Morningside and Chemawa
The history of Indian boarding schools and Institutions like Morningside hospital are intertwined.
Trigger warning for this newsletter: discussions of institutionalization and Indian boarding school abuse.
The more I read about Morningside, the more I noticed a pattern. Chemawa was mentioned repeatedly in the stories I read. Below are stories I have collected from my comment sections and a passage from the Alaska Beacon in which John Tetpon shared his family’s story.
Hoonah is located in Southeast Alaska and was the last stop on the supply ship’s voyage back to the Pacific Northwest. The four grew up as family members of the Mercer family in Hoonah and later, Anne, George, Edward and Axel were sent to Chemawa Indian School in Salem, Oregon.
Three of the four did well and survived the hell they experienced at Chemawa Indian School. Axel Jackson did not make it. The word is that Axel was so badly abused at the school that he was admitted to the Morningside Hospital, a psychiatric facility in Portland.
My father said he never spoke another word for about 30 years. Axel passed away there.
Thank you to everyone who continues to help amplify these videos to help me reach folks with stories to share.
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