This presentation by Jolene Bowman explores the history of U.S. Indian boarding schools with a focus on her family history and boarding schools in Wisconsin. The presentation is about 40 minutes long and features a historical timeline, information about different aspects of the schools, moments for personal reflection, and interviews with boarding school survivors. You […]
This is a recorded version of a presentation that Christine McCleave and Rose Miron, Staff from the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition, did at the 2018 meeting of the Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums. The presentation outlines the history of U.S. Indian boarding schools, the importance of understanding and sharing the […]
Lyla June Johnston turned down Harvard Business School in order to return to her community and immerse herself in traditional Navajo culture and customs. Returning to her roots has helped her heal from her own trauma. She is trying to help other youth connect with their culture. Like many tribes, the Navajo were forced to […]
This trailer tells of a First Nations boy who is sent to a residential school in Canada. At school he is forbidden to speak his language, practice his culture, and witnesses abuse. He teaches himself to play hockey and is eventually able to professionally play, but he is still haunted by his residential school experience. […]
Letters filed in a case against the Catholic Church detail allegations of sexual abuse of students who attended St. Francis Mission on the Rosebud Sioux reservation. The plaintiffs says the letters prove the church knew about the abuse, but did nothing to stop it. Read Article or Listen Here Read PDF Here Source: Charles Michael […]
This clip is from the mini-series “Into the West.” It depicts the moment children arrived at Carlisle and were forced to wear western clothes, take on English names, and cut their hair. Watch Video Here Source: carynfmiller. “Into the West-Carlisle Indian School.” YouTube video, 9:57. Posted [September 17, 2011]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfRHqWCz3Zw
This video shows the federal government of Canada delivering an apology for the atrocities they committed against First Nations’ children by forcibly removing them from their homes and sending them to residential schools. At these schools children suffered horrific abuse and trauma that many survivors carried into adulthood. As a result of their experiences, many […]
This documentary gives the history of Native American boarding schools and policies that were established to assimilate Native American students by stripping them of their culture and replacing them with western values. Survivor and descendents are also interviewed. Purchase Documentary Here Source: Our Spirits Don’t Speak English: Indian Boarding School. Directed by Chip Richie. 2008. DVD.
Boarding schools were seen as a way to assimilate Native American students into the dominant culture and teach them western values. Usually, little emphasis was placed on education, and students often were abused and lived in unsanitary conditions. In contrast, some students who attended boarding schools had positive experiences. In the present day, schools like […]
The organization Partner Comunidades Latinas Unidas En Servicio (CLUES) offered trainings to City staff around immigrant and refugee trauma in 2017. CLUES allowed ReCAST Minneapolis to film these courses and offer them as packaged video courses. These courses are now available online for City employees and community members! There are 6 courses in the series. To […]
This video provides a history of Native American boarding school in the U.S., specifically how the goals of the schools was not education, but cultural assimilation. Watch Video Here Source: KUED “Unspoken: Native American Boarding Schools.” Public Broadcasting Service, February 16, 2016, https://www.pbs.org/video/unspoken-americas-native-american-boarding-schools-oobt1r/
This page provides links to several stories from the Boarding School Era about healing from residential schools. This includes how families can heal from the trauma through activities, and Indigenous wisdom. Listen to Dr. Martha Many Grey Horses Here Listen to Chief Phil Lane, Jr. Here Sources: Many Grey Horses, M. “A Heartfelt Journey Through […]
