The family of Colten Boushie marked the 10-year anniversary of his death this weekend with a private burial on the Red Pheasant Cree Nation [2].
The event highlights the enduring trauma and social division in Saskatchewan following a shooting that sparked national debates over race and justice in Canada.
Colten Boushie was 22 years old [1] when he was shot and killed on Aug. 9, 2016 [4], at a rural farm in Saskatchewan. The case gained significant attention when Gerald Stanley was acquitted of second-degree murder in 2018 [3].
Boushie's brother said the family chose a secret, calm location for the burial to protect the memory of his brother from public scrutiny. The decision aimed to provide a space for healing away from the noise of the legal battle, and the public eye.
"I wanted to put him in a calm place," the brother said.
Despite the passage of a decade, the family continues to struggle with the narrative surrounding the event. They said that the public perception of the case remains skewed by biases and inaccuracies.
"Stereotypes and mistruths still surround his death," a family spokesperson said.
The family sought a location on the Red Pheasant Cree Nation reserve that would offer peace and distance from the stereotypes that have persisted since the 2016 shooting [4]. By keeping the site secret, the family intends to honor Colten's life without the interference of those who still hold prejudices about the circumstances of his death.
“"I wanted to put him in a calm place."”
The decision to maintain a secret burial site reflects a deep-seated mistrust of public and legal narratives surrounding Indigenous deaths in Canada. By retreating from the public eye 10 years after the shooting, the Boushie family is prioritizing communal and familial healing over a public quest for closure, suggesting that the social wounds opened by the 2018 acquittal remain unhealed.
