Guest column: Pain of boarding school survivors is foundation of modern Indigenous life

Imagine being a child, maybe as young as 7 years old.  

Then, imagine being ripped away from your parents and taken miles and miles away, with little to no idea of when you would see them again. Upon arriving at your destination, imagine being renamed, having your hair cut off, and being stripped naked and scrubbed with lye.  

Imagine being forbidden to speak your native language — the only language you know. Then imagine being subject to punishments, including the withholding of food, being locked outdoors in harsh weather and solitary confinement. Imagine being chained, whipped, and physically and sexually assaulted. 

This nightmare, akin to the treatment of prisoners of war, was the experience of hundreds of thousands of Indigenous children during the federal Native American boarding school era. And after decades of inaction, now is the time for lawmakers in Oklahoma and across the nation to address this dark chapter in American history. 

In May, the Department of the Interior released the first volume of the Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative Report. This first-of-its-kind investigation found that between 1819 and 1969, there were 408 boarding schools across 37 states. At least 76 of these schools were in Oklahoma alone, more than any other state in the country.  

More: What to know: Federal report on Native American boarding schools (oklahoman.com)

These institutions, sponsored by the federal government and administered by Christian denominations, aimed to “assimilate” Native children at any cost. Curriculums included extensive military drills, manual labor and Christian teachings. Death was so common that these schools had both marked and unmarked graveyards on site. The Interior’s report found 53 burial sites at boarding school locations, and more burial sites are expected to be uncovered.  

All of this may be news to you, but for Indigenous people, this report simply confirms painful truths their families have long known. Survivors left these institutions abused, in poor health and without the language and cultural knowledge to connect with the homes they returned to. The way these children were raised in boarding schools — with fear, shame, violence and servitude — was in complete conflict with the way their tribal communities would have raised them; with love, identity and purpose.  

In short, the pain of these survivors is the foundation of modern Indigenous life.  

This federal policy created generations of trauma that tribes continue to navigate as they reclaim everything these institutions tried to destroy. For every language learner, for every heirloom seed planted, for every newborn receiving a traditional name instead of an English one, there are people struggling with trauma, battling addiction and trying desperately to survive a world that doesn’t fit or understand them.  

From the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women crisis, to poverty conditions comparable to Third World countries, to staggeringly high suicide rates, especially among Native youths — all of these issues and more are rooted in the crimes committed against the first families torn apart by the boarding schools.  

More: Families rally to bring awareness to missing, murdered Indigenous women (oklahoman.com)

But on a public policy level, it’s important to note that these boarding schools weren’t just depraved and immoral. They were also a direct breach of the federal government’s treaty and trust responsibility to protect tribal sovereignty and enhance tribal self-determination.  

Despite our nation’s failure to keep its promises in the past, this obligation to tribal nations still exists today and in perpetuity. And thanks to Indigenous leaders across Indian country, the administration and in Congress, this dark chapter of our collective history is finally being brought into the light.  

Lawmakers in both chambers are considering S. 2907 and H.R. 5444, companion bills that would establish the first formal commission in U.S. history to address the human rights violations that occurred during the federal boarding school era.  

Rep. Tom Cole co-leads this bipartisan legislation in the House, and Rep. Markwayne Mullin has signed on as co-sponsor. But for the sake of Indigenous communities and Oklahomans alike, more of Oklahoma’s lawmakers in Congress need to support this effort, including Sens. James Lankford and Jim Inhofe. 

Ultimately, the crimes committed against those children cannot be undone. But their pain has bled into the fabric of modern Indigenous life. If we do not address the enduring consequences of this era by passing these bills, we will continue to fail future generations of Native children. 

Portia K. Skenandore-Wheelock manages the Native American Advocacy Program for the Friends Committee on National Legislation, advocating for policy that addresses critical issues in Indian country.