Indian Boarding Schools: The First Indian Child Welfare Policy in the U.S.
In 1958, as Indian boarding schools were starting to wane, the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) created the Indian Adoption Project.
Both the U.S. Indian Boarding School and the Indian Adoption policies were intentionally designed to force assimilation and eradicate Native cultures and family systems.
Acknowledging Racial Injustice and Charting the Path to Healing
At the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition (NABS), our mission is based on exposing truth, promoting justice, and fostering healing for boarding school survivors and their descendants. And while we may focus on Indigenous people, we believe, as many Native traditions tell us, that all beings are related – and that our ability to thrive is directly tied to the health and safety of all.
