RAPID CITY (SD)
Washington Post
June 4, 2024
By Dana Hedgpeth, Sari Horwitz, and Alexandra Pannoni
Dana Hedgpeth and Sari Horwitz answered questions about their reporting during a live chat Tuesday.
Washington Post reporters Dana Hedgpeth and Sari Horwitz are examining the legacy of Indian boarding schools in the United States. From 1819 to 1969, the federal government forced tens of thousands of children into more than 500 boarding schools across the country in a systematic effort to destroy Native American culture, assimilate children into White society and seize tribal lands.
At least 80 of the schools were operated by the Catholic Church or its religious affiliates. The Post investigation revealed that for decades, Catholic priests, brothers and sisters raped or molested Native American children who lived at and attended some of those schools.
Dana and Sari answered questions about their reporting during a live chat Tuesday. You can read a transcript of the chat below. Questions may be edited for accuracy and clarity.
Sari Horwitz:
Hi, it’s Sari and Dana. We’ve been reporting on Indian boarding schools for more than a year. We’ve traveled with our colleagues to eight states and several Indian reservations, and we’ve interviewed two dozen mostly elderly survivors of the schools. Welcome to the chat, and we’re looking forward to answering your questions.3Press Enter to expand
Alexandra Pannoni:
Thank you Dana and Sari for joining us today. I am so honored to have such intrepid reporters here today to answer your questions. To send them a question, use the submission box at the bottom of this chat. You can also reply to their posts by clicking the “reply” button.
Catholic Indian boarding schools
Leo:
I’m 80. I’m Lakota. And a survivor of the Catholic Indian boarding school in Marty, South Dakota.
I’m still alive. I’m a subscriber of WAPO.
Too bad you didn’t get my story. Started being raped and beaten at age 8 by the priests and beaten and tortured by the nuns.
People reading that article and the comments think this happened a long time ago.
Could you please explain that a lot of us are still alive? And that survivors are still relevant? And that the Catholic Church has never apologized? And that red South Dakota won’t let us sue or get justice?
Dana Hedgpeth:
Hi Leo – thank you so much for reaching out to us and we’re so very sorry to hear of your story. We’d really like to hear more, please feel free to email us at dana.hedgpeth@washpost.com and my colleague, sari.horwitz@washpost.com
Which states/regions were the worst?
Marirose:
I have a degree in history and some of this, native relations, were a large part of the studies I went through with my adviser, who I kept a friendship with for decades. I’m also Catholic, and my very devout grandmother donated to some of these schools and missions. Now I’m horrified because I think all of us may have missed something. I’m in Michigan, but my grandmother married into and came from an old Canadian family, even though she was American. I’ve always felt the Great Lakes region was not as bad as out West or down South, but now, well, I fear we are not any better than the rest. My grandmother and adviser are long gone, and he’d have been horrified, but probably not surprised to read this article. I know I was.
Sari Horwitz:
Hi Marirose, the sexual abuse of Indian children by priests, sisters and brothers that we documented was mostly in the Pacific Northwest – Montana, Washington state, Oregon, Idaho and Alaska – and the Midwest, mostly in South Dakota. But experts caution that what we found is the tip of the iceberg and that much of the sexual and physical abuse of these children was not documented. As for the states with the highest number of Indian boarding schools, Oklahoma had 95 and Arizona had 59. Here is a story Dana and Emmanuel Martinez wrote last year with a map of where the schools were located: https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2023/08/30/indian-boarding-schools/.
Justice
Guest:
Was the church or the individuals who committed this abuse ever held accountable?
Sari Horwitz:
Several dioceses in the Pacific Northwest were held accountable for the abuse of hundreds of Native American children who attended boarding schools, mostly in the 1940s through the 1960s. In one case, about 500 boarding school survivors sued the Oregon Province, Society of Jesus, which declared bankruptcy in 2009. Two years later, the Oregon Province agreed to a $166 million settlement with the sexual abuse survivors, one of the largest Catholic Church settlements in sexual abuse cases.
Dana Hedgpeth:
Welcome. I just wanted to add on to my colleague Sari’s note. We are honored viewers are taking the time to come to this online chat. We appreciate you reading our stories and joining. Even if you don’t ask a question and just want to listen – that’s totally fine. We’re just glad you’re here.
