The National Gathering on Unmarked Graves claims to be "Supporting the Search & Recovery of Missing Children"

In spite of new questions raised over the veracity of claims, the sensational unmarked graves narrative continues without interruption

Photo by Andrew James on Unsplash

This is a guest post by independent researcher/writer Shannon Lee Mannion.

This is a report of the two-day meeting in Edmonton, AB on September 14/22 and 15/22 referred to as a "gathering" where scores of Indigenous descended. The formal name of this meeting was: the National Gathering on Unmarked Graves: Supporting the Search & Recovery of Missing Children. It is one of many planned across Canada. The next one is in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

There were breakout rooms on the first day but there appears to have been no heads-up on when this national meeting was starting until late in the first day so no way of attending.

When Indigenous delegates spoke, they recounted anecdotes, inevitably using PowerPoint and showing wonderful photos of smiling, happy children with which everyone is familiar, while rueing the day these kids were forced to darken the door of an Indian Residential School (IRS). My take: absolute cognitive dissonance.

Overwhelmingly, if one word was mentioned consistently, it was work. The work that needs doing, the sacred work, working directly with communities, new frameworks, the burden of work being heavy, mental health and wellness work, important work, work on ourselves, continue to do this work, work with each other. 

What this does is it permits justification for demanding payment.

The terminology, crimes against humanity came up a couple of times. The term, disappeared, as in "disappeared into the ground" was mentioned.

And there was an empty chair on the stage for the children's spirits that was continually alluded to.

The last couple of hours were reserved for input from government and church representatives.

Each of these people's initial sally was to effusively thank the knowledge keepers, the elders, the survivors, the attendees, and most did a land acknowledgment. This has become as common as the laying of wreaths on Remembrance Day. If the natives had asked these hapless white people to bay at the moon, there would've been a cacophony.

Those at the gathering were certainly and clearly reinforcing. It is quite astounding and amazing at how far this small group has come. But of course everyone has the most recent electronic gear so why not. The most remote reserves complain bitterly about their inferior connectivity. How else are they going to hear about what they need to in order to toe the me-victim party line?

Everyone seemed to know things being announced that day in the media and yet they would have prepared notes as it is doubtful that anyone at the podium was presenting on the fly. Many of the show-stopping, big-timers had arrived in Edmonton earlier in the week. Imagine how much this cost and how much money is going to be poured into the cross-Canada junkets that are planned into 2023.

The nonsense with the vacant chair, and the tear-stained tissues and "medicines" being burned on the sacred fire, plus dawn seances to welcome the sun caused one savvy individual to suggest that this sort of thing smacks of cult chicanery.

There was so much talk about enduring burdensome work...but approaching it in a "good" way. This could just have easily been an exhortation to handle things in a more uniform way with all the women wearing their dirndl ribbon skirts similar to what we made in high school fifty years ago, the horizontal strips doing nothing for anyone's shape. And men, full-grown men, beribboned like strolling gypsy minstrels...accompanied by unsyncopated drumming and the caterwauling that passes for song.

Quite the Disney spectacle.

S.

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Shannon Lee Mannion is a a rural Ontarian, independent researcher/writer, a former journalist who is appalled at what is happening to our country.