Port Harrison (Inukjuak) Federal Hostel, group of students, nuns and Aboriginal men posing in front of the school, Quebec, ca. 1890

The Mitchell Museum of the American Indian (MMAI) was instrumental in advocating for Evanston to become the first Illinois city to recognize Indigenous People’s Day. This year, MMAI will shine a light on one of the darkest chapters for Indigenous Communities across Turtle Island: U.S. Indian Boarding Schools and Canadian Residential Schools. This educational event will explore the government policies enacted, highlight the resiliency of survivors, and discuss the lingering traumatic effects on Indigenous communities.

Join us virtually with MMAI to acknowledge Indigenous People’s Day and explore the North America residential boarding school experience on October 11th, 2021 from 12:00 pm- 12:45pm (Kids Program) and 6:00pm – 7:00pm (Educational Discussion). Follow MMAI on Facebook and Instagram. Visit their website to learn more.

Indian Boarding Schools in North America 

Across the United States and Canada in the 19th and 20th centuries, thousands of Native American children were removed from their homes and forced to attend government and church run boarding schools. The forced assimilation and attempted eradication of Native people through compulsory “residential schools” with a policy of “kill the Indian, save the man” resulted in the loss of life, the loss of a generation of relatives, language speakers, and culture bearers. 

In 2007, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada was established because of the largest class-action settlement in Canadian history, the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement. Here in the United States, U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland announced the Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative. The Department of the Interior will identify boarding school sites, locations of known and possible student burial sites located at or near school facilities and identify the children and their tribal affiliations to bring them home. Recently, 1,500+ mass unmarked graves have been found at Residential schools across Canada.  

In the United States, the Rosebud Sioux Youth Council worked for six years to bring home 9 of their relatives from Carlisle Indian School. After more than 140 years away, they were welcomed home in July of this year. The work to bring the relatives home has just started, we celebrate and honor those who have not made it home yet. 

Additional resources: