U.S. Government Boarding Schools Linked to Deaths of 973 Native American Children

[Social Media]

 

In a disturbing revelation, an investigation commissioned by U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland has uncovered that at least 973 Native American children perished within the confines of the U.S. government's boarding school system. This damning report has prompted calls for a formal apology from the government for the brutal policies implemented through these schools.

 

The investigation, led by Haaland, who is herself a member of the Laguna Pueblo tribe in New Mexico and the first Native American to hold a U.S. Cabinet position, found both marked and unmarked graves at 65 out of more than 400 boarding schools established with the intent to forcibly assimilate Native American children into white society. The investigation does not specify the exact causes of death for each child, but the reasons range from sickness to abuse, spanning a period of 150 years that ended in 1969. Additionally, some children may have succumbed to illnesses contracted at these schools after being sent back home.

 

 

This comprehensive investigation was preceded by a series of listening sessions held over the past two years across the U.S. During these sessions, numerous former students recounted harrowing experiences of harsh and degrading treatment endured during their separation from families. “The federal government took deliberate and strategic action through boarding school policies to isolate children from their families, deny them their identities, and steal from them the languages, cultures, and connections that are foundational to Native people,” Haaland stated in a call with reporters. “Make no mistake, this was a concerted attempt to eradicate the, quote, ‘Indian problem,’ to either assimilate or destroy Native peoples altogether.”

 

 

In an earlier report released in 2022, officials estimated that over 500 children had died in these schools. The origins of these schools trace back to 1819 when the federal government enacted laws and policies to support their establishment. The last of these institutions operated until the 1960s. Within these schools, Native American children were stripped of their identities, given English names, subjected to military drills, and forced to undertake manual labor such as farming, brick-making, and railroad work.

 

 

Former students shared emotional accounts of their time in these institutions during listening sessions held in states including Oklahoma, South Dakota, Michigan, Arizona, and Alaska. They described being punished for speaking their native languages, being confined to basements, and having their hair cut to erase their cultural identities. Some were subjected to solitary confinement, beatings, and food deprivation. Many left the schools with only basic vocational skills, which limited their employment opportunities.

 

Donovan Archambault, 85, the former chairman of the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation in Montana, recounted being sent away to boarding schools at the age of 11, where he was mistreated, forced to cut his hair, and prohibited from speaking his native language. The trauma led him to heavy alcohol consumption before he eventually turned his life around two decades later. Archambault had not shared his school experiences with his children until he penned a book about it several years ago. “An apology is needed. They should apologize,” Archambault told the Associated Press by phone. “But there also needs to be a broader education about what happened to us. To me, it’s part of a forgotten history.”

 

Haaland expressed profound personal regret, stating she was “sorry beyond words,” but suggested that a formal apology should come directly from the federal government. She did not indicate whether she would urge President Joe Biden to issue one. Additionally, Interior Department officials recommended that the government invest in programs aimed at helping Native American communities heal from the traumas inflicted by the boarding schools. This includes funding for education, violence prevention, and the revitalization of Indigenous languages. The agency emphasized that the scale of these efforts should match the spending on the schools.

 

The financial underpinnings of the boarding schools and related assimilation programs were substantial, with $23.3 billion spent in inflation-adjusted federal funds. Many of the schools were operated by religious and private institutions that received federal support, playing a significant role in the campaign to “civilize” Indigenous students. By 1926, over 80% of Indigenous school-age children—approximately 60,000—were attending boarding schools run either by the federal government or religious organizations, according to the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition.

 

The Minnesota-based group has identified more than 100 additional schools not included in the government’s list, which were run by churches without federal support. In June, U.S. Catholic bishops issued an apology for the church’s role in the trauma experienced by the children. Pope Francis also apologized in 2022 for the Catholic Church’s cooperation with boarding schools in Canada, acknowledging that the forced assimilation of Native peoples into Christian society devastated cultures, severed families, and marginalized generations.

 

Legislation currently pending before Congress seeks to establish a Truth and Healing Commission to document and acknowledge the injustices related to boarding schools. The measure is sponsored in the Senate by Democrat Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and supported by Republican Lisa Murkowski of Alaska.

 

Credit: The Guardian  2024-08-01

 

 

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[Tom100]

Here is the report.

https://www.bia.gov/sites/default/files/media_document/doi_federal_indian_boarding_school_initiative_investigative_report_vii_final_508_compliant.pdf

 

This work was supported by Senator (Democrat) Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts who claimed falsely for many decades to be a "native american". 

[ThaiFelix]

Home of the brave, land of the free...................

