fbpx
facebook app symbol  twitter  linkedin  instagram 1
 

We’re compiling questions that our readers are asking us about Indian Boarding Schools and offering answers as reported by our team. 

My mother went to boarding school.  She has passed. How will this investigation and legislation help the children of those who attended these schools? It is generational.

Based on the findings from the initial investigative report, Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland and Assistant Secretary Bryan Newland have begun a yearlong tour to hear directly from survivors and their descendants on the impact of boarding school on their families and communities.

The so-called Road the Healing Tour began last month in Caddo County, Oklahoma. In the coming months,  Haaland will travel to Hawai’i, Michigan, Arizona, and South Dakota as part of The Road to Healing tour  in 2022. Additional states will be announced for 2023.

Never miss Indian Country’s biggest stories and breaking news. Sign up to get our reporting sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. 

The idea is that, once the government documents the scope of the impact boarding school has caused in Native communities today, they will be better equipped to address the spiritual, economic, and physical health outcomes.

For example, paraphrasing the words of New Mexican Senator Ben Ray Luján during a Senate Committee hearing on the boarding school investigative report last month, the government needs to find out how much money it spent on Indian Boarding Schools so it knows the cost of investment into revitalizing Native languages, traditions, and culture it tried to erase.

How can I get a copy of the report, which I am certain answers many questions I have. Thank you.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs published the Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative Investigative Report on its website on May 11, 2022, including profiles and maps of each school.

Read previous Q & As on Indian Boarding Schools

Readers Ask Us 1, June 7th

Readers Ask Us 2, June 10

If you have a question about Indian Boarding Schools, please submit them to [email protected] or use the online form that can be found at the bottom of stories such as this one. Want to help us shine a light on the dark era of Indian Boarding Schools and their continued impact on Native families and communities today? Become a recurring donor for $5 or $10 a month, or make a one-time donation.  

More Stories Like This

Native Artist and Former Cultural Advisor to the Chicago Blackhawks Sues Team for Sexual Harassment, Fraud
First Lady Jill Biden 'Shows Up' in Indian Country
National Indian Gaming Commission Announces Sharon Avery as Acting Chair
The Jicarilla Apache Nation Mourns the Passing of President Edward Velarde
Genealogy, Elite Clubs Focus of 88-year-old

These stories must be heard.

This May, we are highlighting our coverage of Indian boarding schools and their generational impact on Native families and Native communities. Giving survivors of boarding schools and their descendants the opportunity to share their stories is an important step toward healing — not just because they are speaking, but because they are being heard. Their stories must be heard. Help our efforts to make sure Native stories and Native voices are heard in 2024. Please consider a recurring donation to help fund our ongoing coverage of Indian boarding schools. Donate to Native News Online today and support independent Indigenous-centered journalism. Thank you.

About The Author
Native News Online Staff
Author: Native News Online StaffEmail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Native News Online is one of the most-read publications covering Indian Country and the news that matters to American Indians, Alaska Natives and other Indigenous people. Reach out to us at [email protected].