It never happened they say.
The self-proclaimed holy places that were to save our stolen children's souls.
We don't need books to know the truth.
There are no words to describe
The dark horrific unspoken things that showed through in my Uncle's eyes.
He held in his Mother tongue,
Afraid even as an old feeble man,
Of that Matron who vowed to kill the Indian and save the man.
Sleepless nights,
We're just a couple of the coping mechanisms that gave him moments of not reliving the days he tried to wash away.
It was all
Stolen time.
Stolen lives.
The holy places that try to hide the shame,
Their walls will crumble and fall,
But the children who left too soon,
Will never fade away.
215, a number we all share.
Ingrained.
Together,
We work to be the answer to their prayers.
Honoring,
Singing,
Dancing,
Celebrating,
Heal and awaken our sacred ways.
Bring those who have never been given an apology, an explanation, reparation to the sacred circles.
Generations.
Their blood now runs through our veins.
Answers to the prayers of those children
We know their resting place.
In our hearts and in the stars.
Those walls will crumble,
But those children will live forever.
Absentee Shawnee Boarding School, near Shawnee, Indian Territory, open 1893–99[41][42]
Albuquerque Indian School, Albuquerque, New Mexico[43]
Anadarko Boarding School, Anadarko, Oklahoma, open 1911–33[44]
Arapaho Manual Labor and Boarding School, Darlington, Indian Territory, opened in 1872 and paid for by federal funds,[45] but run by the Hicksite (Liberal) Friends and Orthodox Quakers.[46] Moved to Concho Indian Boarding School in 1909.[47]
Armstrong Academy, near Chahta Tamaha, Indian Territory
Asbury Manual Labor School, near Fort Mitchell, Alabama, open 1822–30[48][49] by the United Methodist Missions.[48]
Asbury Manual Labor School, near Eufaula, Creek Nation, Indian Territory, open 1850–88 by the United Methodist Missions.[50]
Bacone College, Muscogee, Oklahoma,[43] 1881–present
Bloomfield Female Academy, originally near Achille, Chickasaw Nation, Indian Territory. Opened in 1848 but relocated to Ardmore, Oklahoma, around 1917 and in 1934 was renamed Carter Seminary.[51]
Bond's Mission School or Montana Industrial School for Indians, run by Unitarians, Crow Indian Reservation, near Custer Station, Montana, 1886–97[52]
Burney Institute, near Lebanon, Chickasaw Nation, Indian Territory, open 1854–87 when name changed to Chickasaw Orphan Home and Manual Labor School and operated by the Cumberland Presbyterian Church.[53]
Cameron Institute, Cameron, Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory, open 1893–early 20th century, was operated by the Presbyterian Church[54]
Cantonment Indian Boarding School, Canton, Indian Territory, run by the General Conference Mennonites[55] from September, 1882 to 1 July 1927[56]
Carlisle Indian School, Carlisle, Pennsylvania,[57] open 1879–1918[58]
Carter Seminary, Ardmore, Oklahoma, 1917–2004 when the facility moved to Kingston, Oklahoma, and was renamed the Chickasaw Children's Village.[59]
Chamberlain Indian School, Chamberlain, South Dakota[60]
Chemawa Indian School, Salem, Oregon[43]
Cherokee Female Seminary, Tahlequah, Cherokee Nation, Indian Territory, open 1851–1910[61]
Cherokee Male Seminary, Tahlequah, Cherokee Nation, Indian Territory, open 1851–1910[61]
Cherokee Orphan Asylum, Tahlequah, Cherokee Nation, Indian Territory, opened in 1871[62]
Cheyenne-Arapaho Boarding School, Darlington, Indian Territory, opened 1871[46] became the Arapaho Manual Labor and Boarding School in 1879[45]
