- Details
- By Chuck Hoskin Jr
Guest. Opinion. For many decades, the United States attempted to destroy the proud culture of Native American nations. One of the darkest aspects of this campaign played out at Native American boarding schools throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Thousands of Native children suffered abuse, neglect and cultural erasure in these institutions nationwide. Many never returned home, and some remain missing to this day.
Our ancestors persevered through these attempts to break up families and destroy Cherokee values. Today, we honor their sacrifices by proudly restoring our legacy. The Cherokee Nation recently achieved a landmark victory by reclaiming the deeds to five historic Boarding School Era day school sites after four decades of negotiations with the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
This moment of restoration represents a profound step toward justice and healing for Cherokee communities, especially our precious elders who lived through this troubling era. The day schools — Ballou, Mulberry Hollow (Rabbit Trap), Oak Hill-Piney, Oaks Mission and Redbird Smith — span 84 acres across five counties.
These sites, seized by the federal government more than a century ago, are deeply rooted in Cherokee history, yet they carry a painful legacy tied to the U.S. government’s efforts to forcibly assimilate Cherokee children. The return of these lands within our reservation represents a significant opportunity to reclaim and redefine their purpose.{source}Now properly back under the stewardship of the Cherokee Nation, these lands will serve a higher purpose as places for culture, safety and community for tribal citizens. They will be integral to our goal of revitalizing rural areas inside our 7,000-square-mile reservation with broadband access, elder services, language centers and spaces for cultural and community events.
We have already started making plans at the Oak Hill-Piney site. Using funding under our historic Housing, Jobs and Sustainable Communities Act, we will work with the Oak Hill-Piney Community Organization to build a new community building on the property. That type of investment can both memorialize the history of the day school sites and help ensure a bright future.
These communities deserve what all communities should have: a safe place for children to learn, families to gather, and elders to be cared for.
The deed transfers were finalized in a signing ceremony with BIA officials, and we are grateful for the federal agency staff who understand the cultural significance of this partnership.
The effort is also part of the Cherokee Nation Repatriation Project, an initiative dedicated to reclaiming cultural patrimony and historical properties for the tribe. Other recent successes include the return of the Cherokee Advocate printing press and hair samples of Native children from Harvard University’s Peabody Museum. Make no mistake, Cherokee Nation is committed to honoring our past and reclaiming what was lost.
In the end, Cherokee control of these former school sites is about more than addressing historical injustices; it’s about empowering communities and honoring the resilience of those who endured the Boarding School Era. These five sites now stand as iconic symbols of long-delayed justice and the enduring spirit of the Cherokee people. The return of this land to our Nation represents the restoration of identity, dignity and hope for generations of Cherokees to come.
Chuck Hoskin, Jr. is the principal chief of the Cherokee Nation.
More Stories Like This
Leading the Way in Rare Disease AdvocacyFor Native Communities, Medicaid Is a Promise Washington Must Keep
“One Beautiful Bill” Would Be a Tragic Setback for Indian Country
Federal Courts Left (Not) to Protect Sacred Sites
Joining the Call to Save Job Corps
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