Schools tried to forcibly assimilate Indigenous kids. Can the U.S. make amends?

Summary

The discovery of a mass grave with 215 children's remains near the former Kamloops Indian Residential School in Canada has brought to light the dark history of forced assimilation of indigenous people. In the U.S., a similar history is being acknowledged through the uncovering of photographs from a boarding school for Native American children in Minnesota. The Sisters of the Order of Saint Benedict, who operated such schools, are now part of a reconciliation effort, including a digital repatriation of these photographs to the descendants of the students, aiming to provide closure and aid in the healing process.

Takeaways

• 😢 The remains of 215 children were found in a mass grave near the former Kamloops Indian Residential School in Canada, highlighting a dark chapter in history.
• 🏫 Indian boarding schools were established to forcibly assimilate indigenous children into mainstream society, operating from the 1870s to the 1970s.
• 🚫 At these schools, Native languages, religions, and customs were forbidden as part of the assimilation process.
• 📚 Students at the College of Saint Benedict discovered previously unseen photographs in the monastery's archives, shedding light on the boarding school era.
• 🤔 The boarding schools' impact is still felt today, disrupting families and making it difficult for descendants to build healthy relationships.
• 👵 Community elders and descendants seek closure and the recovery of cultural artifacts as part of the healing process.
• 📜 The Sisters of the Order of Saint Benedict acknowledge past wrongs and have issued an apology to the White Earth community.
• 🔍 A digital repatriation effort is underway to make historical photographs accessible to descendants of Native boarding school students.
• 🌐 This local effort is part of a broader national movement to address historical injustices against Native American communities.
• 📈 The story suggests a potential model for reconciliation and repatriation efforts between institutions and tribal nations.

Q & A

What was the shocking discovery near the former Kamloops Indian Residential School?

A mass grave with the remains of 215 children was found near the former site of the Kamloops Indian Residential School.

What is the significance of the discovery at Kamloops in relation to indigenous history?

The discovery is part of a dark history of forcibly assimilating indigenous people through Indian boarding schools, which aimed to strip away their indigenous cultures.

What was the purpose of the federal initiative announced by Secretary of Interior Deb Haaland?

The initiative aims to uncover the truth and lasting consequences of the boarding schools that were used to forcibly assimilate indigenous children.

What did students at the College of Saint Benedict discover in the archives?

Students discovered an archive of photographs related to Native American boarding schools, including images that had never been seen before.

How did the boarding schools operated by the Sisters of the Order of Saint Benedict impact Native American students?

The boarding schools aimed to separate Native American children from their homes and strip away their indigenous cultures, including forbidding their languages, religions, and customs.

What was the role of the boarding schools in the broader assimilation policies of the time?

The boarding schools were part of a deliberate act to assimilate Native American children into mainstream society, often against the will of their families.

How did the boarding school system affect the families and communities of Native American students?

The boarding school system disrupted families and communities for multiple generations, making it difficult for individuals to make healthy choices and build healthy relationships.

What is the concept of 'digital repatriation' mentioned in the script?

Digital repatriation refers to the process of making historical materials, such as photographs, accessible to descendants of Native boarding school students, as a form of cultural restitution.

What is the significance of the apology from the Sisters of the Order of Saint Benedict?

The apology signifies a recognition of past wrongs and an attempt at reconciliation, acknowledging the injustices done to Native American communities in the past.

What is the goal of Jaime Arsenault and the White Earth community in relation to the boarding school history?

The goal is to use the history as a starting point for healing and to create a model for other repatriation efforts between institutions and tribal nations.

How does the script suggest that the past boarding school history can contribute to moving forward as a country?

By acknowledging and examining the past events, the script suggests that it can serve as an impetus for moving forward and promoting reconciliation and healing.

Outlines

00:00

🏫 Dark History of Native American Boarding Schools

The script discusses the recent discovery of a mass grave containing the remains of 215 children near the former Kamloops Indian Residential School in British Columbia, Canada. This shocking find is part of a larger, dark history of forcibly assimilating indigenous people through boarding schools. The U.S. has a similar history, with Secretary of Interior Deb Haaland announcing a federal initiative to uncover the truth about these schools. The story focuses on one such boarding school and the efforts to understand and acknowledge the troubled past. It includes interviews with a graduate, a tribal historic preservation officer, and a retired historian, all of whom discuss the lasting impact of these schools on indigenous communities, including the loss of culture, family separation, and the difficulty in building healthy relationships and communities.