Have you asked the Vatican why they haven’t released the records of the priests who did this?
Wallace Watts:
For 100 years, the Popes knew what these priests were doing.
Sari Horwitz:
Hello Wallace. We emailed and called Cardinal Christophe Pierre, the Vatican’s ambassador to the United States located in Washington, D.C., and known as the apostolic nuncio. He did not respond to our requests for an interview or comment.
Reparations
Julia Gress:
Is there a movement to provide meaningful reparations to individual Native Americans and tribes? This is the original environmental and social injustice perpetrated by colonialists and a lasting wound.
Sari Horwitz:
Hi Julia. There is not a reparations movement. Deborah Parker, who is the chief executive of the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition, said her group is focused on trying to get federal legislation passed that would create a Truth and Healing Commission similar to the one in Canada to conduct a thorough investigation of the boarding schools. Reparations, she said, are a non-starter right now. The priority, Parker told us, is to educate Americans about what happened to children in Indian boarding schools.
Indian boarding schools
Guest:
What about the boarding schools that were not run by the Catholic Church? How do they rate? For example, the Intermountain Indian School in Brigham City, Utah.
Dana Hedgpeth:
Hi – you raise an interesting point, and we did not investigate that particular school so we don’t have any details on that. We focused on Catholic-run boarding schools as they ran roughly 80 of them. Thanks, Dana.
Abuse of Native American youth
Melissa Axelrod:
I have also heard, first hand, about the torture of Apache children by the military at Fort Sill in the 1930s and 40s. This might be something to add to your important story.
Dana Hedgpeth:
Thanks for sharing this Melissa. We’ll try to look into this at some point.
Why was it allowed?
Guest:
Why was such obvious pedophilia and child molestation allowed?
Sari Horwitz:
Good question. From our research, it appears that there was very little oversight by the federal government or the Church of the boarding schools that were often located in remote, isolated areas. Some survivors who suffered abuse in the schools have told us that no adults believed them when they tried to talk about the abuse. As Patrick Wall – a former priest who now represents boarding school survivors – told us, the children could “scream for help but no one’s going to hear them or believe them. It’s a perpetrator’s wonderland.”
Tribal distribution
Ken orr:
Were tribes desegregated? In other words, were, for example, Blackfoot kept together, or were all children sent to separate schools? Could a child be kept with siblings or friends? Was this a constant throughout the tribes of America?
Dana Hedgpeth:
Hi Ken orr – thanks for the question. We hit upon this a bit in the story that gave a historical overview of U.S. policies on Indian boarding schools – https://wapo.st/456EFel. Yes, children were often separated from their siblings and from other tribal members in an attempt to “assimilate” them and to cut their familial ties. Ripping children from their homes, from their families and communities had an impact that still reverberates today in Native communities.
The Indian school at Carlisle, Pennsylvania
Barbara:
https://www.verylocal.com/the-lost-children-of-carlisle/
On the Roku Channel a documentary completed by WGAL TV should be part of your story. Thanks for all you do to bring these stories to light.
Sari Horwitz:
Thank you for sending the link, Barbara.
Were some tribes more affected than others
Barbara:
Were all tribes equally affected or were children taken mainly from the tribes that fought hardest against the U.S.?
Dana Hedgpeth:
Hi Barbara, this is an interesting question you raise, and not one we’ve reported thoroughly on, but let me be clear that not ALL tribes or Native American children were impacted by boarding schools. The best estimates from the Interior Department are that tens of thousands of children went to these schools, but it is a broad estimate. Thanks, Dana.
Sari Horwitz:
Dana is right that not all tribes were affected by the schools. What we do know is that Oklahoma and Arizona are the states that had the most of the more than 500 boarding schools across the country.
Native American Olympians affected by the boarding school saga … how many?
George Jones:
A question that the NHL hides from in a scandalous manner. Please investigate. I think that story could bring more attention to the larger Issue.
Dana Hedgpeth:
Hi George, long time no talk. Nice to see you on our chat, and thanks for always reading my work on Native Americans – appreciate that. Regarding the NHL and the impact of the boarding school story – no that’s not an avenue we’ve pursued in our work at this time. Thanks, Dana.
Where did the money for the schools come from?
