At least 408 federal Native American boarding schools were run in the US and hundreds of students died, an Interior Department report says
Business InsiderMAR 14 2022
According to a probe by the US Interior Department, at least 973 Native American children died between 1819 and 1969 in federal boarding schools.
The report, released Tuesday, claims to have found at least 74 marked and unmarked burial sites at 65 former schools, which forcibly assimilated Indian children to "destroy their culture."
Acknowledging that the actual number of deaths may be higher and recommending an official apology, the report alleges the schools targeted American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian people.
The Church, as well as the US government, must apologize for their role in the cultural destruction and forced assimilation of innocent children and implausible abuse and mistreatment of children at federal and religious groups-run boarding schools.
While this probe highlights the grave injustices Indigenous children faced, the survivors and their descendants must be assured that this dark chapter of history will be duly acknowledged, which can lead to collective healing and restoration of their cultural identity.