05:01

📸 Digital Repatriation and Healing Through History

This paragraph delves into the process of digital repatriation, where old photographs from a boarding school's archive are being shared with the descendants of Native American boarding school students. The photographs, found in the Saint Benedict's Monastery in Minnesota, provide a detailed look into the lives of the children who attended the school. The initiative is part of a larger national effort to return cultural artifacts and human remains to tribal nations. The script discusses the emotional impact of these photographs on community members and the potential for healing and reconciliation. It also touches on the Sisters of the Order of Saint Benedict's regret for past injustices and their recent apology to the White Earth community. The hope is that this collaboration can serve as a model for other repatriation efforts and help in moving towards healing for the affected communities.

Keywords

💡Mass grave

A mass grave is a large, collective burial site containing multiple bodies, often resulting from a tragedy or disaster. In the context of the video, the discovery of a mass grave with the remains of 215 children near the former Kamloops Indian Residential School in Canada highlights the dark history of forcibly assimilating indigenous people. This discovery underscores the severity of the historical injustices faced by indigenous communities and serves as a poignant reminder of the past.

💡Forcibly assimilating indigenous people

Forcible assimilation refers to the coercive measures taken by a dominant culture or government to integrate minority groups into their culture, often at the expense of the minority's own cultural identity. In the video, this concept is exemplified by the Indian boarding schools that aimed to strip indigenous children of their languages, religions, and customs, thereby assimilating them into the dominant culture. The video discusses this as part of a dark historical period marked by the suppression of indigenous cultures.

💡Indian boarding schools

Indian boarding schools were institutions, often government-run, that operated from the 1870s to as late as the 1970s with the goal of assimilating Native American children into the dominant culture. These schools are central to the video's narrative as they represent a significant chapter in the history of indigenous peoples' struggle with cultural erasure and forced assimilation. The video discusses the lasting impact of these schools on Native American communities.

💡Cultural erasure

Cultural erasure is the process by which a culture's traditions, languages, and practices are systematically eliminated or suppressed, often through external forces. In the video, cultural erasure is discussed in relation to the policies enforced in Indian boarding schools, where Native languages, religions, and customs were forbidden. This concept is crucial for understanding the long-term effects of these schools on the cultural identity and heritage of indigenous communities.

💡Residential school

A residential school is a type of boarding school where students live during the school term, often away from their families. In the context of the video, the term refers to the Kamloops Indian Residential School and other similar institutions in the United States. These schools were part of a broader policy of assimilation, where indigenous children were separated from their families and cultures, leading to significant social and cultural disruption.

💡Tribal historic preservation officer

A tribal historic preservation officer is a professional within a tribal community responsible for the protection and preservation of the tribe's historical and cultural heritage. In the video, Jaime Arsenault serves in this role for the White Earth Indian Reservation and is deeply moved by the discovery of previously unseen photographs. This role is critical in the context of the video as it represents the efforts to preserve and reclaim indigenous history and culture.

💡Digital repatriation

Digital repatriation refers to the process of returning digital copies of cultural heritage materials, such as photographs, to their communities of origin. In the video, this concept is highlighted as a way to provide descendants of Native boarding school students with access to their history. Digital repatriation is presented as a means to facilitate healing and reconciliation by reconnecting communities with their past.

💡Truth and reconciliation

Truth and reconciliation processes involve acknowledging past wrongs, uncovering the truth about historical injustices, and working towards healing and reconciliation. The video discusses this in the context of efforts to address the legacy of Indian boarding schools. By sharing materials and acknowledging past injustices, as exemplified by the collaboration between the college, the monastery, and the White Earth community, the video suggests a path towards reconciliation.

💡Native American studies

Native American studies is an interdisciplinary academic field that focuses on the history, culture, and contemporary issues of Native American peoples. In the video, Professor Ted Gordon, who specializes in Native American studies, plays a key role in uncovering and understanding the history of boarding schools. His work underscores the importance of academic research in bringing to light the experiences of indigenous communities and informing reconciliation efforts.

💡Assimilation policies

Assimilation policies are government policies designed to integrate minority groups into the dominant culture, often by suppressing or eradicating their distinct cultural characteristics. Sister Carol Berg, a retired historian in the video, discusses these policies in the context of the boarding schools' impact on Native American families. The term is central to understanding the video's exploration of the historical and ongoing effects of such policies on indigenous communities.

