- Details
- By Neely Bardwell
The night before the Interior Department issued a historic report on its investigation into Indian Boarding Schools, Assistant Secretary Bryan Newland got some helpful insight at home.
“I was talking to my daughter the night before about this, (and) she said something that was very poignant and powerful. I was explaining the boarding school system to her and she said, ‘They're just kids.’ And that simple statement from her really hit me,” Newland said. “We are talking about, as the report says, this federal policy targeted kids. It wasn't a federal policy aimed at adults who had a choice or in the abstract. It was a deliberate targeting of kids.”
During this week’s Native Bidaske (Spotlight), Native News Online Editor Levi Rickert and Senior Reporter Jenna Kunze met with Newland to talk more about the Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative Report. He spoke openly about Volume 1 of the report and the impact of Indian Boarding Schools on all Indigenous people in this country.
“Well, obviously, the boarding school system has affected every single native person in this country whether they realize it or not,” Newland told Rickert and Kunze during the live stream. “Whether they attended the boarding schools or whether their parents did, we all live with its legacies — from the lack of language speakers in so many communities, to broken families. When I say broken families, I mean families that are literally (torn apart) from people being sent to boarding schools and some kids not making it home.
“The experiences of kids who went to these boarding schools, it's weighing; it's emotional. You can't be an empathetic person and not feel that.”
To hear the entire conversation, watch the 15-minute episode of Native Bidaske below or on YouTube or Facebook.
Tell Us What You Think
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
