Rosanne Casimir
Kúkpi7
In office
November 2018 – November 2021
Assumed office
November 2021

Rosanne Casimir OBC is the Kúkpi7 (/ˈkukpiʔ/, meaning Chief) of the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc. She is the third woman to serve as Kúkpi7. During her tenure, 200 targets of interest were discovered with ground-penetrating radar on the site of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School. Some researchers have speculated that the targets may possibly indicate unmarked child graves, but forensic investigation with excavation has not been done to confirm these claims.[1]

Career

Casimir first ran for election as Kúkpi7 in 2018.[2][3] She succeeded the previous office-holder Fred Seymour, who did not seek re-election, becoming the third woman to hold the office.[4] She had previously served as a Tk’emlups councillor for nine years, holding portfolios for land, taxation and housing.[4] One of her ancestors is a previous Tk’emlups chief Louis Clexlixqen (1852 -1915).[5]

During her tenure as Kúkpi7, the remains of 215 children were found buried on the site of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School.[6][7][8][9][10][11] In May 2021, according to a source referencing TteS Kukpi7 Rosanne Casimir's news release, the remains of 215 children, including some as young as three years old, were found buried on the site of the former residential school.[12] In the press release issued by Casimir, stated that: “We are not here for retaliation. We are here for truth telling.”[13]

In October 2021, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau issued a formal apology to indigenous leaders, including Kúkpi7 Casimir, since he decided to not formally participate in Canada's first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.[14][15] This was despite having received two invitations from the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc Nation.[14] Casimir described his lack of attendance as a "gut punch to the community".[14]

In November 2021, Casimir was elected for another three year term as Kúkpi7 (Chief) of the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc.[2][16] Of the 475 eligible ballots cast, 245 were in support of Casimir.[2]

Awards and recognition

In 2022, Castanet News selected Casimir as Person of the Year 2021 and was made a Member of the Order of British Columbia.[17] She is a member of the board of directors of the British Columbia Assembly of First Nations.[18][19]

Personal life

In February 2021, Casimir and her husband both tested positive for COVID-19.[20]

She is married and has two children and one step-child.[5]

References

  1. ↑ Pruden, Jana (July 16, 2021). "Anthropologist explains how she concluded 200 children were buried at the Kamloops Residential School". The Globe And Mail. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 "Rosanne Casimir re-elected as chief of Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc Nation". National Post. 2021-11-15. Retrieved 2022-01-29.
  3. ↑ Snook, Andrew. "Three-term councillor elected chief of Tk'emlups te Secwepemc". CFJC Today Kamloops. Retrieved 2022-01-29.
  4. 1 2 "Tk'emlups welcomes new chief and council". Kamloops This Week. Retrieved 2022-01-29.
  5. 1 2 Secwépemc, Tk’emlúps te. "Kúkpi7". Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc. Retrieved 2022-01-29.
  6. ↑ Wire, True North (2021-06-04). "Kamloops discovery "not a mass grave" says Tk̓emlúps te Secwépemc Chief". Retrieved 2022-01-29.
  7. ↑ Kennedy, Dana; Vincent, Isabel (2021-05-29). "Canadian tribal chief, survivors 'devastated' by mass grave of Indigenous kids". New York Post. Retrieved 2022-01-29.
  8. ↑ Paperny, Anna Mehler (2021-05-30). "Remains of 215 children found at former indigenous school site in Canada". Reuters. Retrieved 2022-01-29.
  9. ↑ Austen, Ian (2021-05-28). "'Horrible History': Mass Grave of Indigenous Children Reported in Canada". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-01-29.
  10. ↑ Sheehi, Lara (2021-08-29). "Denise K. Lajimodiere. Stringing Rosaries: The History, the Unforgivable, and the Healing of Northern Plains American Indian Boarding School Survivors". Institutionalised Children Explorations and Beyond. 8 (2): 278–280. doi:10.1177/23493003211033365. ISSN 2349-3003. S2CID 239698149.
  11. ↑ Hart, James M. (2021-09-22). "The Front". BC Studies (211): 5–13.
  12. ↑ "Remains of 215 children found at former residential school in British Columbia". APTN National News. The Canadian Press. May 28, 2021. Retrieved May 30, 2021.
  13. ↑ "First Nation calls for release of school records to identify residential victims". the Guardian. 2021-07-15. Retrieved 2022-01-29.
  14. 1 2 3 "Trudeau visits First Nation to apologise after holiday snub". BBC News. 2021-10-18. Retrieved 2022-01-29.
  15. ↑ "Tk'emlúps te Secwepemc chief describes Trudeau visit as 'bittersweet'". CTVNews. 2021-10-18. Retrieved 2022-01-29.
  16. ↑ "Rosanne Casimir re elected as chief of Tk?emlups te Secwepemc". The Turtle Island News. 2021-11-15. Retrieved 2022-01-29.
  17. ↑ Jan 1, Sydney Chisholm-; Story: 354970, 2022 / 4:00 am |. "Chief Rosanne Casimir selected as Castanet's Person of the Year: 2021 - Kamloops News". www.castanet.net. Retrieved 2022-01-29.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  18. ↑ "Board of Directors | British Columbia Assembly of First Nations". www.bcafn.ca. Retrieved 2022-01-29.
  19. ↑ "B.C.'s highest honour recognizes 14 British Columbians" (Press release). Government of British Columbia. August 1, 2022.
  20. ↑ "Tk'emlups Chief Casimir tests positive for COVID-19". Kamloops This Week. Retrieved 2022-01-29.
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