Hundreds of backpacks left as memorial to children found in mass grave at residential school

Absolutely heartbreaking.

Last month the bodies of over 200 children were found in a mass grave on the site of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School in Canada, but it wasn't to be the last. This month another shocking discovery was made when another mass grave was found at the former Marieval Indian Residential School, this time holding within it the remains of over 700 young children. Since the horrifying discovery was made those in the Indigenous community and their supporters have been gathering backpacks to create a tribute to 751 children who never came home. Canada has a very dark history with former church run residential schools, with generations of young indigenous children forcibly taken from their families and placed in them. Many survivors of the residential schools have come forward over the years to speak of the traumatic abuse they suffered during their years there. Speaking on the latest tragic discovery and the tribute, memorial organiser Prairie Crowe said she hopes when people see all the backpacks it will really hit home just how many children were lost;

"I think that number, 751, just sticks with a lot of people. [It's] just to symbolize them and show the number … just to have a visual impact."

There are currently 150 backpacks on the steps of the Saskatchewan Legislature but more are being added each day as more donated backpacks come in. The two recent discoveries are just one of many to be found at former residential schools in Canada over the last few years and searches are currently ongoing on other residential school sites.