Red Cloud’s Statement on Federal Indian Boarding School Report from the U.S. Department of the Interior
Today the United States Department of the Interior issued its report on Indian Boarding Schools. The report is an official acknowledgment and accounting of Indian boarding schools by the department that oversaw them. This is a historic moment for this nation.
As a former boarding school committed to truth, healing, and accountability, Red Cloud Indian School stands firmly with all those who continue to grieve and experience trauma from the boarding schools. As the report acknowledges, the boarding schools were part of a larger project of cultural assimilation that used “identity-alteration methodologies” rooted in racist attitudes that caused deep harm to Indigenous children, families, and culture that has resulted in intergenerational trauma.
The Department of Interior’s report is a crucial first step in reckoning with our history. Red Cloud welcomes the support of the federal government as we work to make our records accessible. Red Cloud also invites Secretary Haaland to visit Pine Ridge and Red Cloud as part of her “A Road to Healing” tour. Red Cloud Indian School is in full support of the work and continues to advocate for the passage of H.R. 5444 - Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies Act. Red Cloud Indian School acknowledges the harms and struggles of the past and is committed to the long and difficult journey ahead.
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For more information on this Red Cloud’s Truth and Healing Initiative, please contact:
Maka Black Elk, makablackelk@redcloudschool.org or (605) 867-5491 ext 2212.
