{"id":42696,"date":"2024-10-29T15:11:23","date_gmt":"2024-10-29T19:11:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/?p=42696"},"modified":"2024-10-29T15:11:24","modified_gmt":"2024-10-29T19:11:24","slug":"cronkite-news-president-biden-apologizes-for-indian-boarding-school-era","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2024\/10\/29\/cronkite-news-president-biden-apologizes-for-indian-boarding-school-era\/","title":{"rendered":"Cronkite News: President Biden apologizes for Indian boarding school era"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9\">\r\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ECjyq9DOnF4?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<figcaption class=\"figure-caption\">Indianz.Com Video: <a href=https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2024\/10\/25\/video-president-joe-biden-gila-river-indian-community\/>President Joe Biden at Gila River Indian Community<\/a>\r\n<\/figcaption>\r\n<div class=\"h3-responsive font-weight-bold\">Biden issues formal apology for treatment of Indigenous children within federal boarding schools<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"date\">Tuesday, October 29, 2024<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"byline\">By Gabrielle Wallace and Marshall Baker<\/div>\r\n<DIV class=source>Cronkite News<\/DIV>\r\n<DIV class=source-website><A \r\nhref=\"https:\/\/cronkitenews.azpbs.org\/\">cronkitenews.azpbs.org<\/A><\/DIV>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<p>LAVEEN VILLAGE, Arizona &#8212;  President Joe Biden on Friday formally apologized for the 150 years of abuse and harm suffered by Indigenous children that were put into the federal boarding school system. <\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cI believe it is important that we do know there was generations of Native children stolen, taken away to places they didn\u2019t know, with people they never met, who spoke a language they never heard,\u201d Biden said during a visit to the Gila River Indian Community in front of an emotional crowd. \u201cThe federal government has never formally apologized, until today.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>This apology comes after an extensive investigation by the Department of Interior. The Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative began in 2021 and was designed to recognize the long-term impacts of Indian boarding schools from 1819 to 1970.  <\/p>\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2024\/10\/29\/cronkite-news-president-biden-apologizes-for-indian-boarding-school-era\/joebiden-28\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-42698\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1980\" height=\"897\" data-attachment-id=\"42698\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2024\/10\/29\/cronkite-news-president-biden-apologizes-for-indian-boarding-school-era\/joebiden-28\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/29\/joebiden-2.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1980,897\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Joe Biden\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;Joe Biden&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;President Joe Biden tells a crowd from the Gila River Indian Community that he apologizes for the generational trauma caused by federal Native boarding schools, calling it a \u201csin on our souls.\u201d Photo by Sam Datin \/ Cronkite News&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/29\/joebiden-2.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/29\/joebiden-2.jpg\" alt=\"Joe Biden\"  class=\"size-full wp-image-42698\" \/><\/a> <figcaption class=\"figure-caption\">President Joe Biden tells a crowd from the Gila River Indian Community that he apologizes for the generational trauma caused by federal Native boarding schools, calling it a \u201csin on our souls.\u201d Photo by Sam Datin \/ Cronkite News<\/figcaption>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<div class=\"h5-responsive sub\">\u2018Kill the Indian, save the man\u2019<\/div>\r\n<p>Indian boarding schools were created to assimilate American Indian, Alaskan Native and Hawaiian Native children to American culture. Children were often forcibly removed from their homes and taken to religious government-funded schools, mainly Protestant and Catholic, hundreds of miles away.<\/p>\r\n<p>Arizona was home to 59 boarding schools, followed closely by New Mexico with 52, according to the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition.<\/p>\r\n<p> The schools estranged the children from their native culture and traditions, punishing them for speaking their native language. Children suffered mental and physical abuse during their time in the schools, including beatings, starvation and child labor.  <\/p>\r\n<p>Thousands of children are estimated to have died. Many of the deceased are still to be identified. <\/p>\r\n<p>In Volume II of the investigative report of the Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative, the DOI states it identified 973 student deaths. The actual number is estimated to be much higher.