Thousands of Kids Died in Residential Schools, Now They're Being Found 

The saddest part is the last school closed in 1995! This is not ancient history and it continues to this day through the foster care system.

These investigations need to be held in Australia, among many other countries.

Chemawa Indian School in Oregon is the oldest CONTINUALLY operating residential school in the US. It is open right now. They are still removing children from their homes and forcing them into state controlled schools staffed with white Christians. Also there are more Native children in the US foster care system than were ever in the residential school system. This is not the past, its the present.

Not a single child has been found. Anomalies have been found. There is no way to know if these are graves without further investigation. The residential schools were certainly horrible, but why have we given up on rational investigation? Why have we simply decided that these anomalies are the graves of indigenous children? Can we approach this important issue with honesty?

Ok now do this in America as well.

this is only the Canadian side of the story just imagine the scale of the atrocities of American residential schools....

Jesus this lady is so nonchalant about what shes saying, some of the stuff she says will catch you off guard. Like when she was talking about her friend that died and then paused dramatically and said she committed suicide. And then shes talking about how the principal guy was a pig and then she gets into how he sexually assaulted and molested her in the same sentence so casually. What a strong woman. I hope shes happy and doing good

The british did the same thing to the Irish, and there Gaelic language. Tyranny is tyranny and it needs to stop all together.

We’ve known about this in Canada ever since we were children at least my generation, however this is just further evidence of the horrors that occurred in those residential schools. This shouldn’t alarm any Canadians but the fact that it does is proof of the willful ignorance most Canadians chose to live with.

My grandparents met in boarding school my dad would tell me stories about how they got taken as children away from their parents. Were still here and we won't give up NATIVE STRONG

How haunting knowing you’re city is built on the bones of children.

First Nations-Canada. And next. Native Americans-US. I’m part Native American. I’m partly deeply saddened. Part angry. Well said “No truth. No reconciliation”. Every single child needs to be brought home. Home is their ancestral place of birth. No matter what’s in those locations now.

that lady looked like she wanted to say a whole bunch of derogatory names towards Zimmerman :(

The Vatican also needs to pay. It's a sovereign state that funded and staffed these crimes against humanity.

I imagine the causes of death are a mix of murder, negligence, and disease.

The expression "skeletons in the closet" is more meaningful now.

The Canadian government feels so bad they give themselves a paid holiday smh

There have been over 6000+ children found so far within the US and Canada at these "schools". I do not believe they have even searched half of the "schools" yet either.

I had Dr. Supernant as a professor at the U of A and she was an amazing prof, she’s been doing this work for years and I’m glad her work is being recognized.

We have the same shameful history of residential schools in the US, and when the schools started to close, Indigenous children were funneled into an adoption system that placed them with white families to continue the process of cultural genocide. It's very important to learn about what's happening in Canada, but we in the US are sitting back shaking our heads from a distance and have not yet reckoned with the residential schools on this side of the border and the mass graves of Indigenous children that most certainly exist here.

"Indigenous children make up over Half of those in foster care but are just 8% of the youth." This is still war upon our people. I'm in U.S. and my kid was taken and given to a 2 time registered sex offender, 6 time felon because she was too scared to tell on dad. I kept telling and court gave her to him. Now she is a runaway. She just turned 18. I love you Metzli 💖

My grandmother told me that the older kids in her school would sleep closest to the doors so the priests and nuns would take them instead of the little ones. It usually worked. She eventually became one of the older kids and was sexually abused for quite some time. She didn’t really talk about much more than that. She had far more stories. Died with them. She was a bitter old lady, but with everything I’ve seen her go through on top of that, I understand why.

I live on the reserve of the last residential school that was closed in 1997. This place is still cursed with lies and cover up. We as survivors have a duty to help our children rest.

That Zimmerman name generationally isn’t great

Unforgiveable.

There are people, mostly on the right side of political parties, land grabbing conservatives still thinks that these were all justified. It just baffles me how evil and inhumane some people can be!

