark
Mark Vonesch
Regional Director - Cortes Island
Strathcona Regional District
mvoneschsrd.ca
250-202-4422