NABS

Facing the Legacy of the Boarding Schools

A Navajo woman named Eulynda Toledo-Benalli shares her family’s history with the boarding school system in the U.S. Her father was kidnapped and sent to school in Colorado, while generations later, Toledo-Benalli was sent to school in Rehoboth, NM with her siblings. They suffered abuse at the hands of the schools, and their parents didn’t […]

Chilocco: Memories of a Native American Boarding School

When Chilocco first opened, 100 students attended the school, culminating in 18,000 students from 126 tribes over nearly 100 years. The text includes the memories of students, along with pictures from the school. Book Available for Purchase Here Source:Brumley, Kim. Chilocco: Memories of a Native American Boarding School. Fairfax, OK: Guardian Publishing House, 2010

Connie Walker and the firsthand legacy of residential schools

In this podcast Connie Walker gives an extensive overview of the history of residential schools in Canada. Several survivors told of their horrific experiences and how this trauma continues to affect their lives. Connie is also the daughter of a survivor and her grandparents went to residential school as well. In university she interviewed her […]

TRC report: 5 stories of residential school escapees who died

5 stories are told about children who died after they left residential school in Canada. In each case, the students left in the winter, often battling the elements in an attempt to survive. Sometimes a student left alone, or in a small group. Exposure was often the cause of death, and the schools did not […]

Young people talk about residential school

When we think of residential schools, many will picture images of elderly survivors struggling to cope with their experiences. But the legacy of the schools, lives on in generations of Indigenous Canadians. A third generation descendent of a survivor, and a residential school survivor discuss how the residential school system has impacted them. Both support […]

The Fighter

At a Canadian residential school, Willie Blackwater stood up to his abuser and was able to stop him and other students from facing further abuse and was able to live with a family during the school year. This experience showed him it was possible to fight back against the system trying to oppress him and […]

Michael Cheena, Interview

A Canadian residential school survivor, Michael Cheena, recalls how his family did not have a choice to send him to residential school or not. His parents would have been sent to jail if he did not attend. Life at school was strict, and students were harshly disciplined. Cheena recalls the policy of not being allowed […]

Residential school survivors share their story of healing

Two survivors of the Mohawk Indian Residential School share their different experiences. The first survivor, Audrey Hill, attended the school for one year. Coming from an environment where her parents showed affection, she knew there was something wrong at Mohawk. She heard stories of abuse, was slapped, and had her hair pulled while attending school. […]