Resource Database Center
The National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition hosts a resource database dedicated to understanding the history and impacts of U.S. Indian boarding schools. This comprehensive repository encompasses a wide selection of materials including bibliographic entries, media resources, academic studies, and educational content. Designed to support research, education, and healing, the database serves as a crucial tool for scholars, educators, boarding school survivors and their relatives, as well as the public. The aim of the Resource Database is to facilitate a deeper understanding of the boarding school era’s impact and to support the healing process for affected communities by providing accessible and informative resources that shed light on this significant aspect of American history.
The resource database distinctly differs from the National Indian Boarding School Digital Archive (NIBSDA) in that it primarily offers secondary and tertiary resources—such as analyses, commentaries, and educational tools—rather than housing original, primary source materials like letters, photographs, or official documents. This focus on curated interpretive content makes the Resource Database an invaluable tool for those seeking to understand the broader contexts and ongoing discussions surrounding the Indian boarding school legacy.
Advisory: The content contained herein may trigger secondary trauma or PTSD; we encourage individuals to seek counseling or healing if you experience any stress related to boarding school history. Indigenous peoples are warned that this database contains images, names, and references to deceased persons.
The Archives Related Resources contains primary source content and secondary source scholarship. It includes pdfs of books, articles, news, images, and excerpts from various historical governmental publications—including catalogs and reports—regarding boarding schools.
Academic articles, white papers, abstracts, studies, reports, essays, work, reviews, papers, dissertations, disquisitions, and presentations.
Bibliographic materials from all sources in the Resource Database, other bibliographies, lists of pertinent materials, finding aids, and other resources to help with your research.
Read, watch, or listen to past articles, interviews, blogs, podcasts/audio, or videos pertaining to the Coalition's work and other general media related to Indian boarding schools.
Read, watch, or listen to personal histories from survivors and their families. Histories of the the Tribes, tribal traditions, and stories are also included.
Presentations, handout materials, agendas, general information about past events from NABS and throughout Indian Country.
Teaching tools including curricula and lesson plans. Information and resources are included from past programs, certifications and education opportunities.