An investigation by the Interior Department revealed that at least 973 Native American children died in the U.S. government's abusive boarding school system. The probe, commissioned by Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, identified marked and unmarked graves at 65 out of over 400 boarding schools designed to forcibly assimilate Native American children.
The causes of death included sickness and abuse over a 150-year period ending in 1969. Haaland, the first Native American Cabinet secretary, emphasized the strategic effort 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."
Former students shared harrowing experiences of punishment for speaking their native languages, solitary confinement, and beatings during listening sessions held across the U.S. Donovan Archambault, a former student, recalled mistreatment and enforced assimilation practices, leading to long-term trauma. He stressed the need for both an apology and broader education about these historical injustices: "An apology is needed. They should apologize... It's part of a forgotten history."
Haaland, whose own grandparents were subjected to these boarding schools, expressed personal sorrow and called for a formal government apology. The Interior Department recommended investing in programs to help Native American communities heal, including education, violence prevention, and language revitalization, proportionate to the historical spending on assimilation efforts.
By 1926, around 60,000 Indigenous children were in boarding schools run by the government or religious organizations. Deborah Parker, CEO of the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition, highlighted the lasting impact: "These are stolen generations of children."
The report noted that many of the schools had religious affiliations, with the U.S. Catholic bishops and Pope Francis apologizing for the Church's role in the trauma inflicted on Native children. Pending legislation aims to establish a "Truth and Healing Commission" to further document and acknowledge these past injustices.
Link: AP
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