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cThe Department acknowledges that the actual number of children who died while in Indian boarding schools is greater,\u201d the report stated.<\/p>\r\n<div class=\"embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9\">\r\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/yNW7mzhFQRQ?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<figcaption class=\"figure-caption\">Indianz.Com Video: <a href=https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2024\/10\/25\/video-secretary-deb-haaland-at-gila-river-indian-community\/>Secretary Deb Haaland at Gila River Indian Community<\/a>\r\n<\/figcaption>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<p>Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, the first Native American cabinet secretary, announced the Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative, which included an investigative report detailing institutions involved in the Indian boarding school system. The initiative also included an oral history project to interview survivors of Indian boarding schools and share their stories. <\/p>\r\n<p>A 12-stop cross country tour called the Road to Healing was part three of the initiative.  The one and only Arizona stop was the Gila River Indian Community, located in the Phoenix metropolitan area. <\/p>\r\n<p>Arizona lawmakers including Ruben Gallego and Katie Hobbs attended the Gila River Indian Community stop in January 2023.<\/p>\r\n<p>Haaland spoke before Biden at his Friday morning visit, highlighting the many contributions the Biden administration has made to Indigenous communities during his tenure as President. <\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cPresident Biden has been a champion for Indian country, committed to doing what is right for our people,\u201d Haaland said. \u201cIt is the honor of my lifetime to serve a President and an administration that truly sees Indigenous people and has worked tirelessly to address the issues in Indian country that have long been underfunded and outright ignored.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<div class=\" content_cards_card content_cards_domain_indianz-com\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"content_cards_image\">\n\t\t\t\t<a class=\"content_cards_image_link\" href=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/z\/fibs\/2024\/10\/29\/photos-president-joe-biden-gila-river-indian-community-doi\/\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/21\/54093741914_e5f806e7bb_o-scaled-3.jpg\" alt=\"PHOTOS: President Joe Biden at Gila River Indian Community (DOI)\">\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t<div class=\"content_cards_title\">\n\t\t<a class=\"content_cards_title_link\" href=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/z\/fibs\/2024\/10\/29\/photos-president-joe-biden-gila-river-indian-community-doi\/\">\n\t\t\tPHOTOS: President Joe Biden at Gila River Indian Community (DOI)\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<div class=\"content_cards_description\">\n\t\t<a class=\"content_cards_description_link\" href=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/z\/fibs\/2024\/10\/29\/photos-president-joe-biden-gila-river-indian-community-doi\/\">\n\t\t\t<p>U.S. Department of the Interior photos from President Joe Biden&#8217;s historic visit to the Gila River Indian Community in Arizona on October 25, 2024.<\/p>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<div class=\"content_cards_site_name\">\n\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/favicon.ico\" alt=\"Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative Archive\" class=\"content_cards_favicon\"\/>\t\tFederal Indian Boarding School Initiative Archive\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\r\n<p>In July 2024, the DOI released the second, final volume of the investigative report. <\/p>\r\n<p>In the report, DOI Assistant Secretary Bryan Newland, from the Bay Mills Indian Community in Michigan, listed eight recommendations for the federal government. One of them asked the federal government to issue an official apology for its role in Indian boarding schools across the country.<\/p>\r\n<p>Among the recommendations, Newland also advised backing efforts to mitigate the present-day impacts of the Indian boarding school system.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cThe United States could invest in healing \u2026 individuals from the legacy impacts of forced assimilation on a scale that is, at a minimum, commensurate with the investments made in the Federal Indian boarding school system,\u201d he wrote in the Volume II report.<\/p>\r\n<p>Newland recommended the U.S. develop a national strategy to minimize the number of Native children entering the foster care system. He also recommended funding for healing rooted in culture and traditions throughout Indian country. This included funding for tribes and tribal healing programs as well as infrastructure funding such as trauma treatment centers.<\/p>\r\n<p>Newland was present during Biden\u2019s remarks, and he is looking ahead to what more can be done to further right the wrongs of the past.