Dunvegan Provincial Park, Alberta - photo of the Historic Dunvegan Cemetery.
In 2008 the Historic Dunvegan Cemetery was established near the Maples at Dunvegan Provincial Park.
This area is the traditional lands and territory of the Dunne-za and has served as a traditional gathering place for many years. With the expansion of the fur trade, it opened the door for others to come to the area including the Cree, Iroquois, Assaulter, Sekani, Assinboine and Metis.
There were three historic cemeteries located in the valley of Dunvegan dating back to 1806 and ending in 1911. The North West Company created the first cemetery for employees and their families as well as the Hudson's Bay Company. In 1867 the Roman Catholic St Charles Mission and Anglican St Saviors Mission created their own cemeteries. A total of 134 people were buried in the cemeteries that included fur trade employees and their families, members of the church and their families and a number of Dunne-za and Metis . Two-thirds buried here were of children who died of influenza, measles and small pox during the late 1800's.
It was difficult to find the names of all the people who were buried here and because of the many languages and gaps in record keeping, often only a first or last name was recorded.
View the list of those buried at the Historic Dunvegan Cemetery (as posted at the site):
It was the tradition of the Dunne-za and other Indidgenous People that when a person died their bodies would be placed on high platforms or secured in trees. The Christian missionaires influenced the change of that practice with the burrying of the dead in graves.
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