National Gathering on Unmarked Burials

Next week at the National Gathering on Unmarked Burials, Know History will present a workshop on best practices for researching the missing children and unmarked graves.

We are honoured to be leading this workshop. Research, especially research into such an important and sacred area, is the backbone of what we do at Know History. For the past year, we have been working with the Survivors’ Secretariat to uncover the history of the Mohawk Institute in Brantford, Ontario. This project has led us to further refine our research skills in order to address the unique challenges of residential school research. These methods include: negotiating access to restricted files on behalf of First Nations, facilitating access to the archives, working with and developing historical maps, designing data storage systems, and interpreting historical data.

Our approach to this work is collaborative. We continue to take direction from the Survivors and do our best to honour this sacred work. Know History firmly supports Indigenous data sovereignty and calls for the removal of barriers to accessing residential school records. As Survivors’ Secretariat Lead Laura Arndt said, “If we are to have true Indigenous data sovereignty, we must clear the roadblocks that limit our access to the documents that exist about us. These are our people’s stories, and we must be the holders of this knowledge moving forward.”

It gives us great pride to be able to share our expertise with Nations from across the country who are undertaking this work. The workshop will be held in the afternoon on January 17. We will also have researchers available on January 18 if you would like to discuss your specific research needs privately.

Survivors of the residential school system can get support through Canada’s Indian Residential Schools Resolution Health Support Program 24-7 crisis line by calling 1-866-925-4419.