Soldarity Statement in relation to tragedy in Tk’emlúps te Secwepemc

The Norwegian Sámi Association is deeply saddened by the discovery of 215 buried children at the grounds of Kamloops Indian Residential School in British Columbia, Canada. We send our deepest condolences to the Tk’emlúps te Secwepemc and all First Nations affected. We have long followed the search for the many missing children of the First Nations, and and we offer our support and solidarity after these shocking discoveries.

As an Indigenous people familiar with the concept of involuntary residential schools for assimilation purposes, we can only imagine the unfathomable sorrow of the families whose children did not return home from school. We share the grief of the First Nations mourning their lost children, and we send our heartfelt sympathies.

The history of the residential schools of Canada is an especially haunting and painful symbol of the colonial assimilation policies towards Indigenous Peoples around the world. We can feel the pain of our brothers and sisters in the First Nations, because it is our pain also.