Hundreds of Indigenous people have testified about their experiences in Native American boarding schools, sharing stories of trauma and healing. The National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition has collected video testimony from over 360 Indigenous survivors in 19 states, which will be preserved in the Library of Congress.

Healing and Restoration

Iona Mad Plume, a 74-year-old Blackfeet woman, shared her story of attending the Pierre Indian School in South Dakota, where she was sent at age 14. She described the healing process as a way to finally let go of haunting memories and find closure. Another survivor, Gene Bozicic, an 81-year-old member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, also shared her experience, saying that the project gave her back her confidence and pride in being Native.

The oral history project, which began in March 2024, is a collaboration between the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition and the U.S. Department of the Interior. The goal is to document and share the systemic abuse endured by boarding school survivors under the government’s attempts at forced assimilation.

Systemic Abuse and Intergenerational Trauma

The project has revealed the extent of the trauma and abuse suffered by Indigenous children in these schools, including physical and sexual abuse, and failed attempts at cultural genocide. The federal government has reported that nearly 1,000 Native children were buried at 65 different school sites.

The National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition will continue other oral history projects independently, with the next project likely to be more costly and inclusive. The coalition’s staff has noticed the importance of providing support to survivors, including licensed clinical therapists and social workers, to help them process their experiences.

Original reporting: KTBS 3 (Shreveport) — read the source article.