{"id":13624,"date":"2021-07-01T14:11:55","date_gmt":"2021-07-01T18:11:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.indianz.com\/News\/?p=13624"},"modified":"2021-07-01T14:19:31","modified_gmt":"2021-07-01T18:19:31","slug":"city-pledges-action-to-honor-lives-lost-at-indian-boarding-school","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2021\/07\/01\/city-pledges-action-to-honor-lives-lost-at-indian-boarding-school\/","title":{"rendered":"City pledges action to honor lives lost at Indian boarding school"},"content":{"rendered":"\"Albuquerque<\/a>
Early class of younger girls in school uniform at the Albuquerque Indian School, circa 1900. Photo: National Archives<\/a><\/figcaption>\r\n
City pledges action to honor lives lost at Indian boarding school<\/div>\r\n
Thursday, July 1, 2021<\/div>\r\n
By Acee Agoyo<\/div>\r\n
Indianz.Com<\/div>\r\n

<\/p>\r\nALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico — Officials here plan to work with tribal and Native leaders following the disappearance of a plaque commemorating the burials of Indian boarding school students.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nThe plaque recognized the loss of Apache, Navajo and Zuni students who attended the Albuquerque Indian School<\/a>. It had been been placed at a park not far from the site of the former institution but it is no longer there, for reasons unknown.\r\n

<\/p>\r\n\u201cOur department has been made aware of a missing plaque at 4-H Park, which denoted the area as a final resting site for students from the Albuquerque Indian School,\u201d Dave Simon, the director of Parks and Recreation <\/a>in New Mexico’s most populous city told Indianz.Com in a statement on Wednesday.\r\n

<\/p>\r\n \u201cThe plaque was not removed by any city staff,\u201d Simon added.\r\n

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There used to be a plaque in the park behind the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center honoring the mass grave of 120 Native children who died at the Abq Indian School between 1882-1933. The plaque was…<\/p>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n\t

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<\/p>\r\nThe missing memorial, however, was noticed by members of the local Indian community. Earlier this week, some of them erected their own tribute to the children who lost their lives during an era that is once again come under scrutiny for its role in eradicating tribal cultures, languages and way of life<\/a>.\r\n

<\/p>\r\n\u201cWe came together to honor those children this morning and made a new space to make offerings,\u201d Jovita Belgarde, who hails from Ohkay Owingeh<\/a>, the Pueblo of Isleta<\/a> and Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians<\/a>, wrote in a social media post<\/a> on Tuesday.\r\n

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A plaque marking a gravesite for students from Zuni, Navajo and Apache tribes that died at Albuquerque Indian School has been removed from 4-H Park in the city. A memorial has been set up in its place.<\/p>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n\t

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<\/p>\r\nThe plaque had been a common fixture at 4-H Park, a 3.3-acre facility located just a short walk from the site of the former Albuquerque Indian School. It reads:\r\n

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\r\n\u201cSite of Indian Cemetery, 1882-1933\r\n

<\/p>\r\nUsed primarily for burial of Albuquerque Indian School students from the Zuni, Navajo and Apache tribes\u201d\r\n<\/div>\r\n

<\/p>\r\nThe Presbyterian Church opened the Albuquerque Indian School in 1881, at a time when U.S. law and policy aimed to \u201cKill the Indian, and Save the Man<\/a>\u201d by placing tribal children in educational institutions, often far from their homes and families.\r\n

<\/p>\r\n \u201cAssimilation policies carried out by the same department that I now lead the same agency that tried to eradicate our culture, our language, our spiritual practices, and our people,\u201d Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, a citizen of the Pueblo of Laguna<\/a>, said in announcing the Federal Indian Boarding School Truth Initiative<\/a> on June 22.\r\n

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