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cHealing has to be voluntary, and it has to be a joint effort between the nation and Indian people, and so I think that&#8217;s where we go from here,\u201d Newland said. \u201cI&#8217;m really proud of the work that we&#8217;ve also been a part of to really help make life better for Indian people. I think that\u2019s a prelude of more to come.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2024\/10\/29\/cronkite-news-president-biden-apologizes-for-indian-boarding-school-era\/gilariverindiancommunity-2\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-42699\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1153\" data-attachment-id=\"42699\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2024\/10\/29\/cronkite-news-president-biden-apologizes-for-indian-boarding-school-era\/gilariverindiancommunity-2\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/29\/gilariverindiancommunity.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2048,1153\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Gila River Indian Community\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;Gila River Indian Community&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;On a warm fall morning, hundreds of people, largely from Native American communities across Arizona, gather at Gila Crossing Community School on October 25, 2024, to hear President Joe Biden. Photo by Cronkite News &lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/29\/gilariverindiancommunity.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/29\/gilariverindiancommunity.jpg\" alt=\"Gila River Indian Community\"  class=\"size-full wp-image-42699\" \/><\/a> <figcaption class=\"figure-caption\">On a warm fall morning, hundreds of people, largely from Native American communities across Arizona, gather at Gila Crossing Community School on October 25, 2024, to hear President Joe Biden. Photo by Cronkite News <\/figcaption>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<div class=\"h5-responsive sub\">Was this enough?<\/div>\r\n<p>Like Haaland and Newland, Mary Kim Titla, 63, comes from a family historically affected by boarding schools. Titla\u2019s mother attended the Phoenix Indian School, operated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, which closed in 1990. She thinks an apology is long overdue.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s been a long time coming, and it should have happened sooner, honestly,\u201d Titla said. \u201cIt doesn&#8217;t erase what happened, but an apology was a start. It&#8217;s meaningful, and I&#8217;m glad that the President is doing it.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>Patty Talahongva remembers arriving at the Phoenix Indian School in 1978. She was subject to military-like conditions that many boarding schools in the U.S. practiced.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cIt became very emotional,\u201d she said. \u201cIt was more emotional than I expected. I wish my grandmother was here to hear this apology. Would she accept it? Would my great-grandfather accept it? My great uncles and aunts? So this is a step in the right direction, but there&#8217;s a heck of a lot more work to be done.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"100%\" height=\"166\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"no\" allow=\"autoplay\" src=\"https:\/\/w.soundcloud.com\/player\/?url=https%3A\/\/api.soundcloud.com\/tracks\/1942048043&#038;color=%23ff5500&#038;auto_play=false&#038;hide_related=true&#038;show_comments=false&#038;show_user=false&#038;show_reposts=false&#038;show_teaser=false\"><\/iframe> \r\n<figcaption class=\"figure-caption\">Indianz.Com Audio: <a href=https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2024\/10\/25\/audio-governor-stephen-roe-lewis-of-gila-river-indian-community\/> Governor Stephen Roe Lewis of Gila River Indian Community<\/a>\r\n<\/figcaption>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<p>Many who witnessed the apology firsthand wonder what else will be done. Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren hopes to see some of Secretary Haaland\u2019s policies put into practice. <\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cMy hope is that we got the apology, now he can put some resources behind some of the recommendations that Secretary Haaland provided,\u201d Nygren said.<\/p>\r\n<p>During his speech, Biden not only recognized the past treatment of Indigenous people, but looked at the many contributions his administration made to Indigenous communities:<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>$32 billion in the American Rescue Plan, the largest direct federal investment in Tribal Nations in history.<\/li>\r\n<li>$13 billion in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to build high-speed internet, roads, bridges, public transit and clean water sanitation infrastructure in Tribal communities.<\/li>\r\n<li>$700 million in the Inflation Reduction Act to invest in Native communities for climate resilience and adaptation programs, drought mitigation, home electrification and clean energy development.