Interior Dept. Launches Investigation Into Native Boarding Schools

Brett Shelton, Native American Rights Fund lawyer, calls the Department of Interior’s investigation into the dark past of Native boarding schools a “huge first step.” 
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24 comments

  1. About time. If your residential schools are half as bad as ours were, then long past time. When you remember that US residential schools where the model used for the Canadian schools, then you wait for the horror.

    When you look at the two comments that are on the story with yours, you sigh, mutter about racists, and shake your head.

  2. All on the heels of the discovery of the bodies of indigenous youth at indigenous schools in Canada. An investigation is certainly needed…

    1. esflxian Take a look at what is happening in Montana, E. Washington State, Idaho, N. Dakota… between 2-4 Tribal Nations youth teens and W
      adult Women disappearing every week… and Nothing is being done about it. This has been going on since the ’70’s.

  3. Nothing’s gonna Change, Dogs don’t stop barking because their dressed in ribbons an fancy bows 😠😠

  4. If you want to hear the truth then hire researchers without forcing them to sign nondisclosure agreements. When you do that, the truth will be told. If you continue hiring people who agree to NDAs, then you want to appear to care, while hiding the truth under the cover of an NDA. Also, tribes must commit to ground truthing, archaeology must be confirmed by ground truthing. If a tribe believes that a deep and wide parabola found with ground penetrating radar represents a mass grave, then allow the researchers to prove it. When it is found to be a mass grave, the children can then be buried properly. NAGPRA was intended to help Indian people, not continue the false narrative.

  5. Canada is just getting started. We’re well over 1,000 now with only a small percentage of sites searched.

    1. It’s gonna get a lot worse before it gets better and STILL the Catholic Church is defiant in their refusal to turn over records, the Vatican won’t issue an apology and the government is ignoring the recommendations of the truth and reconciliation commision.

    2. Take a look at what is happening in Montana, E. Washington State, Idaho, N. Dakota… between 2-4 Tribal Nations youth teens and
      adult Women disappearing every week… and Nothing is being done about it. This has been going on since the ’70’s.

  6. Why do you talk about this as though it’s 100% in the past? My partner is a Choctaw Nation citizen (age 20), & attended a residential school in Oklahoma (so did his father). He was abused & bullied during his 2 years there and, since it’s a boarding school, was made to remain until they expelled him (typical victim blaming). His father (who is now deceased) was never informed. No other actions were taken to protect my partner.
    No link to any email address or government page where we can reach someone in charge of hearing grievances or anything? 
    That’s why they call it virtue signaling, I guess. Not virtuous signaling. Thanks anyway, we’ll figure it out.

  7. It’s about time! As ugly as this history is, it needs to be looked at, investigated and taught in our schools. No more wild west fantasy or how delightful it was when the New world was discovered. People were already here with their own language, culture and history. What happened to the Native American people amounts to nothing short of attempted genocide.

    1. Take a look at what is happening in Montana, E. Washington State, Idaho, N. Dakota… between 2-4 Tribal Nations youth teens and
      adult Women disappearing every week… and Nothing is being done about it. This has been going on since the ’70’s.

  8. I am a Canadian and am very ashamed of the atrocity we have inflicted on our 1st nations. We have taken the first step by acknowledging our atrocities and are now doing everything we can to right the terrible wrongs. Its the first step to uniting a country who has in the past bragged about being proud to be a multicultural nation. I am so very proud as of this week to have an indigenous woman as our new Governor General and Canada is the first country to pass the UN Declaration for Indigenous Rights it will be another historic even when our GG puts her royal assent on the Bill. I can only hope that the U.S. does the same thing. God Bless our neighbors

  9. I recommend that people read Susan Neiman’s book Learning from the Germans Race and the Memory of Evil. Germany had to face its horrible WWII history. Canada and the USA need to do likewise! By the way Susan Neiman is Jewish and raised her 3 children in Berlin, Germany! Counties need to face what they have done and vow to do better in the future! All countries!!!!!

  10. Canada followed the US re: residential schools…now Canada is leading the way in truth and reconciliation. It is NOT an easy road…but it will be worth it (p.s. I am Canadian).

  11. This is what happens when you lie. The truth will eventually come out wether some dislike/like it or not. Blame those who perpetrated the lie and allowed it to continue. Tell the truth, shame the devil.👿

  12. About time. My Grandmother was “adopted” through the Catholic church and they said they lost her records except for BC which read “Pawnee Sioux”.
    Love Haaland from New Mexico!

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