Percy Onabigon, an Anishinabe boy from Long Lake #58 First Nation, was taken to a residential school in 1946 and, within months, was transferred without explanation to institutions in southern Ontario, where he lived and eventually passed on without ever seeing his family again. Driven by her family’s enduring love and memory of Percy, his niece Claire Onabigon located his gravesite in Woodstock in 2010. But with no supports, no records, and no government mechanisms to help families searching for lost children who went missing from residential schools, she could go no further. Against the backdrop of growing national awareness about the legacy of residential schools and unmarked burials, Claire eventually connected with Kelsey Anger of the Anishinabek Nation’s Reconciliation Department, whose research helped uncover institutional records and begin piecing together Percy’s missing years. Part 1 of this 2-episode series lays the emotional and historical foundation for the journey to understand what happened to Percy, and the efforts to finally bring him home.
* Some of the content of this episode may be upsetting to some listeners. Hope for Wellness Helpline: 1-855-242-3310. Hope for Wellness Helpline is available 24/7 to all Indigenous people across Canada, whether you prefer to talk to someone on the phone or online.
This podcast is produced by the Communications Department at the Anishinabek Nation. Transcript: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/5yj6kp96whduh6s8/ONABIGON_2026-03-26_FINAL.pdf
Music: Minou-Pimatiswen by Nigel Irwin and Chippewa Travellers, The Longest Route by Justin Delorme, and Cousins by Wolf Saga/Chippewa Travellers, provided by Nagamo Publishing.
Effects: IndigoBunting and Freesound Community, provided by Pixabay. Links and Resources: Anishinabek Nation – Indian Residential, Day and Industrial Schools https://anishinabek.ca/irs/
National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation https://nctr.ca/
Residential Schools Missing Children Community Support Fund https://www.rcaanc-cirnac.gc.ca/eng/1622742779529/1628608766235
Ontario Archives – Records related to Indigenous Peoples https://www.archives.gov.on.ca/topic/records-related-to-indigenous-peoples/ Office of the Independent Special Interlocutor for Missing Children and Unmarked Graves and Burial Sites associated with Indian Residential Schools https://osi-bis.ca/
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