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B.C. First Nations Man Recounts Life at Kuper Island Residential School
The Penelakut Tribe says archival research found as many as 171 deaths at the school, including 16 suspicious cases.
- Some 76 years ago, Tseycum First Nation Elder Vernon Jack was taken from his home to Kuper Island Residential School, where the now 81-year-old survivor recounts his harrowing experience.
- Authorities threatened to jail Jack's grandmother if the then five-year-old boy did not attend the school, which was operated by the Roman Catholic Church and funded by the Department of Indian Affairs for 86 years.
- Jack reports enduring rape at age seven, while archival research by the Penelakut Tribe indicates 171 attendees died at the school, with 16 deaths deemed suspicious, including students who drowned attempting escape.
- To cope, Jack turned to running and alcohol for decades until stopping drinking in his 50s after his children questioned his behavior, prompting him to share his painful history with family.
- Now serving as his community's Hereditary Chief, Jack advises other survivors to "Share. If you leave things inside you, you get more sick and sick," though he says forgiveness "isn't something he has considered.
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Coverage Details
Total News Sources14
Leaning Left13Leaning Right0Center0Last UpdatedBias Distribution100% Left
Bias Distribution
- 100% of the sources lean Left
100% Left
L 100%
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