Patty:
Where did the money for the schools come from? How much was paid per child? How was a religious organization able to get children placed with them by the government? Was this common at the time in other states as a type of foster care?
I have so many questions about the entire setup.
And were there good outcomes too? The abused children story is a national disgrace, and I am trying to understand the alternatives available at the time that were a better option for the vulnerable children. Could these children have remained with their families? What reason was given to the families when someone showed up to take their child? Sadly, foster care still has many issues today. I don’t really understand the history of how taking the children out of their homes and placing them with a religious organization got started in the U.S.
Dana Hedgpeth:
Hi Patty, wow lots of good questions packed in here. We’ll try to answer most of them and we address a number of these in our historical overview piece here – https://wapo.st/4bzMPyx.
The government paid on average about $167 per year for each child, according to an 1886 report to the Interior Department. Funds for the schools came from congressional appropriations and money from land that was taken from Native Americans and sold was also used to cover the cost of Indian boarding schools.
You asked if there good outcomes – hmm. Not sure I’d say “good.” Many Native Americans suffered abuse at the schools. But they also met their partners whom they eventually married. Some learned a skilled trade that they developed into a career later in life. And some did meet Native Americans from other tribes that in some cases blossomed into what’s known as the Pan-Indian movement. A good book that explores some of the varied experiences is “Boarding School Blues – Revisiting American Indian Educational Experiences.”
My mother lived in an Indian boarding school in Goodland, Oklahoma. If you have any questions hit me
Mylena:
I know a lot about this topic.
Dana Hedgpeth:
Hi Mylena – thanks for reaching out to us. Interesting that your mother went to a boarding school in Goodland, Okla. If you’d like to share some of her experiences there, we’d like to hear about them. My colleague and I are reachable at dana.hedgpeth@washpost.com and sari.horwitz@washpost.com
Dumping ground for pedophiles?
Maria:
It seems to me that the Catholics sent their worst pedophiles to the Indian schools as if the schools were a safe place for the offending clergy. In other words, they didn’t care about the welfare of Indians, saying in effect, “If you’re gonna be a pedo, be a pedo on Indians because nobody cares about them.”
If so, horrifying.
Sari Horwitz:
We do quote Vito de la Cruz, a lawyer for boarding school survivors, who said that St. Paul Mission and Boarding School on the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation “was a dumping ground for predatory priests.” Rev. Edmund J. Robinson, one of the Jesuit priests who worked there and was later accused of sexually abusing nine boys and girls, was moved from boarding school to boarding school in Indian Country.
Federal government and Native American children
Guest:
Damage already done. Many native children and parents have lost their language, the basis of their culture. They are not white or church goers. Not native. Who are they?
Dana Hedgpeth:
Hi – thanks for taking the time to reach out to us on this chat and for reading our stories. I’m a Native American journalist at The Post, and personally believe you’re right on this point – many Native Americans have sadly lost their language and some of their culture due to the Indian boarding school era and other assimilation policies. Or simply because Native Americans were shunned in so many other ways and were literally afraid to pass on their culture and languages. That said, there’s a revival across the country of Native American traditions, fashions and pride.
Education in schools
Guest:
Is there a movement to make this information a requirement in United States schools?
Sari Horwitz:
There are Native American groups that want the history of boarding schools to be required reading in U.S. schools. One group that has a Truth and Healing Curriculum on its website is the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition. Here’s the link: https://boardingschoolhealing.org/curriculum/
Church
Guest:
Why was the focus concentrated on Catholic-run boarding schools?
Dana Hedgpeth:
Hello – thanks for joining us. We focused on the Catholic Church for a few reasons. One, they were the religious organizations that ran the most schools for the U.S. government. They ran roughly 80. Secondly, because of lawsuits brought in the Pacific Northwest against Jesuit dioceses and orders, they released lists of priests credibly accused of sexual abuse and those lists were important for our research.
Purpose
David:
This is not groundbreaking investigative work. While I am happy this topic is getting discussed on a broader basis, this is old news.
These “Indian” schools are part of the reason historians use the word, racism” and “genocide” when talking about the indigenous people’s treatment by the U.S. Government. The U.S. Government wanted to “make” them white, send them back home to the reservation to show the “how white people behave”.
