Kuper Island Indian Residential School
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. The school was operated by the Roman Catholic Church, with funding from the Department of Indian Affairs.
| Kuper Island Indian Residential School | |
|---|---|
June 19, 1941 view of Kuper Island Indian Residential School | |
| Location | |
Kuper Island, British Columbia | |
| Information | |
| Type | Canadian Indian residential school |
| Religious affiliation(s) | Catholic |
| Established | 1889 |
| Closed | 1975 |
| Authority | Catholic Church in Canada |
| Oversight | Crown–Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada |
| Language | English |
According to a controversial publication, the Dorchester Review, attendance was voluntary with the exception of a period between 1920 and 1948. It has also been asserted that attendance was mandatory for children from the then-Cowichan Indian Agency and adjacent Coast Salish peoples. 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: "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."
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.