Land Guardians and ancestral grave care at the York Factory cemetery

York Factory National Historic Site sometimes appears as a quiet and isolated building, starkly set against remote woods and waters. However, it was once a bustling depot with many of the fixings of a small town like a church, school, hospital, library, cooperage, blacksmith shop and a bakehouse. And like many communities, it needed a cemetery; a place to lay to rest those that lived and worked at the trading post. The cemetery at York Factory dates back to 1818, when Chief Factor William Sinclair became the first to be buried there. Over the years, 160 more people were interred there, ending with Albert Arthur Saunders in 1933. His marker is etched entirely in Cree.

From 1682 to 1957, the York Factory trading post was a cornerstone of the fur trade industry, which required a deep reliance on and relationship with the First Nations whose traditional territory the depot resided on. This includes York Factory First Nation, who were forcibly relocated to York Landing following the closure of the trading post. Members of York Factory First Nation have maintained their strong connection to the area where their Nation built their culture, shared their teachings and practiced stewardship of the land and water for thousands of years.

This stewardship continues today, including through the Land Guardians, a partnership of York Factory First Nation and Fox Lake Cree Nation. One of their initiatives is to help preserve and protect the cemetery at York Factory National Historic Site, reconnecting back to the land and empowering them to honour their ancestors, lands, waterways and all living beings at the site. The cultures and identities of Indigenous Peoples are rooted in the land, and honouring connections to place is an important element for actions and outcomes related to reconciliation.

In August of 2025, the Land Guardians embarked down the Nelson River to York Factory National Historic Site to begin restoration work on the cemetery. Led by Albert Saunders from York Factory First Nation and Clara Beardy from Fox Lake Cree Nation, the group included nine more members representing both Nations, as well as support from Parks Canada staff. For some of the Land Guardians, this marked their first visit to the site, while others were returning to this important place.

Following years of planning, the group knew which project they wanted to tackle first. The toll from the elements on the remote site were visible on the cribbing that protects individual graves. This was the focus of the Land Guardians' trip.

Using special, oil-based paint, the Land Guardians began to prepare new cribbing to cover the graves. At first, work took place in the iconic depot as they took cover from stormy conditions. On the second day, the sun came out allowing the Land Guardians to take their work outside, and for the paint to dry much faster. By the end of their time at the site, they had painted all but one crib, and had begun assembling them, ready for future instillation.

Interwoven throughout their workdays were moments to enjoy the site, the land and each other’s company. Some of the youth participating in the project hosted a game of hide-and-seek in the depot, where their laughter could be overheard all the way back in the lodging house. Games of Crib were played, meals were shared, and the group participated in Ceremony together. On the final full day, they gathered to smudge the cemetery, lighting sage, cedar and tobacco, and offering tobacco to the land and their ancestors.

In future years, the cemetery will receive more care led by the Land Guardians. Funding and facilitating projects like this are one part of Parks Canada’s commitment to supporting Indigenous stewardship and renewed relationships with First Nations, Inuit and Métis, based on a recognition of rights, respect, collaboration, and partnership.