[Doctor Tom]

How about dropping the stupid prefixes on ethic differences in the US.  As Morgan Freeman says, 'African Americans' are Black, not African,  'Native Americans' are no more 'native' to that area than other immigrants.  They crossed from Asia originally. Why aren't white Americans termed 'European American'  and why single out Italians as Italian Americans when other European origins' are hardly mentioned?  Unless of course you have Scottish or Irish blood from way back, as Americans can't stop banging on about that part of their heritage. Drop the prefixes and just be American.  

[impulse]

Picking a few numbers off the OP:

 

973 deaths in 150 years is 6.5 per year. With about 60,000 students, that's about 1 death each year per 9,200 students.

 

Compare that to my high school of 1500 students in the '70s, when we lost a few students every year to car wrecks, cancer, other accidents, and Darwin contests.

 

Making those Native schools over 5x safer than my high school.  And most of that 150 years preceded antibiotics.

 

There's a lot of despicable aspects to those schools, but death rate isn't one of them. At least, not according to the sensationalized "study".

 

Dollars to donuts, the next step is monetary reparations...

 

Edited August 1 by impulse

[nahkit]

"The federal government took deliberate and strategic action through boarding school policies to isolate children from their families, deny them their identities, and steal from them the languages, cultures, and connections that are foundational to Native people,”

 

The Welsh Not was a token used by teachers at some schools in Wales in the 19th century and early 20th century to discourage children from speaking Welsh at school, by marking out those who were heard speaking the language. Accounts suggest that its form and the nature of its use could vary from place to place, but the most common form was a piece of wood suspended on a string that was put around the child's neck. Terms used historically include Welsh not, Welsh note, Welsh lump, Welsh stick, cwstom, Welsh Mark, and Welsh Ticket.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welsh_Not

 

When do you think the English will apologise or offer compensation?

 

How about children in the UK that were transported to Australia for petty crimes?

 

Fact is, crap has happened all over the world for centuries, people should just move on.

[placeholder]

9 hours ago, Doctor Tom said:

How about dropping the stupid prefixes on ethic differences in the US.  As Morgan Freeman says, 'African Americans' are Black, not African,  'Native Americans' are no more 'native' to that area than other immigrants.  They crossed from Asia originally. Why aren't white Americans termed 'European American'  and why single out Italians as Italian Americans when other European origins' are hardly mentioned?  Unless of course you have Scottish or Irish blood from way back, as Americans can't stop banging on about that part of their heritage. Drop the prefixes and just be American.  

Are you really claiming that the ethnicity of these children was irrelevant to this story? That it was just a coincidence that it was Native American children who were housed in these schools? 

Your comment is a clear case of Pavlovian thinking.

[Doctor Tom]

12 hours ago, placeholder said:

Are you really claiming that the ethnicity of these children was irrelevant to this story? That it was just a coincidence that it was Native American children who were housed in these schools? 

Your comment is a clear case of Pavlovian thinking.

How do you possibly read that into my comments. A unity as Americans, not differing ethnic histories, is the only way forward. America, like may countries, is a Nation of immigrants, including the Indian tribes.  Don't just blithely blame ethnicity for the racist attitudes that run through US history, to the present day. 

Imagine for one moment what Europe would be like if we took the US view? I would be a 'Norwegian  English', my mate a 'French Englishman', how ridiculous. 

[riclag]

19 hours ago, impulse said:

Picking a few numbers off the OP:

 

973 deaths in 150 years is 6.5 per year. With about 60,000 students, that's about 1 death each year per 9,200 students.

 

Compare that to my high school of 1500 students in the '70s, when we lost a few students every year to car wrecks, cancer, other accidents, and Darwin contests.

 

Making those Native schools over 5x safer than my high school.  And most of that 150 years preceded antibiotics.

 

There's a lot of despicable aspects to those schools, but death rate isn't one of them. At least, not according to the sensationalized "study".

 

Dollars to donuts, the next step is monetary reparations...

 

Its a Election  year humanitarian story ,designed to bring an intended response of shock and awe!

Right on cue for the SJW of the DNC ,to pick apart!

 

Edited August 2 by riclag

[Rimmer]

Taylor Sheridan is a champion for Indian Minorities, he touches on this theme and these events in this period in American history in his mini series 1923 which paints a graphic disturbing picture of an Indian girl that tries to escape from one of these so called schools.

[placeholder]

8 hours ago, Doctor Tom said:

How do you possibly read that into my comments. A unity as Americans, not differing ethnic histories, is the only way forward. America, like may countries, is a Nation of immigrants, including the Indian tribes.  Don't just blithely blame ethnicity for the racist attitudes that run through US history, to the present day. 