I'm indigenous and from the US, and I can definitely affirm that this isn't an issue just contained in Canada. We share the same issue of indigenous children being disproportionately taken away and placed in the foster care, and I even have my own personal experience dealing with this as a child. My brothers and I were taken from our home in the middle of the night because the police came to our home for what was originally a noise complaint that ended up escalating. I witnessed a large group of officers standing around my mom, while being restrained on the ground by just one, in our living room. They ended up gagging her with a sock because she was shouting at them to not take my brothers and I away. Their reasoning for this was she had been drinking, but the only problem she was causing was loud music, no fighting or partying, just some loud music. Thankfully we only had to spend a day at the foster facility because my grandpa came to pick my brothers and me up because the facility had no space to accommodate us for any longer (we had to sleep on the couches in the living room). My brothers and I weren't the only indigenous children there at the time. When I got a bit older I brought it up with my family about it, and one thing that stuck with me was their fear that if my grandpa hadn't gotten there sooner, my brothers and I would have been separated and shuffled around - making the whole process of getting us back that much harder. The system is designed against us, not for us.

Love how the Catholic church was hardly mentioned when there corrupt ways played a huge part in it

R.I.P. Fish he was only ten years old. All of these soft snowflakes out here crying about having to wear a mask wouldn’t have lasted one hour in his shoes.

2 years of digging and no children have been found. Shouldn't you do a piece on this false narrative?

I really don’t understand how adults can be cruel to children. I suffered as a kid in MY school, now that I’m an adult, I can’t imagine doing the same to children.

This is so wrong. Every day we are hearing more and more how the wicked have exploited our young children. They will not escape the punishment of these abuses.

8:30 Tremendous impact on kids today. I graduated from Highschool in 2010 and out of the only 3 native kids in my school at the time I was by far the most bullied because one was a girl she had friends and the other boy played hockey so he had his team to back him up. I had one parent, and the only thing she could do was work so that we could make ends meet so I basically don't even know who she is, Nor her me. I learned to not trust anyone, and only rely on myself. And it sucks cause now I have emotional issues, Use coping mechanisms to deal with various mental problems I've developed over the years from fighting with the various guys she would bring in and out, and running away. And you know what id bet my life that I'm not alone in this. I just never got a chance to meet anyone else that was going through exactly what I was, Which felt a lot like the fallout of exactly all of this. Shoutout to the other native kids out there that had to raise themselves and feel alone today. Cause one day you might meet another one of us. Finding out more about who I really am is a dream I feel was taken from me generations ago.

My sister and I were admonished for speaking our native language to each other at school too, when we emigrated to USA in the late 80s. But the depths of horror and despair these kids faced back then… I got goosebumps and chills.

Not just schools for native children, but facilities for orphans and delinquent children as well. My mother was sent to one in northern Minnesota and while there her friend said something really insulting to a worker and my mother saw him run her over intentionally with the maintenance vehicle in front of her and a bunch of other kids. Her body is still buried unmarked behind where the building was along with countless others. My mother also saw kids getting sexually abused by staff members.

I can’t imagine the pain and frustration. When the schools were open, they were being justified and supported. But now that they no longer need these schools, the government is “apologizing”

This is infuriating !!! These poor children had no one to defend them.

2 members from my family survived The Mohawk Institute. Thank you for covering this Vice! Bring our children home 🧡

The mass graves containing the Black Wall Street victims haven’t been found either. 100s of entire families, MY FAMILY. Please help pressure Oklahoma authorities to uncover their shame & bury my family properly

These needed to be at least an hour long or more! Thank you for covering this incredibly important topic that continues to impact many, many lives.