💡Repatriation

Repatriation, in the context of the video, refers to the return of cultural artifacts, human remains, or other items of significance to their original communities. Jaime Arsenault discusses the broader definition of repatriation, which can include language, archives, or photographs. The video presents the digital repatriation of photographs as a form of restorative justice, allowing for a more inclusive understanding of repatriation that extends beyond physical artifacts.

Highlights

A mass grave with the remains of 215 children was found near the former Kamloops Indian Residential School in Canada, highlighting the dark history of forcibly assimilating indigenous people.

The U.S. has a similar history with Indian boarding schools aimed at assimilating Native American children, with a federal initiative announced to uncover the truth about these schools.

Rare photographs from an archive in Minnesota reveal a lost time in Native American boarding schools, providing a new perspective on a painful history.

The Sisters of the Order of Saint Benedict operated boarding schools for Native American students, with a goal to strip away indigenous cultures.

The boarding schools' policies led to the loss of indigenous languages, religions, and customs, and had lasting impacts on Native American communities.

The boarding school system was a deliberate act by the U.S. government to assimilate Native American children, often against the will of their families.

The impact of the boarding schools is still felt today, disrupting families and making it difficult for individuals to build healthy relationships.

The monastery at the College of Saint Benedict has opened its archives to help understand and acknowledge the troubled past of Native American boarding schools.

Students and tribal members are working together to study and digitize over a hundred old photographs from the boarding school era.

The photographs provide a detailed documentation of the living conditions and daily life of Native American children in boarding schools.

The digital repatriation of these photographs is part of a larger national effort to return cultural artifacts and human remains to tribal nations.

The process of sharing these materials is seen as a step towards truth and reconciliation between institutions and tribal nations.

The monastery has issued an apology to the White Earth community for its role in the boarding school system.

The current Sisters of the Order of Saint Benedict acknowledge past wrongs and express regret for the injustices done to Native American communities.

Jaime Arsenault hopes the collaboration between the White Earth community and the monastery can serve as a model for other repatriation efforts.

The story of the boarding schools is complex and painful, but it is essential for moving forward as a country and promoting healing.

Transcripts

JUDY WOODRUFF: A mass grave with the remains of 215 children was recently found near the

former site of the Kamloops Indian Residential School, a boarding school in British Columbia,

Canada. It closed in 1978.

It was a shocking discovery, and part of a dark history of forcibly assimilating indigenous

people.

Indian boarding schools have a long history in this country as well. Just yesterday, Secretary

of Interior Deb Haaland announced a new federal initiative that will -- quote -- "uncover

the truth" and the lasting consequences of these schools.

Jeffrey Brown has the story of one of them and an attempt to understand and acknowledge

a troubled past.

It's part of our arts and culture series, canvas.

JEFFREY BROWN: Portraits of a lost time, a painful time for many, a boarding school for

Native American children.

BELEN BENWAY, Graduate, College of Saint Benedict: And then we also had this photograph.

WOMAN: OK.

BELEN BENWAY: And you wouldn't happen to know what these buildings are?

JEFFREY BROWN: They were found in an unusual archive, in the basement of the Saint Benedict's

Monastery in St. Joseph, Minnesota, by students at the adjacent College of Saint Benedict,

including Belen Benway.

BELEN BENWAY: So ,the first time that I went into the archives, and I saw the first photo,

it was really just life-changing for me, honestly, because you got to see this whole other side

of history that you don't really get taught about a lot.

I found out that a lot of the pictures had never really been seen before. Like, they

didn't even know that they had these photographs until we were out looking for them.

JEFFREY BROWN: Some three hours north, at the White Earth Indian Reservation, tribal

historic preservation officer Jaime Arsenault was also deeply moved by photographs she'd

never seen before.

JAIME ARSENAULT, Tribal Historic Preservation Officer: When I first saw the images, I was

thinking about the community, about family members that maybe never had seen those images

either.

JEFFREY BROWN: In the late 19th century, the Sisters of the Order of Saint Benedict began

operating boarding schools for Native American students, including one on the White Earth

Reservation.

The sisters were hardly alone. From the 1870s to as late as the 1970s, nearly 400 boarding

schools, most of them government-run, operated around the country. Native languages, religion,

and customs were forbidden. The goal, to separate Indian children from their homes and strip

away their indigenous cultures.

JAIME ARSENAULT: There was loss of allotments, loss of timber, loss of access to water or

loss of access to be able to do subsistence living and feed your family. Ceremonies and

traditional practices were frowned upon, in the sense that your food rations could be

withheld, that type of thing.

And in the middle of all of that came this loss of children.

