Support is growing to ask the Vatican to repeal the Papal Bulls of Discovery in the Doctrine of Discovery (DOD). The Doctrine of Discovery allowed envoys of the Vatican to kill or enslave any aboriginal person who refused to accept the edicts. Repealing the edicts would be an important step for the church to begin […]
Native Americans, from a wide range of tribes and allies gathered at Carlisle to pay their respects to the students, and discussed the history that took place at the school. In addition a conference was held that addressed the school’s complicated athletic history. Athletics were often a tool used to attract other Native Americans students […]
Truth and Reconciliation Commissions are official, temporary bodies used for communities to come to terms with past violence, promote education and awareness of historic trauma, and to provide recognition and closure for victims and successors. By bringing past issues to light, such commissions promote healing and allow these communities to move forward. Although the Commission […]
From Letters from the Commissioner: This report describes the process and findings, discoveries and recommendations of the Maine Wabanaki-State Child Welfare Truth & Reconciliation Commission, whose mandate was endorsed in February 2013. The governor of Maine and the five tribal chiefs signed as equals to authorize the Commission to investigate whether or not the removal […]
Steps to take in order to file a complaint with Human Rights Bodies. Read PDF Here Source: Special Rapporteur on Indigenous Peoples Brochure on Communications. https://www.iitc.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/HRComplaintsENG_050113-WEB.pdf
History at its best helps the present make sense of the past. History at its best tells the nation’s story through the voices of all the people. These voices enlighten and provide wise counsel for the present, creating healthy and creative communities. History at its worst not only ignores the different voices, but eliminates them […]
Historical trauma, trauma often passed down through generations is not a new concept in Indian Country. Substance abuse, poverty, and mental health issues are just some of the ways this trauma has manifested. The author proposes a series of actions to help Indigenous communities heal from the trauma they’ve experienced, including: 1) Intergenerational recognition 2)intergenerational […]
According to author Joseph Boyden, “Attawapiskat is a microcosm of intergenerational trauma.” The community is plagued with issues of suicide, poverty, substance abuse, and painful memories of the country’s residential school era. Boyden elaborates with, “You can’t attempt cultural genocide for 140 years, for seven generations—the last of these schools closing their doors in 1996—and […]
In a powerful op-ed piece, retired physician Gabor Maté speaks about the issues that plague First Nations communities as the result of colonialism and the traumatic residential school era. The current living conditions of many First Nations people remains largely unknown by many Canadians, and for the healing process to begin, this needs to change. Maté […]
Sweetwater Nannauck was helping her ill father when she heard the story of his boarding school experience. As she listened to him, his pain became he own and she often felt angry when thinking about his experience. She believes Native American communities need to heal, saying “healing ourselves also brings healing for the Earth, healing […]
Pre-1900 25 off reservation boarding schools were established that housed 10,000 students. By the end of the Boarding School Era, over 100,000 children had attended residential school. The mantra of these schools was to “kill the Indian to save the man.” Children were horribly abused at these institutions and the trauma is something many survivors […]
Stories, memories, and research from the traumatic boarding school era were discussed at the Third Permanent U.N. Forum on Indigenous Issues in New York City in 2004. Communities and boarding school survivors are still becoming aware of the effects of the trauma experienced at school, and the aversion to discussing this history is having detrimental […]