That ground-penetrating radar should be used at every single site where these residential schools were. One place in Quebec that needs to be investigated is the D’Youville Orphanage in Montreal on Cote de Liesse Road (run by the Catholic Church, Grey Nuns congregation). It’s been converted into a business building now but no one stays there for long because it’s got such dark energy to the place especially in the basement area. Ghost hunters go there all the time but security dogs scare off everyone. The stuff that went down in Quebec during the Duplessis era was pretty morbid.

So sad… but it’s good they’re acknowledging it.

I really hope the survivors and their kids live to see it through with finding and displaying the truth of those horrendous acts. God bless

Today is Truth and reconciliation day in Canada and have family and friends that have suffered in residential schools, my cheap ass oil company in Alberta doesn't even recognize it as a holiday and we had to work today. There's thousands of indigenous young women gone missing with no trace here with no recognition at all yet you see the girl who went missing at the national park on every news station, do these lives not matter?

"Canadians are the nicest people" - Propaganda

This was so short. This topic made me cry. Can there please be a part 2, -and much longer. The woman you interviewed had to wait over 50 or 60 years for this interview. These people deserve much more time than a measly amount and I bet your audience would watch the video thoroughly. Thank You again for the video and for spreading the word.

“the brutality of those time.” It was literally the 90s when the shut it down, those times were yesterday.

Thank for covering this atrocities Vice😢

Why church faces no consequences? Did they jail anyone for thousands of murders? That a concentration camp-level of crime.

This is why some "people" (you know who) will fight Critical Race Theory or ANY kind of accurate historical reckoning with tooth, nail, claw, and whatever else they can. They know the evil their ancestors did, and they want to still be proud of them without ever have to admitting they were monsters.

As someone who grew up in the USA system of education I never learned this in public schools. There were residential schools here as well. They hid it well. I am glad this is getting attention. We have to know it happened.

I know a few people who went to residential schools and they said they liked it. They are now hardworking natives. This is propaganda

Excavations have since been conducted, not a single body has been found…

My grandma went to boarding school in .B.C at age 4 to 14, from 1921 to 1935. I can't imagine what went on there.

This just breaks my heart.

And its omg Gabbie Petito, meanwhile thousands of children, THOUSANDS!

On the brick wall in child like handwriting it says "help me". This whole video made me weepy. How good it is that indigenous people today are working via this beautiful bond with their ancestors to seek justice for them. It is important to document their stories & to return the bones to the descendants of their families or tribe, so they can finally be with their families. Their stories mustn't be lost.

This is so painful to watch 💔 can't imagine the pain and suffering those children went through church should be ashamed of it self

Thank you Vice! As an Indigenous woman I thank you for bringing awareness to this! My heart is broken for my people but this will help us find peace in some way. Every child matters! 🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡 Praying for the lost children and anyone who was stolen and made to attend these evil residential schools. The pain is felt throughout our generations but we’re breaking the cycle! Creator be with us.

This whole video is so damn heartbreaking 😔

The fact that we get free documentaries on RU-vid by VICE News is truly a gift 👍

Survivors of the Shubenacadie School in Nova Scotia have said that children were thrown in the Shubencadadie River. It breaks my heart to think of how many children we will be unable to discover because they were swept to sea

The atrocities of the colonial age and its lasting repercussions have to be acknowledged and reconciled, all across the world. Indigenous lives matter.

What kind of savage barbarians would do this?

Please keep telling this story.

I was taken out of my home at 3 years old and taken to residential school only to be almost killed there. They didn't want me thereafter, and I was taken to the Supreme Court to be made a ward of the courts. I was then handed over to the social service to be put into the foster care system. I was in the foster care system up until I was 13 years old and I was kicked out of my foster parent's place. Social service could not find another place for me, so I was put on independent living at 13 years old, soak that in. Two weeks after I was on my own, I was kidnapped, raped by a man up in the mountains, almost killed, and left for dead up in the mountains stark naked. And today I'm a filmmaker telling our story.

in the 1990s, this was being taught im my anthropology program....it is very interesting that canadians and the media didnt see this info until the last 10 years....literately pathetic ....because we were being taught info that came from even further back...and linguistic course taught u that as well....because it ALWAYS focused partly on native languages

The last didn't close until the mid 1990s are you serious?!?!?! That's incredible and my heart brakes for everyone of those families. Those little children and the teenagers ....used and abused and made to feel wrong for just being themselves. The scale of human cruelty is unmatched anywhere else in nature that l know of. Such a painful and heartbreaking video.