Imagine for one moment what Europe would be like if we took the US view? I would be a 'Norwegian  English', my mate a 'French Englishman', how ridiculous. 

So, you're claiming that it was irrelevant to the story that Native American children were the victims here? 

[Doctor Tom]

1 minute ago, placeholder said:

So, you're claiming that it was irrelevant to the story that Native American children were the victims here? 

I was not commenting directly on the story content.  I'm saying that American's needs to grow up and see themselves as trying to become a United Nation, not using prefixes to divide and box communities'. Its childish as well as disruptive.  

[mikebike]

On 8/1/2024 at 1:20 PM, Doctor Tom said:

'Native Americans' are no more 'native' to that area than other immigrants.  They crossed from Asia originally.

So your contention is that we are all African? We ALL immigrated from there? 

 

Interesting. 

[mikebike]

On 8/1/2024 at 1:20 PM, Doctor Tom said:

why single out Italians as Italian Americans

Because most ethnic minorities like their cultural heritage and embrace it. Italians ANYWHERE in the world are proud of their ethnic heritage and own it. It took them a long time for them, and the Irish, to be perceived by the puritanical English as even white, much less peers. Why shouldn't they embrace it? 

[Doctor Tom]

31 minutes ago, mikebike said:

So your contention is that we are all African? We ALL immigrated from there? 

 

Interesting. 

Did I say that? No. 

[Doctor Tom]

26 minutes ago, mikebike said:

Because most ethnic minorities like their cultural heritage and embrace it. Italians ANYWHERE in the world are proud of their ethnic heritage and own it. It took them a long time for them, and the Irish, to be perceived by the puritanical English as even white, much less peers. Why shouldn't they embrace it? 

I don't recall those of Italian heritage  in the UK being called 'Italian English'. They are just English. 

[JonnyF]

Perhaps 5 million dollars to all native Americans would help the Libs feel better about all of this? 

[Roo Island]

On 8/1/2024 at 6:55 AM, Tom100 said:

Here is the report.

https://www.bia.gov/sites/default/files/media_document/doi_federal_indian_boarding_school_initiative_investigative_report_vii_final_508_compliant.pdf

 

This work was supported by Senator (Democrat) Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts who claimed falsely for many decades to be a "native american". 

If you know anything about the treatment of native American Indians, you'd know this has nothing to do with her. Terrible troll post.

[Roo Island]

On 8/1/2024 at 10:16 AM, impulse said:

Picking a few numbers off the OP:

 

973 deaths in 150 years is 6.5 per year. With about 60,000 students, that's about 1 death each year per 9,200 students.

 

Compare that to my high school of 1500 students in the '70s, when we lost a few students every year to car wrecks, cancer, other accidents, and Darwin contests.

 

Making those Native schools over 5x safer than my high school.  And most of that 150 years preceded antibiotics.

 

There's a lot of despicable aspects to those schools, but death rate isn't one of them. At least, not according to the sensationalized "study".

 

Dollars to donuts, the next step is monetary reparations...

 

Well put. But being a native American Indian who's father was born on the res. They weren't treated very well.

 

Research the trail of tears. Something my relatives endured and ended up in <deleted> Oklahoma.

[Roo Island]

6 minutes ago, JonnyF said:

Perhaps 5 million dollars to all native Americans would help the Libs feel better about all of this? 

It would make me happy! 😆

[Hanaguma]

Hey America!  Dont repeat the same mistakes as your distressingly woke neighbour to the north. We went through the same sort of hand wringing and navel gazing 3 years ago, over the supposed discovery of secret graves of Indian children.  None have been found to be true, yet the moaning and gnashing of teeth continue.  

[Hummin]

On 8/1/2024 at 8:03 AM, ThaiFelix said:

Home of the brave, land of the free...................

Built on rape and genocides

[Hummin]

13 minutes ago, Hanaguma said:

Hey America!  Dont repeat the same mistakes as your distressingly woke neighbour to the north. We went through the same sort of hand wringing and navel gazing 3 years ago, over the supposed discovery of secret graves of Indian children.  None have been found to be true, yet the moaning and gnashing of teeth continue.  

People like you have no dignety or honor

Edited August 2 by Hummin

[Hummin]

Everytime stories like this comes up, it opens deep wounds. Needs to be handled with respect and an official apology is in place. 

[placeholder]

17 hours ago, Doctor Tom said:

I was not commenting directly on the story content.  I'm saying that American's needs to grow up and see themselves as trying to become a United Nation, not using prefixes to divide and box communities'. Its childish as well as disruptive.  

In other words, your comment was irrelevant to this thread which is about the deaths of native American children.