Canada's 215-Mass-Graved Indigenous Children, et al, by Peter Boyce

The gut-wrenching recent discovery in Canada of the remains of 215 Indigenous children in a mass grave, at a site of a former state-ran residential school for the forced assimiliation of First Nation children, is damning proof as to why the spirit of humanity could never find peace while historical wrongs against innocents - both people, and nations, remain non atoned.

I offer it as a speculation that the reason humanity remains troubled even in the face of many beneficial events and deeds, is because of the too many historical wrongs, especially those committed by colonial powers, which have never been atoned. 

With regards to the recent grim discovery of the remains of 215 Indigenous children found in a mass grave in British Columbia, the event serves as yet another painful reminder of sufferings of Indigenous people at the hands of religion, independent governments and colonial powers. In Canada, from the 1870s to 1997, thousands of First Nations children were forced into residential schools by authorities in a willful plan at the cultural genocide of the Indigenous people. 

Some 6,000 Indigenous children in Canada died in these schools from abuse by priests, nuns and teachers. The recent sad discovery of 215 remains of children raises the likelihood that there may be more dead children than officially tallied. While Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his government appear genuinely sorry about this horrible aspect of Canada's past, the official Catholic Church, which played a major role in the operation and management of these schools of cultural genocide, is yet to atone for all the wrongs.

Canada is not alone in the historical notoriety of having committed crimes against innocents. Belgium, Australia, the British Empire, France, Denmark, Portugal, Spain, Germany and others are very guilty. And until such a time that most historical wrongs are atoned, humanity will continue to be bothered by a restless spirit - a spirit of all the historical innocent victims of the acts of empire, nation and religion.