This is just the beginning
Trigger warning: results of ground penetrating surveys are being released and some archologist teams are beginning to find what Indigenous communities long knew were there.
In the last week, teams from multiple states have begun releasing their findings from investigations into the Indian Boarding schools. Twelve bodies were found beneath the former Paiute Indian Boarding School in Utah.
Digging has begun in Nebraska, where “last summer, dogs trained to find decaying remains signaled to archaeologists that they had found a burial site in a piece of land bordered by railroad tracks, a canal, and an agricultural field.” Based on records and research, at least 86 children died at this school.
A grandmother wearing beaded necklaces of bright red, yellow and blue watched Tuesday as archeologists searched a remote site in central Nebraska for the remains of children — including her aunt — who died decades ago at a former Native American boarding school. The dig in Genoa began Monday and is expected to last through the week. Williams said they have yet to uncover any human remains.
“I came today to witness the dig because I had an aunt who died here, Mildred Lowe, in 1930, and she never came home. So I’m here to find out if they find any bones and how we’re going to go about identifying and all of that,” said Carolyn Fiscus, the woman in beads who is a member of the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska.
Researchers have identified 49 of the children killed but have not been able to find names for the other 37. The bodies of some of those children were returned to their homes but others are believed to have been buried on the school grounds at a location long forgotten.
Three Montana Indian boarding schools are beginning investigations: St. Labre Indian School in Ashland, Pretty Eagle Catholic Academy (formerly St. Xavier Mission School), and t. Charles Mission School in Pryor. All three schools operate under a private Catholic entity, the St. Labre Indian School Educational Association.
According to Dr. Pease, the commission’s undertaking will be divided into three segments. Firstly, they have engaged the services of a research firm, Historical Research Associates, based in Missoula, Montana, to scrutinize government, private, and religious records stored at various locations across the United States. The firm’s notable historian, James Grant (Little Shell Chippewa Tribe), is anticipated to finalize his research by this fall.
Last month, Bill S1723 was amended and passed by the senate committee on Indian Affairs.
The bill, S.1723, would create a Truth and Healing Commission that would identify the locations of Native children’s burial sites, locate church and government records, and document the ongoing impacts to Native communities. It would need unanimous consent from the Truth and Healing Commission and could potentially open the access of records from the Catholic Church. The committee received more than 100 written comments from tribes, Native communities and organizations and individuals that were used to update the bill. Former Chief Commissioner of Canada’s Indian Residential School Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Murray Sinclair, also gave feedback.
It is paramount that this bill is passed. The investigations into this history are only just beginning. Access to church and private records will be an ongoing process and challenge. I am grateful for all the collaboration and work that has occurred and continues as more information comes to light.
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