2 Student Death – Cemetery Register

The next few chapters of this ebook deal with student illness and death in Residential Schools.

This information can often be upsetting. If you are experiencing distress please contact the Indian Residential School Crisis Line at 1-866-925-4419

The collection of this information is a work in progress. If you know of someone who passed away at Shingwauk and is buried in the cemetery there, or you see incorrect information here, please contact the Shingwauk Residential Schools Centre. Work to identify unmarked burials is ongoing.

Student death in Residential Schools can be a difficult subject to talk about, but it is an important one. Out of the 150,000 students who attended Residential Schools across Canada, at least 3,000 of them died, with researchers estimating that the actual number may be far greater (Truth and Reconciliation Commission, 2015; Wiles, 2015). Ongoing investigations into unmarked burials at Residential Schools in Canada have found approximately 1300 graves, with this number constantly increasing. Many of these deaths were unreported, or if reported included very minimal information, often leaving out the cause of death and the name of the student (Truth and Reconciliation Commission, 2015). In many cases, parents were not told what happened to their children and were left to wonder what became of them when they never came home.

Understanding the impact this had on other students and Indigenous communities is important to understanding the Residential School Legacy. When the Truth and Reconciliation Commission was conducting their research, they wrote a 255 page report dedicated just to Missing Children and Unmarked Burials, even though the topic was not originally part of their mandate (Truth and Reconciliation Commission, 2015). The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation has picked up this work and has created a memorial register to honour those who died at Residential Schools.

All Residential Schools had a cemetery associated with them, but not only are few of them still visible, many have been completely lost with their locations unknown. Shingwauk is one of the few exceptions in that its location is know, grave markers are still visible, and a cemetery register exists. After Shingwauk closed in 1970, the cemetery fell into a state of disrepair and vandalism, and when Survivors returned in 1981, many of the student grave markers, most of which were wooden, had been lost. A fund was started by the Survivors to pay for ongoing maintenance of the cemetery and for the erection of a memorial cairn, dedicated to all who are buried in the cemetery.

Currently Survivors from Shingwauk are working with the City of Sault Ste Marie to erect a memorial in Snowdon Park acknowledging the children who drowned in the lake which used to occupy that space.

Statistics based on known burials in the Shingwauk Cemetery

Total number of burials: 120

Visible markers: 23 (representing 29 burials)

Total number of students: 73 (60%), plus 4 former students

Student age range: 7-19 years old

Average age of students when they passed: 12 years old

Common causes of death: Tuberculosis and related illnesses (49%), pneumonia (8.5%), drowning (8.5%), brain related illnesses (7%), typhoid fever (7%)

List of student home communities by region:

Southwestern Ontario (42%)- Moraviantown, Muncey, Sarnia, Walpole Island, Brantford

Manitoulin Island (12%)- Little Current, Sheguiandah, Sheshegwaning, Sucker Creek, Whitefish River

Mid-Ontario (12%) – Cape Croker, Rama, Saugeen, Christian Island

Quebec (8%)- Kahnawake, Oka, St. Regis

Northeastern Ontario (8%) – Michipicoten, Missanabie, Spanish River

Northwestern Ontario (8%) – Fort William, Lake Nipigon

Alberta (1%) – Blackfoot Crossing