My question is this, has the teaching of American history degraded to the point where this history is not being taught? This is a very important part of the American story, it cannot be forgotten. It cannot be glossed over.
Thank you for your time and patience.
Dana Hedgpeth:
Hi David, thanks for reading our story. We have found that while many people have heard of Indian boarding schools there are many others who have not heard of the schools and the history.
Sari Horwitz:
Hi David, we were trying to provide a historical overview of Indian boarding schools for those who didn’t know about them, but we especially wanted to shed light on the largely hidden history of sexual abuse of the children by priests and sisters who were supposed to taking care of them. Judging from the dozens of emails Dana and I are receiving, this is not “old news” for many Amerians.
Delay of investigations and reporting on these boarding schools
Guest:
Why has at least the policies affecting Native American Children at these schools (not the sexual abuse part) taken SO long to bring to the public’s attention?
I read an article on this over 40 YEARS ago in a women’s magazine, and then never heard of it again……It makes me think some very “higher-ups” in power have squashed this for years, and I think the public deserves to know who and why……
Dana Hedgpeth:
Hi – thanks for reaching out and you raise an interesting point. Impressive you read a story on Indian boarding schools 40 years ago. One reason we think it’s being talked about more now is because of Interior Secretary Deb Haaland’s investigation into the schools, and the discovery of possible unmarked graves outside an Indigenous residential school in Canada a few years ago.
Religious groups
Guest:
What religious groups were involved with these Indian boarding schools?
Sari Horwitz:
Thanks for your question. The Catholic Church operated the most Indian boarding schools of any religious group. But some of the schools were run by Presbyterians, Quakers, Methodists and other groups.
A parallel between the abuse of power at the boarding schools and mental patients drugged
Ron Thompson:
Did you get my email sent two days ago? June 2nd.
Dana Hedgpeth:
Hi Ron – thanks for reaching out. The good news is – you’re here. The bad news is – my apologies but I don’t think I’ve seen your email. Feel free to ask your question here or email me at dana.hedgpeth@washpost.com
Finding previous stories
Guest:
I’m a regular reader but haven’t seen some of the other stories that I’m seeing through the links in this chat. Is there an easy way to find them all? Thanks for this work.
Sari Horwitz:
If you go to the bottom of our two online Indian boarding school stories (“In the Name of God” and “They Took The Children”), you will find many links to the other stories that Dana and I have written over the years about Native Americans. Here are two free gift links to our stories that were published last week:
– “In the Name of God”: https://wapo.st/4bTKqOQ
– “They Took The Children”: https://wapo.st/4bzMPyx.
Alexandra Pannoni:
You can scroll to the bottom of either story Sari linked to find this linkbox with more stories of our Native American coverage.
Survivors
Guest:
Is there any support (psychological/financial) for those people still living who experienced life at one of these schools?
Sari Horwitz:
Good question – and thank you for writing in. Dana will add some links for help for boarding school survivors.
Dana Hedgpeth:
Thank you for reaching out on our chat Survivors. For those who are in need of help with healing the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition (NABS) has a number of helpful resources – https://boardingschoolhealing.org/self-care-resources/
Organizations involved
James B:
Is there any evidence that other denominations were involved in sexual abuse?
Sari Horwitz:
Hi James. We focused on the sexual abuse at the Catholic-run schools because the Catholic Church ran at least 80 Indian boarding schools. Several Jesuit orders and dioceses also later released lists of priests who had what they called credible allegations of abuse. The Post analysis found that 122 accused Catholic priests, brothers and sisters had worked with Native American children in boarding schools over many decades.
Immaculate Conception Boarding School, Stephan, South Dakota
Roger Kanies:
Do you have any information about abuse at the Immaculate Conception boarding school in Stephan, South Dakota? My great, great, great uncle was a Benedictine priest and ran the school in the early 1900s. My grandfather and two great uncles worked for him there. My uncle who is 93 and a Catholic priest tasked me with finding out if there was abuse there and to what extent. I know of one incident involving a much later priest. Thank you
Dana Hedgpeth:
Hi Roger, thanks for joining our chat and asking a question. We appreciate you being here. That particular school you’re asking about – Immaculate Conception in Stephan, S.D., doesn’t ring any bells right away for us. That said, one of the most resourceful places to start if you want to do more research is BishopAccountability.org
Pine Ridge Indian School
Guest:
Wondering if you learned anything about Pine Ridge Indian School. I have a relative (long deceased) who attended that school who also worked there. His brother went on to college and became a minister. They and their descendants were gifted musicians. I’ve always wondered if conditions there were better. It was run by the federal government and not any church.
