Kuper Island Indian Residential School

Kuper Island Indian Residential School
June 19, 1941 view of Kuper Island Indian Residential School
Location
Map
Kuper Island, British Columbia

Canada
Information
TypeCanadian Indian residential school
Religious affiliation(s)Catholic
Established1889[1]
Closed1975[1]
AuthorityCatholic Church in Canada
OversightCrown–Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada
LanguageEnglish

The Kuper Island Indian Residential School, also known as Kuper Island Indian Industrial School, was a Canadian Indian residential school located on Kuper Island (now known as Penelakut Island), near Chemainus, British Columbia, that operated from 1889 to 1975.[2] The school was operated by the Roman Catholic Church, with funding from the Department of Indian Affairs.[3]

On 12 July 2021, the Penelakut First Nation announced that more than 160 unmarked graves had been found on the grounds and foreshore of the former institution.

It has also been asserted that attendance was mandatory for children from the then-Cowichan Indian Agency and adjacent Coast Salish peoples.[citation needed] CBC's Ombudsman, in reviewing a complaint regarding language related to residential school attendance, cited the 2008 Statement of apology to former students of Indian Residential Schools[4]: "the residential school system was intended to “remove and isolate children from the influence of their homes, families, traditions and culture” further supports the idea that residential school attendance was involuntary."[5]

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference NCTR was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Chan, Adam (1 June 2021). "More than 200 students died at Vancouver Island's 5 residential schools". ctvnews.ca.
  3. ^ "Kuper Island Indian Industrial School - RBCM Archives". search-bcarchives.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca.
  4. ^ "Statement of apology to former students of Indian Residential Schools". 3 November 2008.
  5. ^ "When does something become fact". cbc.radio-canada.ca. Retrieved 7 July 2023.