SISTER CAROL BERG, Sisters of the Order of Saint Benedict: The sisters who came were

not, to put IT bluntly, trained at all. I suspect most of them knew little or nothing

about American Indians at that point.

JEFFREY BROWN: Sister Carol Berg is a retired historian who focused her doctoral dissertation

White Earth and broader assimilation policies.

SISTER CAROL BERG: It was a deliberate act. There's no doubt about that. Some parents

were glad to have the children come because the children had a roof over their heads,

they had three meals a day.

But, in the end, I think American Indian families had no choice. I mean, they had to submit

to this policy.

JEFFREY BROWN: By the middle of the 20th century, the White Earth Reservation boarding school

became a day school and eventually closed in 1969.

But the impact of separation from family and culture, Jaime Arsenault says, can be felt

to this day.

JAIME ARSENAULT: It disrupted lots of families, and for multiple generations. And then it

makes it more difficult for somebody to make a healthy choice. It makes it more difficult

for someone to build healthy relationships.

TED GORDON, College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University: I knew that there's

a very complex history there, that this was an issue for Native communities that had a

severe impact on their identities, on their family structures. And I had wanted to know

more about it.

JEFFREY BROWN: Ted Gordon is an anthropology professor at the College of Saint Benedict

and Saint John's University who focuses on Native American studies.

TED GORDON: I wouldn't describe it as a kind of intentionally hidden in any sense. But

was this something that was -- where students were actively taught about this history, where

there were opportunities for people to learn about it, beyond somebody who would take the

initiative to read the history of the land here? That wasn't happening.

JEFFREY BROWN: Gordon found the monastery eager to open its archives, and he recruited

students like Belen Benway, herself a member of the Prairie Island Indian Community, also

in Minnesota, to help gather and study a trove of more than a hundred old photographs.

BELEN BENWAY: You can see like the emotions and how they physically lived, because they

took pictures of every -- they really had a good documentation of a lot of things that

went on in the schools. They had the pictures of the bedrooms that they would sleep in.

They had a picture of them in class. They had pictures of every single thing that they

did at the schools. So, it really painted a strong picture for me.

JEFFREY BROWN: Ted Gordon and his team approached Jaime Arsenault at the White Earth Reservation.

TED GORDON: And so Jaime suggested, why don't we write a new chapter? And if we share these

materials, that's what we're kind of describing as the truth part in truth and reconciliation.

JEFFREY BROWN: It's a small piece of a larger national effort.

In 1990, Congress passed the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, an

attempt to return human remains and sacred cultural artifacts taken from tribal nations

without their consent.

JAIME ARSENAULT: We're really trying to expand the definition of what repatriation is. And

so that could be language. It could be an archive. It can be a photograph.

JEFFREY BROWN: In this case, it's a digital repatriation of dozens of photographs, now

accessible to descendants of Native boarding school students.

EVELYN BELLANGER, Descendant of Native Boarding School Student: I think we need closure.

JEFFREY BROWN: People like community elders Evelyn Bellanger and Joe Lagarde. Both had

family members who attended the schools.

JOE LAGARDE, Descendant of Native Boarding School Student: Yes, we have to start to recover

what is ours, whether it's artifacts they call or our sacred item.

EVELYN BELLANGER: What they have and what -- connecting with them is not going to change

anything that happened. But it's a starting point for a relationship that can help us

lead to healing.

JEFFREY BROWN: It's something that's weighed on the present-day Sisters of the Order of

Saint Benedict.

SISTER CAROL BERG: We certainly do regret that we have done some injustice, I think,

in the past, again, much out of ignorance, I would say, not out of ill will, but we must

acknowledge, I think, that we have done some wrongs.

JEFFREY BROWN: And now the monastery has done just that, in a recent letter to Jaime Arsenault

and the White Earth community that included an apology.

You were talking about the kind of national moment we're in.

JAIME ARSENAULT: Right.

JEFFREY BROWN: Do you think of what's happening now between White Earth and the college and

the monastery, is it a good story, in a sense, or potentially a good story?

JAIME ARSENAULT: I do, because we're taking a history that is complex and, for many people,

very, very painful, and we're trying to move forward as a country.

But I think that we really need to look at some of these past events that are unfinished,

right? And we need to really examine that, really look at that, and use that as that

impetus to move forward.

JEFFREY BROWN: Arsenault hopes this will become a model for other repatriation efforts between

institutions and tribal nations, but she knows many open wounds remain.

For the "PBS NewsHour," I'm Jeffrey Brown.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Such a huge story. So important to follow that.

Thank you, Jeff Brown.