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Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre
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  • The Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre at UBC

    Photo by Andrew Latreille

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INDIGENOUS DATA SOVEREIGNTY

“In January, Kimberly Murray, Special Interlocutor for missing children and unmarked graves, convened the third of a series of national gatherings. The focus of the meeting was Indigenous data sovereignty. As undocumented graves continue to be discovered at Indian Residential School sites, and as communities seek records related to unmarked graves, the issue of the ownership, access and control of Residential School records has emerged. Murray observed that Indigenous data sovereignty was vital in ensuring that “Indigenous values, rights, [and] interests,” inform decision making about these records.

The Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre’s Interim Executive Director, Kristin Kozar, presented at the conference. She noted that colonial frameworks and policies had kept Residential School records out of reach of most Indigenous communities and she called for legislative reform that prioritized communities’ sovereign rights. Kozar drew attention to the growing number of archives in Indigenous communities, a trend that ensured archives were “accountable to their own citizens in the use and management of community information.”

Read the Article

Image source: CBC. Used with permission.

Latest News

  • ‘A different place’: How the missing children of a former B.C. residential school changed CanadaJune 1, 2023
    Tricia Logan, the Interim Academic Director at the Centre, addresses the crucial significance of both the immediate local and global response to Tk’emlúps te Secwepemc’s announcement on May 27. She emphasizes the indispensable role of annual reflection in fostering widespread awareness about residential schools and illuminating Canada’s complex relationship with … Read more
  • Statement Regarding the Tseshaht First Nation Research Findings at the Site of the Former Alberni Residential SchoolFebruary 23, 2023
    February 22, 2023  The Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre at UBC (the Centre) shares in deep sadness with all impacted by the announcement from Tseshaht First Nation regarding the location of 17 potential unmarked graves at the site of the former Alberni Indian Residential School (AIRS), and the … Read more
  • Indigenous data sovereignty concerns raised as harm from residential schools continuesFebruary 7, 2023
    Presenting at the fourth National Gathering on Unmarked Burials, the Centre’s Interim Executive Director Kristin Kozar states that colonial frameworks and policies related to Indigenous data governance need to be changed.
  • Statement regarding the location of plausible burials at the former St. Mary’s Indian Residential SchoolJanuary 18, 2023
    January 17, 2023 It is with heavy hearts that the Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre releases a second statement today, less than a week after the previous one, regarding the location of unmarked burials at a former Indian residential school. Today, we are deeply saddened by the announcement … Read more
  • Statement regarding the discovery of human remains at the former Lebret Industrial SchoolJanuary 13, 2023
    January 13, 2023 The Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre is deeply saddened by the announcement yesterday, by the Star Blanket Cree Nation, of the location of a child’s remains and 2,000 hits by ground penetrating radar at the former Lebret Industrial School in Saskatchewan. We send our sincere … Read more


The records offer diverse perspectives (former students, officials, journalists, scholars) and include Survivor testimonies, Truth and Reconciliation Commission hearings, photographs, maps, government documents, church documents, and newspaper articles.

Responding to Survivors’ desire to have a single point of access to residential school records, the Centre provides access to an online database containing digital copies of records from partner organizations. This single access point brings together records that are otherwise dispersed online and in physical spaces.

Explore the Collections

The Centre is located on the traditional, ancestral, unceded territory of the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ speaking xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam people). We are privileged to work with the Musqueam First Nation and the Musqueam Archives as community partners.

Learn more

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Need support? The Indian Residential School Survivor Support Society
has established a 24-hour Crisis Line for former students and their families. Call: 1-866-925-4419.
Find additional wellness resources and supports.

Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre
1985 Learners' Walk
Vancouver, BC CA V6T 1Z1
Tel 604 822 6941
Website irshdc.ubc.ca
Email irshdc.info@ubc.ca
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