Task force preparing for ground search at former Mohawk Institute in Brantford, Ont.
A special task for is preparing to search the grounds at the former Mohawk institute Residential School in Brantford, now known as the Woodland Cultural Centre.
Before the formal investigation begins, crews must get trained on the equipment.
On Wednesday, Six Nations Police worked with ground penetrating radar at Chiefswood Park in Oshweken.
“It’s like a fish finder but for the earth,” said Arnold Jacobs with Six Nations Police.
Arnold said a lot can be found underground with the machine.
“Clothing, a wood stick, a root, diminishes even more to like water because our bodies are made up the majority of water,” he said.
The community fears unmarked graves could lurk below the surface of the former residential school.
“It was in existence from 1830. So we’re talking many years,” said Beverly Jacobs, the Survivors' Secretariat's Indigenous Human Rights Monitor.
The group said the thought of what might be found there is bringing up many emotions.
“It makes me feel sad. It makes me feel angry. Angry that this happened. That they got away with it. That is a human rights violation. That it is murder,” Beverley said.
Survivors were also at the training session. Among them was Geronimo Henry, who said said he was at the school from 1942 to 1953 starting from when he was only six years old.
“We used to go to the dump to get food because they didn’t feed us,” said Henry.
He said he and many other kids were abused at the residential school and he still lives with the trauma.
“There was a physical, mental, psychological stuff and then sexual. That stuff it doesn’t go away when you leave the school, even if you try to get counselling,” Henry said.
Six Nations Police said community members are welcome to attend the next training session as volunteers will be needed to search the grounds. As for when the formal search will begin, Six Nations Police said it is not yet known.
The hope is that whatever painful past is uncovered it will lead to confirmation and some form of closure for survivors and the community.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
2 military horses that broke free and ran loose across London are in serious condition
Two military horses that bolted and ran miles through the streets of London after being spooked by construction noise and tossing their riders were in a serious condition and required operations, a British government official said Thursday.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
He replaced Mickey Mantle. Now baseball's oldest living major leaguer is turning 100
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.
What a urologist wants you to know about male infertility
When opposite sex couples are trying and failing to get pregnant, the attention often focuses on the woman. That’s not always the case.
Made-in-Newfoundland vodka claims top prize at worldwide competition
A Newfoundland-made vodka has been named one of the world’s best by judges at this year’s World Vodka Awards.