Indian Boarding School Apology
President Joe Biden is winding down his one term in office with his first trip to Indian Country. He spoke at the Gila River Indian Community in Arizona, where he discussed his administration's nation-to-nation efforts. He also offered an apology for the federal government's genocidal Indian boarding school era.
• VIDEOS: President Joe Biden |
Secretary Deb Haaland
• TRANSCRIPT: President Joe Biden
• PHOTOS:
DOI |
White House
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Indian Country is waking up to new political realities with Republican Donald Trump headed to the White House after an election season that saw an unprecedented Native vote effort in support of Democrat Kamala Harris.
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"During and after the transition of presidential administrations, we will continue pressing the United States to honor its treaty obligations to Native peoples, respect our sovereignty and meet obligations to provide needed resources to tribal nations," said Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr.
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“We urge Congress to pass legislation that would further illuminate this history and support the ongoing journey toward healing,” said President Mark Macarro.
“Our communities are still broken because of what we were forced to endure,” said President Rickey Armstrong, Sr.
“Congress needs to act now and pass the Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding Schools Act, so we can learn from our past and make sure these wrongs are never repeated,” said Chief Executive Officer Francys Crevier.
Indian boarding schools notoriously worked to stamp out Native languages, religions, and cultures — along with traditional foodways.
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President Joe Biden delivers remarks at the Gila River Indian Community in Arizona on October 25, 2024. Watch the historic speech.
Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland speaks at the Gila River Indian Community in Arizona on October 25, 2024. Watch her remarks.
President Joe Biden delivers remarks at the Gila River Indian Community in Arizona on October 25, 2024.
Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland speaks at the Gila River Indian Community in Arizona on October 25, 2024. Listen to her remarks.
Governor Stephen Roe Lewis of the Gila River Indian Community welcomes visitors to his tribal nation on October 25, 2024. Listen in.
President Joe Biden delivers remarks at the Gila River Indian Community in Arizona on October 25, 2024. Tune in!
“Oklahoma was home to 87 boarding schools in which thousands of our Cherokee children attended,” said Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr.
“Survivors live among our communities and the trauma they endured echoes through our families,” said Oneida Nation Representative Ray Halbritter.
“Today’s apology by President Biden on behalf of the United States government is both welcomed and long overdue,” said Chairman Marshall Pierite of the Tunica-Biloxi Tribe.
“Genocide, institutional racism, abuse in all forms, cultural disconnection, alienation and pressure to assimilate away from Native culture and identity have haunted our people for generations,” said the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation.
“For generations, Native children, including many Navajo, endured an education system that aimed to erase our languages, cultures, and identities,” said President Buu Nygren.
“President Biden’s apology is a critical acknowledgment of past injustices and wrongdoings by the federal government, and it lays the groundwork for continued healing,” said Navajo Nation Council Speaker Crystalyne Curley.
“This apology is an important step forward, but it must be accompanied by meaningful actions addressing these historical injustices’ ongoing impacts,” said AFN President Benjamin Mallott.
“President Biden’s acknowledgment of the deep wounds caused by the Indian boarding school era is a crucial step towards healing and reconciliation,” said Chief Kirk Francis of the Penobscot Nation.
“Indigenous communities have been subjected to trauma at every scale and dimension imaginable,” said COLT Vice Chairman Tracy King.
“It is our deepest hope that the apology opens the doors to restoration of those things lost due to boarding school era policies – our culture, traditions, and most importantly our languages,” said Chief Executive Officer Lori Jump.
Native peoples continue to endure the consequences of this era, evident in ongoing trauma, loss of cultural heritage, and persistent systemic inequalities, said the NIWRC.
“President Biden’s apology is a moment of validation for our communities, recognizing the profound trauma endured by generations of Native children and families—including my own mother,” said National Indian Health Board Chairman William Smith.
“It is essential that this apology is not merely symbolic but is accompanied by actionable commitments to repair the harm done,” said CSVANW Executive Director Tiffany Jiron.
Apologies offer hope for continued healing, acknowledgment of a tragic historical record, and movement toward righting a wrong, said the Native American Church of North America.
“The impact of boarding schools upon the health and well-being of Native American children and families cannot be overstated,” said IHS Director Roselyn Tso.
“This is an important day for our country and for all Native peoples,” said Shelly Lowe, the first Native person to chair the National Endowment for the Humanities.
“For more than a century, the federal government’s Indian Boarding School policies and practices stole hundreds of thousands of Native children from their homes in an effort to destroy Native languages, cultures, and identities,” said Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii).
“The Indian Boarding School era left lasting, intergenerational scars on tribal families and communities,” said Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Washington).
“Let us never forget the scars inflicted on our Native brothers and sisters,” said Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-New Mexico).
“The incredible resilience of Native peoples, even as the United States government tried to erase and eradicate their identities, is deeply inspiring,” said Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minnesota).
“For generations, Native children were taken from their families and communities in an inhumane attempt to erase their culture that led to the abuse and even murder of young students,” said Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Arizona).
“The Federal Indian Boarding School era was a shameful, dark chapter in American history,” said. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon).
President Joe Biden is taking the historic step to formally apologize for the federal government’s role in the genocidal Indian boarding school era.
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