'Another piece of information': Photos of residential school children discovered in Roman archives
An archivist with the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation (NCTR) is hoping to soon be able to digitize photos from Canada’s residential school system found in Rome with the hope of helping to identify children who were at the schools.
Raymond Frogner, the head of archives with the NCTR, was in Rome recently, where he discovered the photos in the Oblate Archives.
“There was a group of records referred to as audio/visual photos at the archives that basically documented public missions around the world since the 19th century,” he said. “Within all of those photos, I was able to find five jars that actually concern the residential schools in early 20th century Canada.
“I pointed this out to the archivists and just noted that they look like original photos, and they could potentially document the lives of children that we know are missing. And you know, we could get another piece of information on the lives of these children.”
Frogner estimates there are between 700 and 1,000 photos in the collection. He said the photos have some information written on the back, mostly location and dates, but no information on who is in the photos.
“Another potential component of this project would be to give access to the communities where the children are from, and ask the community if they can put names on those children, because at the moment, they don’t have any,” Frogner said.
Discussions with the archivists in Rome about the project are ongoing, but Frogner said once it’s approved, it won’t take more than a couple of months to digitize the photos.
He added these photos are essential to help document this era of Canadian history, especially as Canada continues to grapple with the legacy of the residential school system.
“We are in a period of profound change and documenting it, understanding it better with that documentation is vitally important,” Frogner said.
If you are a residential school survivor in distress, or have been affected by the residential school system and need help, you can contact the 24-hour Indian Residential Schools Crisis Line: 1-866-925-4419
Additional mental-health support and resources for Indigenous people are available here.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
There's actually no such thing as vegetables. Here's why you should eat them anyway
The rumours are true: Vegetables aren't real — that is, in botany, anyway. While the term fruit is recognized botanically as anything that contains a seed or seeds, vegetable is actually a broad umbrella term.
'It looked so legit': Ontario man pays $7,700 for luxury villa found on Booking.com, but the listing was fake
An Ontario man says he paid more than $7,700 for a luxury villa he found on a popular travel website -- but the listing was fake.
The Met Gala was in full bloom with Zendaya, Jennifer Lopez, Mindy Kaling among the standout stars
The Met Gala and its fashionista A-listers on Monday included Jennifer Lopez, Zendaya and a parade of others in a swirl of flora and fauna looks on a green-tinged carpet lined by live foliage.
Israeli forces seize Rafah border crossing in Gaza, putting ceasefire talks on knife's edge
Israeli tanks seized control of Gaza's vital Rafah border crossing on Tuesday as Israel brushed off urgent warnings from close allies and moved into the southern city even as cease-fire negotiations with Hamas remained on a knife's edge.
Canadian cadets rock mullets and place second at U.S. military competition
Sporting mullets, Canadian Armed Forces officer cadets placed second in an annual military skills competition in the U.S.
Noelia Voigt resigns as Miss USA, citing her mental health
Noelia Voigt, who was crowned Miss USA in November 2023, has announced she is resigning from her role, saying the decision is in the best interest of her mental health.
Putin begins his fifth term as president, more in control of Russia than ever
Vladimir Putin began his fifth term Tuesday as Russian leader at a glittering Kremlin inauguration, setting out on another six years in office after destroying his political opponents, launching a devastating war in Ukraine and concentrating all power in his hands.
Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, argues he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
Mediterranean staple may lower your risk of death from dementia, study finds
A daily spoonful of olive oil could lower your risk of dying from dementia, according to a new study by Harvard scientists.