Today, we released the final volume of the Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative's investigative report on our nation's troubled yet largely ignored boarding school era. It's an era that has impacted every Native person I know, including my own family.https://t.co/G7D8x8VM4n
— Secretary Deb Haaland (@SecDebHaaland) July 30, 2024
A federal investigation has confirmed that more than 900 American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian children died in U.S. government boarding schools from 1819 to 1969. The report, commissioned by U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, acknowledges that the actual toll is likely higher and recommends an official apology. The boarding school system was part of forced assimilation policies pursued by the U.S. for nearly two centuries, targeting Indigenous people.
The schools’ purpose was to erase children’s identities while preparing them for menial jobs in American society. The report includes personal accounts that highlight the grief and despair experienced by children.
Indigenous children boarding school impact
🚨The highly anticipated Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative Investigative Report Volume II is now available.
👉https://t.co/ZbNzj6nzad #NativeTwitter #announcement pic.twitter.com/Np6ZAxLObY— Indian Affairs (@USIndianAffairs) July 30, 2024
One former student recalled the eerie silence in their village because all the children had been taken away. Another remembered the nighttime cries of children longing for their parents and homes.
Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren said the Interior Department’s revelation that 136 children from his tribe died while at boarding schools served as a haunting reminder of the generational damage done to tribal languages and culture.
“Those are grandmas…— Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren (@BuuVanNygren) July 30, 2024
Haaland launched the investigation in 2021 to document the “troubled legacy” of how the federal and an additional 1,025 religious and privately operated schools worked to assimilate Indian children by removing them from their homes and depriving them of language, culture, and family life.
The report noted that the tally does not account for all children, including those who attended Indian boarding schools beyond the 150-year period or those sent to boarding schools run by religious institutions and organizations without federal government support. The boarding school system disrupted students, their families, and entire communities for nearly 200 years, leading to issues such as domestic violence, substance abuse, and adverse childhood experiences that can result in reduced cognitive abilities through adulthood. Assistant Interior Secretary Bryan Newland recommended several measures for the federal government to pursue, including addressing the present-day impacts of the boarding school system, establishing a national memorial, identifying and repatriating the remains of children who never returned home, and returning former federal boarding school sites to tribes.
