Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation near Kamloops, B.C. was the site of a national reckoning over the legacy of residential schools. On May 27, 2021, the First Nation announced it had discovered 215 probable unmarked graves on the ground of a former residential school, using ground-penetrating radar technology. The number was later revised to around 200 probable graves.

Since that revelation, leaders of the First Nation have been reluctant to provide more information and have not yet conducted an archeological dig of the former residential school grounds. Five years on and with few concrete answers, a loud contingent of skeptics and denialists have grown.

Globe reporters Willow Fiddler and Patrick White join The Decibel to report on what they have learned since, the impact of the initial announcement, the complexities of working on a site like this, and what is planned for the investigation going forward.

Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at thedecibel@globeandmail.com

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The search for graves at Tk’emlups, five years on

The Decibel

The search for graves at Tk’emlups, five years on