Cheyenne Manual Labor and Boarding School, Caddo Springs, Indian Territory, opened 1879 and paid with by federal funds,[45] but run by the Hicksite (Liberal) Friends and Orthodox Quakers.[46] Moved to Concho Indian Boarding School in 1909.[47]
Chickasaw (male) Academy, near Tishomingo, Chickasaw Nation, Oklahoma. Opened in 1850 by the Methodist Episcopal Church and changed its name to Harley Institute around 1889.[63]
Chickasaw Children's Village, on Lake Texoma near Kingston, Oklahoma, opened 2004[59]
Chickasaw National Academy, near Stonewall, Chickasaw Nation, Indian Territory. Open about 1865 to 1880[64]
Chickasaw Orphan Home and Manual Labor School (formerly Burney Academy) near Lebanon, Chickasaw Nation, Indian Territory, open 1887–1906[65]
Chilocco Indian Agricultural School, Chilocco, Oklahoma, open 1884–1980[66]
Chinle Boarding School, Many Farms, Arizona[57]
Choctaw Academy, Blue Spring, Scott County, Kentucky, opened 1825
Chuala Female Seminary (also known as the Pine Ridge Mission School), near Doaksville, Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory, open 1838–61[67][68] by the Presbyterian Church[67]
Circle of Nations Indian School [2], Wahpeton, North Dakota[57]
Colbert Institute, Perryville, Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory, open 1852–57 by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South[69]
Collins Institute, near Stonewall, Chickasaw Nation, Indian Territory. Open about 1885 to 1905[64]
Concho Indian Boarding School, Concho, Oklahoma, open 1909–83[70][71]
Creek Orphan Asylum, Okmulgee, Creek Nation, Indian Territory, opened 1895[72][73]
Darlington Mission School, Darlington, Indian Territory, run by the General Conference Mennonites from 1881 to 1902[74]
Dwight Mission, Marble City, Oklahoma[43]
Elliott Academy (formerly Oak Hill Industrial Academy), near Valliant, Oklahoma, 1912–36[75]
El Meta Bond College, Minco, Chickasaw Nation, Indian Territory, open 1890–1919[76]
Emahaka Mission, Wewoka, Seminole Nation, Indian Territory, open 1894–1911[77]
Euchee Boarding School, Sapulpa, Creek Nation, Indian Territory,[43] open 1894–1947[78]
Eufaula Dormitory, Eufaula, Oklahoma, name changed from Eufaula High School in 1952.[79] Still in operation[80]
Eufaula Indian High School, Eufaula, Creek Nation, Indian Territory,[43] replaced the burned Asbury Manual Labor School.[50] Open in 1892[80]–1952, when the name changed to Eufaula Dormitory[79]
Flandreau Indian School, South Dakota[57]
Folsom Training School, near Smithville, Oklahoma, open 1921[81]–32, when it became an all-white school[82]
Fort Bidwell School, Fort Bidwell, California[57]
Fort Coffee Academy, Fort Coffee, Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory. Open 1840–63 and run by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South[67]
Fort Shaw Indian School, Fort Shaw, Montana[57]
Fort Sill Indian School (originally known as Josiah Missionary School), near Fort Sill, Indian Territory, opened in 1871 by the Quakers,[83] remained open until 1980[84]
Fort Totten Indian Industrial School, Fort Totten, North Dakota. Boarding and Indian Industrial School in 1891–1935. Became a Community and Day School from 1940 to 1959. Now a Historic Site run by the State Historic Society of North Dakota.
Genoa Indian Industrial School, Genoa, Nebraska
Goodland Academy & Indian Orphanage, Hugo, Oklahoma[43]
Greenville School, California[57]
Hampton Institute, began accepting Native students in 1878.
