Reconciliation Efforts
Boarding schools caused numerous traumas for Native American communities, but one thing that is certain is the resilience and presence of Native Americans. Today, there are still boarding schools operating, but they have changed drastically. In South Dakota, Mahpiya Luta Owayawa, formerly known as Red Cloud Indian School, is still running, alongside St. Francis Indian School, St. Joseph’s Indian School, Flandreau Indian School, and Pierre Indian Learning Center. These schools have evolved by changing their colonized name, straying away from the mission theme, and leading language revitalization.
There have been many efforts to bring awareness to the history of boarding schools and promote healing. U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland launched a Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative in June 2021 to address the intergenerational impact of boarding school experiences. The investigation created an official list of all U.S. boarding school sites and their records. Haaland conducted a “Road to Healing” tour, where she visited nine states (including South Dakota) in two years to give boarding school survivors a chance to tell their stories.
Reconciliation Efforts
In Rapid City, the organization Remembering the Children (Wakȟáŋyeža Wičhákiksuyapi) held memorial walks for those who passed at Rapid City Indian Boarding School. There is a memorial design in the works for the children, families of the deceased, and descendants of the survivors.
“This memorial is for them - so they know we never forgot who they are. This memorial is for us - so we never forget what they did.”
Remembering the Children
The purpose of this exhibit is not to guilt, but to build empathy and understanding. Truth and understanding are beneficial for everyone, because, after all, they were just children.