<\/li>\r\n<li>Obligating billions of federal contract dollars \u2013 and significant percentages of agencies\u2019 overall procurement dollars \u2013 to Native-owned or controlled businesses through the Buy Indian Act, a law that has been re-invigorated under the Biden-Harris Administration.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<div class=\" content_cards_card content_cards_domain_indianz-com\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"content_cards_image\">\n\t\t\t\t<a class=\"content_cards_image_link\" href=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/z\/fibs\/2024\/10\/25\/transcript-president-biden-gila-river-indian-community\/\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/21\/54100234946_f130de4c27_o-scaled-1.jpg\" alt=\"TRANSCRIPT: President Biden at Gila River Indian Community\">\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t<div class=\"content_cards_title\">\n\t\t<a class=\"content_cards_title_link\" href=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/z\/fibs\/2024\/10\/25\/transcript-president-biden-gila-river-indian-community\/\">\n\t\t\tTRANSCRIPT: President Biden at Gila River Indian Community\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<div class=\"content_cards_description\">\n\t\t<a class=\"content_cards_description_link\" href=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/z\/fibs\/2024\/10\/25\/transcript-president-biden-gila-river-indian-community\/\">\n\t\t\t<p>President Joe Biden delivers remarks at the Gila River Indian Community in Arizona on October 25, 2024.<\/p>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<div class=\"content_cards_site_name\">\n\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/favicon.ico\" alt=\"Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative Archive\" class=\"content_cards_favicon\"\/>\t\tFederal Indian Boarding School Initiative Archive\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\r\n<p>Biden hopes that future administrations uphold these values and continue to honor and give recognition to the Indigenous peoples of this country. <\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cFor too long, this nation sought to silence the voices of generations of native children, but now their voices are being heard,\u201d he said. \u201cThat&#8217;s the America we should be. That&#8217;s the America we can all be proud of, that&#8217;s who we are.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<STRONG>For more stories from Cronkite News, visit <A href=\"https:\/\/cronkitenews.azpbs.org\/?utm_source=referral&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=client\">cronkitenews.azpbs.org<\/A>.<\/STRONG>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<HR><EM>Note: This story originally <a href=\"https:\/\/cronkitenews.azpbs.org\/2024\/10\/25\/biden-issues-formal-apology-indigenous-children-federal-boarding-schools\/\">appeared on Cronkite News<\/a>.  It  is published via a <A href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/3.0\/\">Creative  Commons license<\/A>. Cronkite News is produced by the <A href=\"https:\/\/cronkite.asu.edu\/\">Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication<\/A> at <A href=\"https:\/\/www.asu.edu\">Arizona State University<\/A>.<\/EM><HR>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cThe federal government has never formally apologized, until today,\u201d President Joe Biden said during a historic visit to the Gila River Indian Community in Arizona.","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":42699,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_vp_format_video_url":"","_vp_image_focal_point":[],"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18,20,1,14],"tags":[1457,42,4144,117,418,625,3240,46,88,118,176,66,1319,53,4224,5573,24,1835,124,102],"class_list":["post-42696","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-education","category-indian-trust","category-national","category-politics","tag-apologies","tag-arizona","tag-arpa","tag-bia","tag-boarding-schools","tag-bryan-newland","tag-buu-nygren","tag-cronkite-news","tag-deb-haaland","tag-doi","tag-genocide","tag-gila-river","tag-infrastructure","tag-joe-biden","tag-katie-hobbs","tag-mary-kim-titla","tag-navajo","tag-patty-talahongva","tag-ruben-gallego","tag-youth","no-wpautop"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/29\/gilariverindiancommunity.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pcoJ7g-b6E","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42696","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42696"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42696\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":42706,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42696\/revisions\/42706"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/42699"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42696"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42696"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42696"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}