Search of former Mohawk Institute Residential School grounds expected to take over a year

WARNING: This story contains distressing details.

With training underway, thesearch for unmarked graves at the former Mohawk Institute Residential School in Brantford, Ont., is close to starting,but the group leading theefforts say it will take more thana year to cover the roughly 200hectares of land.

Members of the Survivors' Secretariat,formed by Six Nations of the Grand River and residential school survivors, and Six Nations police dida practice search Wednesday afternoon atChiefswood Park in Six Nations usingground-penetrating radartechnology.

"I'm a little excited we're getting started, but I've got a little fear and worry just because of hearing the stories and knowing what we might see," saidBeverly Jacobs, whois Mohawk from Six Nations and also the Indigenous human rights monitor for the Survivors' Secretariat.

The training, which began earlier this month,means another step closer to beginning the search. There are now enough people trained to begin, likely in the next week or two, saidKimberly Murray, also with theSurvivors' Secretariat.

The initiativewas spurred by thediscovery of 200 potential burial sites from Tk'emlps te Secwpemc First Nation'spreliminary search in Kamloops, B.C.

There arecalls to search the former Mohawk Institute because it was one of Canada's oldest and longest running residential schools, abducting and abusing children from 20First Nation communities, according to theSurvivors' Secretariat.

Winter, weather will slow down search efforts

While Six Nationspolice, Brantfordpolice and Ontario Provincial Police will be part ofthe search, survivors are leading the efforts and will monitor the work.

Multiple groups are being trained to do the ground search, each group needing two days of learning, according to Jacobs.

Members of Six Nations police spent most of Wednesday atChiefswood Park tediously training on the grass during their second day. The practice runs were done in a grid with pylons and string marking the boundaries.

Police, and some Survivors' Secretariat memberspushed a cart with the radarup the grid in lanes, before going back, moving a foot to the sideand going up again. They did the same horizontally, effectively searching the same area twice.

Arnold Jacobs, media relations officer with Six Nations police, said the technology will show if there are any "anomalies" detected undergroundand the data will then be sent for analysis before the ground is explored further.

Laura Arndt,chief operating officer of the Survivors' Secretariat, said that with their two radarmachines,it will take 40 hours to search almost half a hectare of land.

"It could take somewhere between 469 and 500-plus days to do the acres," she said.

The search could also be delayed by poor weather, the winter and the nature of some of the terrain.

Survivors eager to start

Survivors and their family members at the training on Wednesdaysaid they wished the search had started months ago, but are eager to see it getting closer to a reality, even if there's no start date set yet.

"I'm glad to see them get started,"said John Elliott, who attended the school with his brother at age 10.

Wendy Hill, a cultural monitor with the Survivors' Secretariat, said she hopes the search will help people believe and understand the trauma Indigenous communities have endured for decades.

"I hope our ancestors who had to suffer in there for hundreds of years can get some kind of relief or healing from saying, 'This is what we're talking about,'" she said.

Alfred Lonnie Johnson, also a residential school survivor, said he's still exercising cautious skepticism.

"I won't believe it until I see it," he said.

While he hopes the searchbeginssoon,Johnson said he understands that's the reality of the situation.

"It took more than a day to steal this land, so it'll take more than a day to give it back."

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.