- Details
- By Native News Online Staff
The City of Albuquerque is inviting survivors, descendants, and anyone else connected with the former Albuquerque Indian School to share their experiences in upcoming community conversations, aimed at uncovering untold truths about the school.
The city has been involved in conversations with pueblos and local tribes since June, when national attention brought by the discovery of 215 unmarked graves holding Indigenous youths was discovered in British Columbia.
The discovery prompted the city to take action on it’s own Native burial ground.
Want more Native News? Get the free daily newsletter today.
The federally funded Albuquerque Indian Boarding School operated from 1881 through 1982, forcibly assimilating Native American children from surrounding pueblos and Native nations into Western culture.
An unknown number of children died of sickness and disease at the school, and those from far-away reservations—such as the Zuni Pueblo and Hopi from Arizona, the Mescalero and Ute from Colorado, and the Pima from Arizona—were buried at the cemetery three blocks away.
Under county ownership in the 1960s, the cemetery was transformed into a park, and was transferred to the city a decade later. During the development of an irrigation system at the park in the 1970s, the city uncovered human remains, but it wasn’t for another two decades until officials installed a plaque at the 4-H Park, as it is now called, denoting the Native American gravesites. In 2019, that plaque mysteriously disappeared.
The most sensitive areas of the park have been demarcated and closed to public access, according to Intergovernmental Tribal Liaison for the city, Terry Sloan.
The city of Albuquerque has been "seeking input and guidance from pueblos, tribes and community stakeholders on how to treat the burial site as a sacred space within a City park, following the disappearance of a plaque that marked the spot where students are thought to be buried," according to the city's press release.
After tribal and stakeholder consultation in December, the city conducted ground penetrating radar in the park and have yet to announce the findings to the public.
Now, they’re hosting four listening sessions in January, “as part of an effort to gather a more complete history to inform the future of the burial site at 4-H Park,” a city press release says.
The City invites the public to share stories about family members, neighbors, teachers, staff and loved ones who were part of the Albuquerque Indian School. The sessions will be held January 11-14.
To attend one of the in-person events, interested participants can register online. People who would like to provide input but are unable to attend a session can email the City of Albuquerque’s Office of Equity and Inclusion at [email protected].
More Stories Like This
Native News Weekly (August 25, 2024): D.C. BriefsUS Presidents in Their Own Words Concerning American Indians
Native News Weekly (August 4, 2024): D.C. Briefs
Native News Weekly (June 15, 2025): D.C. Briefs
Photographs of the Homecoming of the Three Fires Powwow
Help us tell the stories that could save Native languages and food traditions
At a critical moment for Indian Country, Native News Online is embarking on our most ambitious reporting project yet: "Cultivating Culture," a three-year investigation into two forces shaping Native community survival—food sovereignty and language revitalization.
The devastating impact of COVID-19 accelerated the loss of Native elders and with them, irreplaceable cultural knowledge. Yet across tribal communities, innovative leaders are fighting back, reclaiming traditional food systems and breathing new life into Native languages. These aren't just cultural preservation efforts—they're powerful pathways to community health, healing, and resilience.
Our dedicated reporting team will spend three years documenting these stories through on-the-ground reporting in 18 tribal communities, producing over 200 in-depth stories, 18 podcast episodes, and multimedia content that amplifies Indigenous voices. We'll show policymakers, funders, and allies how cultural restoration directly impacts physical and mental wellness while celebrating successful models of sovereignty and self-determination.
This isn't corporate media parachuting into Indian Country for a quick story. This is sustained, relationship-based journalism by Native reporters who understand these communities. It's "Warrior Journalism"—fearless reporting that serves the 5.5 million readers who depend on us for news that mainstream media often ignores.
We need your help right now. While we've secured partial funding, we're still $450,000 short of our three-year budget. Our immediate goal is $25,000 this month to keep this critical work moving forward—funding reporter salaries, travel to remote communities, photography, and the deep reporting these stories deserve.
Every dollar directly supports Indigenous journalists telling Indigenous stories. Whether it's $5 or $50, your contribution ensures these vital narratives of resilience, innovation, and hope don't disappear into silence.
The stakes couldn't be higher. Native languages are being lost at an alarming rate. Food insecurity plagues many tribal communities. But solutions are emerging, and these stories need to be told.
Support independent Native journalism. Fund the stories that matter.
Levi Rickert (Potawatomi), Editor & Publisher