Harley Institute, near Tishomingo, Chickasaw Nation, Oklahoma. Prior to 1889 was known as the Chickasaw Academy and was operated by the Methodist Episcopal Church until 1906.[63]
Haskell Indian Industrial Training School, Lawrence, Kansas, 1884–present[58]
Hayward Indian School, Hayward, Wisconsin[57]
Hillside Mission School, near Skiatook, Cherokee Nation, Indian Territory, open 1884[85]–1908 by the Quakers[86]
Holbrook Indian School, Holbrook, Arizona[57]
Ignacio Boarding School, Colorado[57]
Iowa Mission School, near Fallis, Iowa Reservation, Indian Territory, open 1890–93 by the Quakers[87]
Intermountain Indian School, Utah
Jesse Lee Home for Children, Originally in Unalaska, Alaska, moved to Seward, Alaska. Founded and run by Methodist Church
Jones Academy, Hartshorne, Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory/Oklahoma.[43] Opened in 1891[88]
Koweta Mission School Coweta, Creek Nation, Indian Territory, open 1843–61[89]
Levering Manual Labor School, Wetumka, Creek Nation, Indian Territory. Open 1882[90]–91, operated by the Southern Baptist Convention.[91]
Many Farms High School, near Many Farms, Arizona
Marty Indian School, Marty, South Dakota
Mary Immaculate School, DeSmet, Idaho 1878-1974
Mekasukey Academy, near Seminole, Seminole Nation, Indian Territory, open 1891–1930[92]
Morris Industrial School for Indians, Morris, Minnesota,[93] open 1887–1909
Mount Edgecumbe High School, Sitka, Alaska, established as a BIA school, now operated by the State of Alaska
Mount Pleasant Indian Industrial Boarding School, Mount Pleasant, Michigan,[43] 1893–1934
Murray State School of Agriculture, Tishomingo, Oklahoma,[43] est. 1908
Nenannezed Boarding School, New Mexico[57]
New Hope Academy, Fort Coffee, Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory. Open 1844[67]–96[94] and run by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South[67]
Nuyaka School and Orphanage (Nuyaka Mission, Presbyterian), Okmulgee, Creek Nation, Indian Territory,[43] 1884–1933
Oak Hill Industrial Academy, near Valliant, Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory. Open 1878[95]–1912 by the Presbyterian Mission Board. The Choctaw freedmen's academy was renamed as the Elliott Academy (aka Alice Lee Elliott Memorial Academy) in 1912.[96]
Oak Ridge Manual Labor School, near Holdenville, Indian Territory, in the Seminole Nation. Open 1848–60s by the Presbyterian Mission Board.[97]
Oklahoma Presbyterian College for Girls, Durant, Oklahoma[43]
Oklahoma School for the Blind, Muskogee, Oklahoma[43]
Oklahoma School for the Deaf, Sulphur, Oklahoma[43]
Oneida Indian School, Wisconsin[57]
Osage Boarding School, Pawhuska, Osage Nation, Indian Territory, open 1874–1922[98]
Park Hill Mission School, Park Hill, Indian Territory/Oklahoma, opened 1837[99]
Pawnee Boarding School, Pawnee, Indian Territory, open 1878–1958[100]
Phoenix Indian School, Phoenix, Arizona[43]
Pierre Indian School, Pierre, South Dakota[57]
Pine Ridge Boarding School, Pine Ridge, South Dakota
Pine Ridge Mission School, near Doaksville, Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory; see Chuala Female Seminary
Pinon Boarding School, Pinon, Arizona[57]
Pipestone Indian School, Pipestone, Minnesota[57]
Puyallup Indian School, Tacoma, Washington, Open 1860-1920[101]
Quapaw Industrial Boarding School, Quapaw Agency, Indian Territory, open 1872–1900[102]
Rainy Mountain Boarding School, near Gotebo, Kiowa-Comanche-Apache Reservation, Indian Territory, open 1893–1920[103]
Rapid City Indian School, Rapid City, South Dakota[57]
Red Moon School, near Hammon, Indian Territory, open 1897–1922[104]
Rehoboth Mission School located in Rehoboth, New Mexico, near Navajo Nation. Operated as an Indian Boarding School by the Christian Reformed Church in North America from 1903 to 1990s. [3]
Riverside Indian School, Anadarko, Oklahoma, open 1871–present[105]
Sac and Fox Boarding School, near Stroud, Indiant Territory, open 1872[106]–1919[107] by the Quakers[106]
Sacred Heart College, near Asher, Potowatamie Nation, Indian Territory, open 1884–1902[108]
Sacred Heart Institute, near Asher, Potowatamie Nation, Indian Territory, open 1880–1929[108]
St. Agnes Academy, Ardmore, Oklahoma[43]
St. Agnes Mission, Antlers, Oklahoma[43]
