Decades after his death, family repatriates First Nation man's remains 1,200 km back home

It's a time the Onabigon household has spent decades waiting for: the repatriation of their uncle, Percy Onabigon, backmost to Long Lake #58 First Nation.

Percy was taken from the bluish Ontario assemblage arsenic a young kid and enactment into St. Joseph's Indian Residential School successful Thunder Bay. From there, helium was sent to a fig of hospitals and institutions, connected relationship of being epileptic and partially paralyzed.

His household was ne'er told wherever helium was sent oregon what became of him aft helium was removed from St. Joseph's by a national Indian agent.

After years of probe and advocacy, Percy's niece, Claire Onabigon, recovered him: successful a cemetery successful Woodstock, Ont., much than 1,200 kilometres from home. He died astatine property 27 of tuberculosis astatine the Ontario Hospital.

On Thursday — the 59th day of Percy's decease — 7 household members and a tube bearer travelled to the confederate Ontario metropolis to exhume his remains.

But it wasn't easy; the household appealed to some the provincial and national governments to screen the astir $45,000 cost.

Because Percy died arsenic an adult, not a child, the household was told the national authorities would not supply sum nether the Residential Schools Missing Children Community Support Fund.

WATCH | The combat to reclaim mislaid remains:

After CBC News shared the Onabigons' communicative successful September, the Ontario authorities offered to ft the bill. The wealth comes from the Ministry of Indigenous Affairs and First Nations Economic Reconciliation's Residential School Unit.

"This is not conscionable astir bringing Percy location — it is astir repatriating an Ancestor, honouring the lives of each those affected by the Residential School system, and moving guardant unneurotic with respect, dignity, and justice," ministry spokesperson Meaghan Evans told CBC News successful an email.

For the Onabigons, though, it wasn't astir the money; it was astir the acknowledgement that Percy should ne'er person been taken successful the archetypal place. 

"This has gone mode beyond conscionable our household and however we consciousness astir it," said Claire. "[It has] besides opened up different people's eyes and ears to what's happened to the Indigenous radical of Canada, particularly done the residential schoolhouse system."

'Imagine however galore much Percys determination are'

Before the exhumation began, the household held a ceremonial to honour Percy, which they ne'er got to bash erstwhile helium died. About 2 twelve radical were there, including chiefs, intelligence wellness workers, members of the Ontario Provincial Police and others who helped marque the repatriation happen.

Simultaneously, a ineffable occurrence and ceremonial were held successful Long Lake #58.

The Onabigons also talented a medallion to Claire Sault, main of Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, for keeping Percy's remains harmless successful her accepted territory for truthful long.

"Imagine however galore much Percys determination are," Sault said. "[The family's] 20-year travel is extraordinary. Their perseverance to get the assistance they needed and to, astir importantly, support his representation alive."

Marcus Ryan, the warden of Oxford County, which includes Woodstock, says getting to cognize the Onabigons has been awe-inspiring.

"It's a existent information that there's a idiosyncratic successful a sedate present who was involuntarily taken from his community, from his nation, and sent to different portion of the state without anybody's evident permission," Ryan said.

"There is an existent existent accidental for meaningful information and meaningful reconciliation, and we person to instrumentality each 1 of those opportunities."

'I ne'er privation to bring them location similar this'

Truth and reconciliation are loaded words for Judy Desmoulin, main of Long Lake #58 First Nation.

"I'm conscionable not definite our state truly knows what that genuinely means," she said. "This concern contiguous is impervious of our truth; Percy has provided that model of letting our information beryllium known."

What worries her is that First Nations children are inactive being taken from their families done the kid payment system, thing she wants to spot change.

"We're going done a truly analyzable process uncovering our kids, bringing them home, and I ne'er privation to bring them location similar this," she said arsenic she pointed to Percy's grave. "It's decidedly not over."

Anna Betty Achneepineskum is simply a lawman expansive main for Nishnawbe Aski Nation, which represents 49 First Nations crossed Treaties 9 and 5. She echoes Desmoulin's concerns.

"We request to person the due resources and the capableness to guarantee that our children don't person to permission home, whether for schoolhouse oregon done the kid payment system," Achneepineskum said.

"We request to person the resources to beryllium capable to assistance our families erstwhile they bash search, and erstwhile they bash privation to bring their loved 1 home."

Calls for much national support

Anishinabek Nation, which represents 39 First Nations successful Ontario, played a cardinal relation successful advocating for the state to assistance enactment the Onabigons. Grand Chief Linda Debassige says present it's clip for the national authorities to measurement up, too.

"Canada, successful our view, has an ethical, moral, and fiduciary work to assistance repatriate our ancestors who were taken to residential schools without the consent of their parents," Debassige said.

On the run trail, Prime Minister Mark Carney pledged to implement the United Nations Declaration connected the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, which includes enactment for Indigenous radical to repatriate quality remains.

But Debassige wants to spot a steadfast committedness to instrumentality the enactment items successful Kimberly Murray's last report, released past fall.

Murray served arsenic Canada's autarkic peculiar interlocutor for missing children and unmarked graves and burial sites associated with Indian Residential Schools.

Her study outlines 42 obligations for governments, churches and different institutions to follow, successful bid to instrumentality an Indigenous-led Reparations Framework for Truth, Accountability, Justice, and Reconciliation.

Murray helped Claire probe what happened to Percy, having precocious discovered that helium was successful information eight, not six, erstwhile helium was taken to residential school, which speaks to "why it's truthful important for each the archives to beryllium accessible to communities," she said.

"My connection to the caller premier curate is to instrumentality the obligations… to proceed to enactment communities and families and survivors that are searching for the missing and disappeared children, and to decently money these investigations that communities are doing close now."

Percy's remains are being sent to Ontario's Forensic Pathology Service successful Toronto, wherever an autopsy and DNA investigation volition beryllium conducted — though a forensic anthropologist who assisted with the exhumation says determination are signs an autopsy has already been conducted.

The household says they were ne'er told this, and person not been capable to hint immoderate documentation.

The household plans to rebury Percy successful Long Lake #58 this summer, beside his relatives. In sharing his story, they accidental they anticipation others person the aforesaid enactment to bring their loved ones home.

"With each the enactment we had, it was made possible. So if we tin bash it, different families tin bash it, too," said Claire's brother, John O'Nabigon.

"Seeing each the enactment from everybody else, that radical saw our origin for erstwhile and they wanted to assistance and they recognized that it was important," said Riley Labelle, Claire Onabigon's 15-year-old granddaughter.

"Because it is important, due to the fact that it's our household — and conscionable if it was anybody else's family, you'd privation them to beryllium home."

A nationalist Indian Residential School Crisis Line has been acceptable up to supply enactment for erstwhile students and those affected. People tin entree affectional and situation referral services by calling the 24-hour nationalist situation line: 1-866-925-4419.

Mental wellness counselling and situation enactment is besides disposable 24 hours a day, 7 days a week done the Hope for Wellness hotline astatine 1-855-242-3310 oregon by online chat astatine www.hopeforwellness.ca.