Survivor-led search of Mohawk Institute Residential School site in Brantford expected to begin in October

WARNING: This story contains distressing details.

A search of the grounds at the former Mohawk Institute Residential School in Brantford, Ont., is expected to start next month.

Ground-penetrating equipment has been purchased and community members, along with police, are being trained on how to use itto scan about 200 hectaresat the site, according to Kimberly Murray, whohas been hiredto help create a survivors' secretariat and oversee the investigation on its behalf.

"We're doing a mapping exercise with a number of survivors and receiving information from their knowledge of where they think we should be starting the search," she said.

"We will be starting the search in October."

Murray waspreviously executive director of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC).

Atobacco-burning ceremony was held at the site, at sunrise on Sept. 24, to bring everyone involved together and "let the spirits know that there is going to be this search, that there could be some disruptions," she said.

The residential school operated between 1831and 1970. During those decades, an estimated 15,000 students were required to pass through its doors before it was officially shut down.

Some sections of the property have been searched in the past, though no human remains have been uncovered.

Survivors of the facility referred to it as the Mush Holebecause of the food they were forced to eat. They've shared stories of physical abuse and of students who were seen one day and gone the next.

WATCH |The National's feature on theMohawk Institute Residential School:

Painful legacy of an Ontario residential school

3 years ago

Duration 6:33

WARNING: This story contains distressing details. More than 15,000 children were forced to attend the Mohawk Institute Residential School, were viciously abused and had their culture stolen from them. Its now a cultural centre, providing education about residential schools and there are growing calls for an intensive search of the grounds.

Mark Hill, elected chief of Six Nations of the Grand River, has called for a criminal investigation.

"We have a duty here," he previously told CBC.

"We have a responsibility to find all of our children and the atrocities that have taken place during their time at all these residential schools across the country."

'Building trust in the process'

The push for more sites to be searched for unmarked graves came earlier this year, afterTk'emlps te Secwpemc First Nation in B.C. sharedpreliminary results from a survey of the grounds at theformer Kamloops Indian Residential School. The surveyindicatedthe remains of an estimated200children could be buried there.

The summer that followed saw demonstrations across Canada. Based on CBC coverage, at least nine locations have been scanned so far and more than 1,300 potential unmarked burials have been uncovered, though an exact number is not clear.

Theinvestigation at the former Mohawk Institute will be carried out by Ontario Provincial Police, Six Nations and Brantford police.

Police confirmedthey're continuing to work together to determine their next steps, with details expected to be worked out in the coming weeks.

The community was very clear that they wanted the investigation to be led by survivors.

"Having that ownership and control over the process is very important for the community," Murray said, explaining the work can't be left up to police alone.

"People will always question, 'Was it done properly?' It's part of the oversight, it's part of the accountability, it's part of the building trust in the process to include community members."

The survivors' secretariat is also in the process of going through hundreds of records from the Mohawk Institute that were collected by the TRC, and working to determine what other documents might exist and help shed light on what happened there.

Murray said just 24 statements about the residential school were provided to the TRC, and is urging any survivors, former employees or people with a link to the facility to come forward and share their story.

Reflect onresilience, not just the past

Today, the institute has been reclaimed as the Woodland Cultural Centre, with the goal ofprovidingeducation about itshistory as well asresources for learning about Indigenous language and identity.

The centre, and its front steps in particular, have becomea gathering place of sorts as more graves were uncovered during the summer.

Rows of shoes and stuffed animals continue tocoverthe steps leading to its entrance. In recent months, staff and survivors have told CBC they have heardtime and again from visitors who had never learned about residential schools growing up.

Executive director Janis Monture said she expects people may be drawn to the centre again on Thursday, with Sept. 30 markingthe first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

Because of COVID-19, there are noplans for the centre tohost in-person events. Instead they've been organizing virtual tours of the site, offering workshops on the TRC and providing online education packets.

Monturesaid it's important to reflect on Sept. 30, but urged people to focus onmore than just the past.

"See the resilience and celebration of our people and to understand we're still very much here, living and working and participating in Canadian society in our own way."

Search equipment part of lasting legacy

After the search of the grounds is completed, Murray said plans are already in the works to ensure it leaves a legacy. The Six Nations community can continue to use the equipment when considering construction projects or archeological digs, she said.

The secretariat also intends to share its knowledge, she added.

"We'll be able to help other communities that are undertaking this work if they're looking to us for assistance and lessons learned."

Support is available for anyone affected by their experience at residential schoolsand those who are triggered by these reports.

A national Indian Residential School Crisis Line has been set up to provide support for residential school survivors and others affected. People can access emotional and crisis referral services by calling the 24-hour national crisis line: 1-866-925-4419.