St. Boniface Indian School, Banning, California[109]
St. Elizabeth's Boarding School, Purcell, Oklahoma[43]
St. John's Boarding School, Gray Horse, Osage Nation, Indian Territory, open 1888–1913 and operated by the Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions[110]
St. Joseph's Boarding School, Chickasha, Oklahoma[43]
St. Mary's Academy, near Asher, Potowatamie Nation, Indian Territory, open 1880–1946[108]
St. Louis Industrial School, Pawhuska, Osage Nation, Indian Territory, open 1887–1949 and operated by the Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions[110]
St. Mary's Boarding School, Quapaw Agency Indian Territory/Oklahoma, open 1893–1927[111]
St. Patrick's Mission and Boarding School, Anadarko, Indian Territory, open 1892[112]–1909 by the Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions. It was rebuilt and called the Anadarko Boarding School.[44]
San Juan Boarding School, New Mexico[57]
Santa Fe Indian School, Santa Fe, New Mexico
Sasakwa Female Academy, Sasakwa, Seminole Nation, Indian Territory, open 1880–92 and run by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South[97]
Seger Indian Training School, Colony, Indian Territory[57]
Seneca, Shawnee, and Wyandotte Industrial Boarding School, Wyandotte, Indian Territory[43]
Sequoyah High School, Tahlequah, Cherokee Nation, Indian Territory[43]
Shawnee Boarding School, near Shawnee, Indian Territory, open 1876[113]–1918[114]
Shawnee Boarding School, Shawnee, Oklahoma, open 1923–61[41]
Sheldon Jackson College, Presbyterian-run high school, then college, in Sitka, Alaska
Sherman Indian High School, Riverside, California[58]
Shiprock Boarding School, Shiprock, New Mexico[57]
Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute, Albuquerque, New Mexico[57]
Spencer Academy (sometimes referred to as the National School of the Choctaw Nation),[115] near Doaksville, Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory, open 1842–1900[116]
Springfield Indian School, Springfield, South Dakota[57]
Stewart Indian School, Carson City, Nevada[57]
Sulphur Springs Indian School, Pontotoc County, Chickasaw Nation, Indian Territory[117] open 1896–98[41]
Theodore Roosevelt Indian Boarding School, founded in 1923 in buildings of the U.S. Army's closed Fort Apache, Arizona, as of 2016 still in operation as a tribal school[118]
Thomas Indian School, near Irving, New York
Tomah Indian School, Wisconsin[57]
Tullahassee Mission School, Tullahassee, Creek Nation, Indian Territory, opened 1850 burned 1880[119]
Tullahassee Manual Labor School, Tullahassee, Creek Nation, Indian Territory, open 1883–1914 for Creek Freedmen[119]
Tushka Lusa Institute (later called Tuska Lusa or Tushkaloosa Academy),[94] near Talihina, Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory opened 1892 for Choctaw Freedmen[120]
Tuskahoma Female Academy, Lyceum, Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory, open 1892–1925[121]
Wahpeton Indian School, Wahpeton, North Dakota, 1904–93. In 1993 its name was changed to Circle of Nations School and came under tribal control. Currently open.
Wapanucka Academy (also sometimes called Allen Academy), near Bromide, Chickasaw Nation, Indian Territory. Open 1851–1911 by the Presbyterian Church.[122]
Wealaka Mission School Wealaka, Indian Territory, open 1882–1907[123]
Wewoka Mission School, (also known as Ramsey Mission School)[124] near Wewoka, Seminole Nation, Indian Territory. Open 1868[125]–80[126] by the Presbyterian Mission Board.[97]
Wheelock Academy, Millerton, Oklahoma,[43] closed 1955
White's Manual Labor Institute, Wabash, Indiana. Open 1870[127]–95 and operated by the Quakers,[128]
White's Manual Labor Institute, West Branch, Iowa,[129] open 1881–87[130]
Wetumka Boarding School, Wetumka, Creek Nation, Indian Territory. Levering Manual Labor School transferred from the Baptists to the Muscogee (Creek) Nation in 1891 and they changed the name to the Wetumka Boarding School. Operated until 1910.[91]
Wittenberg Indian School, Wittenberg, Wisconsin[57]
Wrangell Institute, Presbyterian church-led initiative, run by the BIA in Wrangell, Alaska
Yellow Springs School, Pontotoc County, Chickasaw Nation, Indian Territory,[131] open 1896–1905[41]