Sari Horwitz:
Although we both have spent time on the Pine Ridge reservation for other stories we did not investigate the Pine Ridge Indian school. To find information about that school, we would suggest either going to the National Archives/Group 75, which is a great resource for Indian boarding school documents. We would also recommend going to the link for the National Native American Boarding School Healing coalition, clicking on their new digital archive and pulling up the documents they may have collected for the Pine Ridge Indian school. Hope this helps! https://boardingschoolhealing.org/
Not a question; I just want to commend you for the diligent reporting. And I hope an apology happens
Due:
A comment
Sari Horwitz:
Thank you for reading our stories. Neither a White House spokesperson nor a representative for the Vatican responded to requests for comment about a possible apology to survivors of Indian boarding schools. Several Jesuit dioceses, which were sued by students who said they were sexually abused by priests, sisters or brothers, have issued public apologies – as did the Jesuit West Province: https://www.jesuits.org/press-release/statement-on-boarding-schools-for-indigenous-students/.
Blackfeet reservation, Montana
Terri:
Do you have information about Browning MT Blackfeet? Do you know anything about them? If there was not a mission or parish, what happened to these children?
Sari Horwitz:
Hi Terri, thanks for your question. We didn’t look specifically at Browning MT Blackfeet. But there are resources for you to research which missions and boarding schools were in that area. The Interior Department published a list of all the schools, and you can find that here: https://www.bia.gov/sites/default/files/dup/inline-files/appendix_a_b_school_listing_profiles_508.pdf. Also, the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition has a digital archive where you can search for information by area: https://boardingschoolhealing.org/. Finally, you can call the Montana State Library, which has collected Indian boarding school information. https://www.mtmemory.org/nodes/view/92610.
Have there been similar efforts to hold Protestant Indian boarding schools accountable for abuse?
Guest:
Knowing that there were many Baptist, Methodist and other Protestant Indian boarding schools – have there been similar efforts to investigate abuse at these schools?
Dana Hedgpeth:
Hi – good question. We did not look into the Baptists, Methodists and Protestants that ran boarding schools at this time. We focused on the Catholics right now who ran 80 boarding schools, some funded by the government, and we looked at their lists of priests who had credible accusations of abuse.
Mapping
Kate:
Quick resource share. NABS has an incredible mapping database that provides information on boarding schools across faiths. You can find it here: https://boardingschoolhealing.org/digitalmap/
Alexandra Pannoni:
Thank you for sharing this, Kate. Dana and Emmanuel reported on this new map last year: https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2023/08/30/indian-boarding-schools/
American Catholic Church
Mammabear:
Having friends among the Lakota made me aware of the trauma to their families and culture by the Catholic Church. Now with the evidence of sexual abuse, has the Church hierarchy reached out to offer any apology and help? I grew up in the church, and it’s currently on a “we’re pro-life” kick and doesn’t tolerate any dissent. This may be the log that crushes my camel!
Sari Horwitz:
Dana and I reached out to Cardinal Christophe Pierre, the Vatican’s ambassador to the United States, known as the apostolic nuncio. He did not respond to an email or call for comment. We also reached out to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and asked whether the group was considering an apology and its spokesperson said the group “is committed to fostering dialogue and engaging in other efforts to reconcile involvement in the boarding school period in the United States.” Boarding school survivors told us that to begin healing they want an apology from the pope and President Biden.
Dana Hedgpeth:
Hello – thank you all for participating in our chat. We really appreciate it and hope you will continue to follow our work. I’m reachable via email at dana.hedgpeth@washpost.com or follow my work from my author page at https://www.washingtonpost.com/people/dana-hedgpeth/.
Alexandra Pannoni:
Thank you Dana and Sari for taking the time today to answer questions about their reporting. We’re leaving the comments on so you can continue the discussion after the chat. Be sure to bookmark our Community page for more chats like these.