Elders say remains should be reburied

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In a continued effort to draw Aboriginals onside, Epcor organized a Jan. 5 information sharing meeting with Cree representatives and Elders from several reserves surrounding Edmonton, including Papasschase descendants that once inhabited the city's river valley.

Convened at the University of Alberta?s Anthropology Dept., the group of 40 or so listened to Dr. Barney Reeves, an Epcor consultant since 1978, and Dr. Nancy Lovell, chairwoman of the department.

Both their presentations focused on a 1967 excavation for a gas pipeline at Epcor's Rossdale Flats power plant, east of the Legislature grounds.

That dig unearthed an old Hudson's Bay Co. cemetery and five skeletal remains and artifacts that have since been in storage at the university.

The discovery, according to Reeves, was innocent enough and occurred long after the cemetery fell into disuse (1886) and was forgotten. In fact, most of it was covered over by the Rossdale Road that runs alongside the power plant and is the subject of much controversy today.

Dr. Lovell said the university has no real interest in keeping the remains and artifacts, but added nobody has requested the return of them.

Wayne Roan, a chief and spiritual leader of the Mountain Cree camp in west-central Alberta, told the crowd that society should show "a little respect and they (the bones) should be reburied."

When questioned as to who should do it, Roan replied, "It should be someone who is knowledgable, and not these frontline, rattle-shaking medicine men you see in every meeting. Let's go back out there among the trees where the real people are . . . people in the back that don't say anything, (that's) where you should be looking for answers."

Former Sucker Creek chief Jim Badger agrees that respect should be shown and that Natives "should be getting more involved."

Another delegate, Linda Bull, said that the university and Indigenous people have a responsibility "to find out where they (the remains) should be taken."

Fred Nadeau, a Cree Elder, admitted they're "probably in a good place," but also questioned, "why they keep them? All those things should be kept secret," he said.

Dr. Lovell said, "We're going to be soliciting recommendations from the Elders."

In mid-December, a similar gathering was held with Blackfoot representatives. "We suggested there might be other information meetings of this type," Lovell added.