TAHLEQUAH (OK)
WJAC-TV [Jamestown PA]
October 25, 2024
By Tom Ferguson
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. (KOKH) — On Friday, President Joe Biden is set to become the first president to formally apologize for the U.S. government’s Indian boarding school policy, which lasted for approximately 150 years until the 1960s.
Tribal leaders say it brought devastation to native communities across the nation.
Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin, Jr. described the move as “long-overdue.”
Tori Holland, tribal counsel attorney and designated congressional delegate for the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians, noted boarding schools sought to “kill the Indian and save the man. So it was pretty devastating for Native Americans all across.”
The impact of Indian boarding schools is still being felt today, Holland added.
The National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition stated that in the 19th and 20th centuries, government agents took native children by force and brought them to the schools. The coalition asserted the students then suffered physical, sexual, cultural, and spiritual abuse and neglect.
“I’ve heard stories from boarding school survivors who said that if they spoke their native language, they would have a finger cut off,” Holland told FOX 25.
She explained, “I have stories of people whose parents would drop them off at the boarding school at the age of four, and as a mom, I can’t imagine leaving my little baby to be raised by strangers who I know there’s a cycle of abuse there.”
A federal investigation recently documented about a thousand deaths at 74 grave sites tied to the over 500 schools. According to Holland, the boarding school policy resulted in a cycle of generational trauma.
“That’s the only thing that they know, and that is their normal. So then that’s how they then raise their children,” the attorney and designated delegate noted.
According to Hoskin, Oklahoma was home to 87 such schools. He said in a statement issued Thursday, “We know from experience that true healing goes beyond words-it requires action, resources, and commitment.”
Holland said more still needs to be done to address issues around the law and their impact on native communities. She is calling on Congress to act.
Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.) shared the following statement in response to the announcement:
Indian boarding schools have had devastating impacts on Native communities. Yet, for so many years, the true stories about what happened to these Native children have not been spoken about. As an enrolled member of the Chickasaw Nation of Oklahoma and one of the few Native American members of Congress, I am very glad to see accountability being taken for the role that federal policies played in the Native American boarding school system.
Chief Gary Batton of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma released the following statement on Friday:
The system of oppressive and deadly boarding schools is a dark chapter in the history of the United States, and the scars live on in Native American people. We welcome President Biden’s apology as a step towards the right direction and continuing the journey towards understanding and reconciliation between our people, our sovereign tribal nations and the United States. Acknowledging a painful past must be part of any true effort to atone and ensure all people are treaty equally and with dignity. The Choctaw Nation will continue to educate people about our culture and history as we advocate for a bright, hopeful future.