It’s really sad that Canada took so many years just to start these and give an actual holiday to respect these innocent children even being A part Métis native myself it’s kind of sickening seeing it took this long

Seeing those children's names is really gut-wrenching.....so sad

This so sad, scary and sickening. Its a shame. Justice needs to be served.

The result of this discovery? Free day off for federal employees, lol. Thats the government for ya...

This is only one of the Heavy things us Canadian's have to live with. Our hearts are with every single soul lost and found......

This is truly heartbreaking 💔

The found children are up to 7000+ now. R.I.P. little ones 🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡

So where are bodies? Anyone? Bueller?

This makes my soul sad

The fact nobody is paying for these murders 💔

As a Canadian this our greatest national shame. I can't help but wonder if the same thing happened in the states on a much larger scale.

Observing our first national truth and reconciliation day today by revisiting the 94 callas to action and honouring the privilege I have to be a neighbour on Turtle Island. As a descendant of Ukrainian and Scottish settlers in Saskatchewan, I know that they only way we work through this is together - hand in hand and with open hearts. Now let’s get clean water for everyone and allow the Indigenous communities their rights. We must join them in protecting what natural world we have left and end the cycles of hatred.

Thank you Vice! I really hope we start looking into the US. The elders I know still talk of the horror stories from the US schools. We deserve to know the truth!

Last week, in Thunder Bay Canada, a 2 yr old boy died in a Dilico (native American Foster "care" system in the city) ran daycare, he was in foster care 😢 💔 😞 when will it end. I grew up in this city in the foster care system and dilico is one of the worst foster care systems ever, I still have ptsd and mental health problems

Absolutely horrible what happened there

I am the son of a survivor of government sanctioned abductions. My mother is my hero.

thanks vice i have been waiting 4 this for sooo long

Thank you for your work miss

This is devastating.

This isn’t age well

No, they have not been found. Actually, nothing has been found after digging. Radar signals are useless.

My heart breaks for this children. What have they done to deserve such cruelty and death to thousands of them. May the souls of those children find peace and freedom. 🌹🌹

Heartbreaking 💔

Here in Mi'kmaki Nova Scotia Canada they wount find graves because my dad who is a shubi residential school survivor told me of the storys how father Mackey and nuns burned all the body's in the incinerator, which soon after the old school burned down the province put a new buildings on top of it called Scotia plastics so they dont find the incinerator that was in the basement.

Shout out 2 all my natives of America

The more this is brought out into the light the better! These children deserve recognition and their deaths deserve justice. They hopefully will be given a proper burial away from the evil institutions that did horrible atrocities resulting in their deaths. This is the same thing happening in the USA, Australia and across the world!

My friend has adopted 3 kids through the foster system. He said it's easy to spot the foster "parents" who are in it for the money vs those who actually care about helping kids.

So sad the story my heart goes out

no bodies were actually found...

It hurts so much

This is heart breaking... I was able to live in a Navajo boarding school after winning an essay contest...made friends and tried to understand why they were separated from their families. As a teen I saw a lot of brainwashing being conducted...but run by the "church"... God knows how much molestation and abuse occurred. Sending the dead souls and the live victims HEALING. We need to watch, patrol and speak up and against this type of darkness. EVERYONE has to look outside their own wants, needs and issues and know that we are all ONE. If we could do this...this planet would gradually be less of a hell for so many...💚🙏🏾⚡

thank you for covering this vice! it’s been a serious issue in canada for a long time and the world needs to know what our ancestors did, i hope more action like this can happen in other countries as well!!!