Native American boarding schools played role in over 900 child deaths nationwide, including in Colorado
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Between the early 1800s and late 1960s, nearly 1,000 Native American children died while forced to attend boarding schools set up by the U.S. government across 37 states, including Colorado, a new federal report reveals.
The latest: The Interior Department report — a culmination of a three-year investigation — expands the number of children previously known to have died nationwide.
What they're saying: "For the first time in the history of the country, the U.S. government is accounting for its role … to forcibly assimilate Indian children, and working to set us on a path to heal from the wounds inflicted by those schools," Bryan Newland, the department's assistant secretary for Indian affairs, wrote in a letter included in the July report.
The big picture: Hundreds of survivors were interviewed for the investigation. They detailed how the schools used assimilation tactics to strip their names, convert them to Christianity, cut their hair and punish them for speaking Native languages.
- Some survivors described widespread sexual and physical abuse. Many said school conditions were poor, with illness being common.
Zoom in: Five federal boarding schools across Colorado are listed in the 105-page report. Those include:
- Fort Lewis Indian Boarding School in Hesperus (1892-1956)
- Good Shepherd Industrial School in Denver (1886-1914)
- Grand Junction Indian School in Grand Junction (1886-1911)
- Southern Ute Boarding School in Ignacio (1886-1981)
- Ute Mountain Boarding School in Towaoc (1907-1942)
By the numbers: It's unclear how many of the 973 student deaths documented occurred in Colorado. But at least 19 deceased children of the Ute tribe, which has a prominent presence in the southwestern corner of the state, were recorded.
- A separate investigation released late last year by History Colorado found at least 31 children died at the Fort Lewis Indian Boarding School outside Durango, one of the most prominent schools in the system. An estimated 1,100 children from 20 tribes attended it over 17 years.
What's next: The Interior Department is urging the U.S. government to issue a formal apology and allocate billions in federal funding to address the enduring impact of abuse and displacement on Native communities.
- Because the investigation found 74 marked and unmarked burial sites at 65 of those schools, the department also proposed identifying and repatriating the remains of those children.
The bottom line: "As we continue to confront this dark chapter, we must continue to listen to and uplift the stories of survivors, recognize the enduring impact on generations, and commit to meaningful healing for survivors and their descendants," Deborah Parker, CEO of the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition, said in a statement.