Second of three parts
The first part is at thevoice.us/native-american-forbidden-culture-dark-part-of-history
Joe Nelson of the The Press Enterprise in California, tells us of the Federal probe of American Indian boarding schools in part one last week. We saw the forbidden culture as a dark part of history. Here is part two of the report:
“The Interior Department will address the inter-generational impact of Indian boarding schools to shed light on the unspoken traumas of the past, no matter how hard it will be,” said Deb Haaland, U.S. Department of the Interior secretary in a June 22 statement.
“Lengthy investigation
“Haaland, who is affiliated with the Pueblo of Laguna tribe in New Mexico, has directed her staff members to prepare a report to give details available on historical records of all the boarding schools and the cemeteries and/or burial sites at each school in preparation for future site work, which could include the exhumation and repatriation of Indian remains. The work will occur under the supervision of the assistant secretary for Indian Affairs.
“The primary goal of the investigation, which will occur in phases and is expected to take years, will be to identify boarding school facilities and sites; the location of known and possible student burial sites at or near school facilities; and the identities and tribal affiliations of children interred at such locations.
‘“I know that this process will be long and difficult. I know that this process will be painful,’ Haaland said.. ‘It won’t undo the heartbreak and loss we feel. But only by acknowledging the past can we work toward a future that we’re all proud to embrace. ‘The Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative will serve as an investigation about the loss of human life and the lasting consequences of residential Indian boarding schools.’
“Long overdue
“Southern California tribal leaders praised the investigation. They said many Indigenous children died from disease and work-related accidents, and extreme physical and sexual abuse has not been ruled out.
‘“We applaud Secretary Haaland and the Department of Interior for undertaking this long-overdue inquiry into the terrible legacy and historical trauma wrought by the Indian boarding schools of the past,’ said Charles Martin, chairman of the Morongo Band of Mission Indians in Cabazon, which is neighbors to Banning and used to have an access road from the Reservation to the St. Boniface school.
‘“Martin said the recent discovery at the former Canadian boarding schools, where remains of nearly 1,000 deceased, many of them children, were found, is heartbreaking, but, sadly, not surprising.
‘“We are hopeful that this necessary examination will offer opportunities to grieve, to acknowledge the suffering and loss, and to begin meaningful healing and reconciliation,’ Martin said.
‘Can’t sweep under rug
“Anthony Morales, chairman of the Gabrieleno San Gabriel Band of Mission Indians, said roughly 6,000 Indigenous people from his tribe and others nationwide are buried in and around the San Gabriel Mission. He hopes the federal investigation into the boarding schools will shed light on what happened.
‘“It’s a very important chapter in our history that needs to be addressed. You just can’t sweep it under the rug and forget about it. We need to give closure to that chapter of our history,’ Morales said.
“He recalls stories about federal agents whisking Gabrielino children away from their families and placing them at Sherman Institute, where they were locked inside their cramped dorms when not working, physically and sexually abused, and died of diseases such as tuberculosis.
‘“Our children weren’t geared to go there. They didn’t want to go there. They were forcibly taken,’ Morales said. ‘The treatment, the condition bestowed upon our children, was horrific.”’
“Officials at Sherman Indian High School did not respond to requests for comment.”
Continued at thevoice.us/abuse-at-native-american-schools-acquired-by-interviews