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As leaders of the Department of the Interior and descendants of survivors of the federal residential school in India, we entered our roles in the Biden-Harris administration determined to address the terrible wrongs of the U.S. government in the past. Last month, at the Gila River Indian Community in Arizona, we joined elders, survivors and their children in President Joe Biden’s first-ever proclamation. Apology to Indian Country For the federal government’s role in this terrible legacy. This was a historic moment, and Alaska played an important role.

Launched by our Ministry three years ago Federal Indian Residential School InitiativeThis is a first-of-its-kind commitment from the federal government to acknowledge and investigate the enduring legacy of federal residential schools in India. your initiative investigation report detailed the scale and scope of these schools and loudly and unquestionably confirmed a truth: The federal government separated children from their families and stole from them the languages, cultures, and traditions that form the foundation of Indigenous people.

Although this history is known and felt throughout Indian Country, its painful memory has largely been erased from our history books. Over 150 years, the federal government operated 417 institutions in 37 states or territories in conjunction with religious institutions; At least 18,624 four-year-old children live here, separated from their families and deprived of their language, traditional clothing and culture. , their way of life and even their hair were forcibly sent away. There were 22 in Alaska alone.

Native American history is American history, and if we want to build a stronger, more resilient future for each of us, we must own our past, reckon with it, and heal from it. This includes sharing and carrying our own wounds for the world. For over a year, we traveled throughout Indian Country on a year-long “Road to Healing” tour consisting of 12 visits. Alaska Native Heritage Center in Anchorage – this gave survivors and grandchildren the opportunity to share their boarding school experiences and the painful consequences these schools leave behind.

During our visit, survivors and their descendants shared their harrowing experiences of abuse and neglect under the worst conditions, many publicly for the first time. We cried, remembered and healed together. We thank those who shared their stories from the bottom of our hearts. Your and your loved ones’ experiences are part of the fabric of our business.

Our research report included a list of recommendations that would support the path to healing the nation. The report’s first recommendation was an acknowledgment and apology from the federal government. The President taking this step is a testament to the impact of Indigenous people who have shared their stories out of a sense of duty to honor the sacrifices of our ancestors through this painful but necessary work. We were proud to join him on his first visit to Indian Country and at a turning point in our nation’s reckoning with this shameful chapter of our history. Although we can never rewrite our past, we can make sure it is never forgotten.

We are now advancing collaborative efforts with our partners in response to the report’s sixth recommendation. National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition and creating an oral collection of first-person narratives from residential school survivors with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Mellon Foundation. We are finalizing agreements between the Department, the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, and the Library of Congress to explore how oral histories can become a centerpiece of upcoming and wide-ranging educational resources, such as online, traveling, and long-term exhibitions. This will share the history and legacy of the federal residential school system in India with the world.

One of the most common demands we heard over and over on “Road to Healing” was the restoration of Indigenous languages. In response, we have strengthened grant programs such as: Living Languages ​​Grant Program. We are also developing a 10-year National Plan for Native language preservation with guidance from the Departments of Education, Health, and Human Services, as well as Tribal leaders and Native language teachers, which will be released soon. Some of this work is currently being conducted in existing boarding schools run by Tribes or the Bureau of Indian Education. These schools operate without assimilationist intentions or practices and instead focus on culture-specific and specific programs as part of a holistic approach to the mental, physical, religious and cultural aspects of Indigenous students.

We recognize that this work will never truly be over, and that Native peoples in Alaska and across our nation will continue to reckon with the deep pain and intergenerational trauma that has accumulated since the boarding school era. We’re not done. But with President Biden’s apology and the federal government’s commitment to addressing this history, we can heal people in Tribal communities and improve our nation’s relationship with Indian Tribes. We can build a United States that supports each of us. Together we can heal our common wounds while building a future where everyone can thrive.

Deb Haaland He serves as the Minister of Internal Affairs. Bryan Newland He is the federal Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs.

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