Episode 32: Classroom essentials: Native American Boarding Schools
The U.S. government’s Native American boarding school policy — largely absent from history books — forcibly removed hundreds of thousands of Native children from their families between 1869 and the 1960s. The policy aimed to eradicate traditional Indigenous lifeways from future generations of Native peoples. Sent to over 526 federally and church-run schools, these children were forced to give up their traditional clothing, punished for speaking their language, banned from practicing their culture, and subjected to abuse and neglect. Many never returned home. In this episode, Allison and Odia talk with Deidre Whiteman (Spirit Lake Dakota/Hidatsa) from the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition about how educators can approach this difficult topic in the classroom and what teaching resources are available. Deidre also discusses the understanding needed to address the ongoing trauma created by Native American boarding schools in the U.S.
Questions or comments? Email us at info@booksaregoodmedicine.com.
RESOURCES
National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition website
National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition education resources
National Native American Interactive Digital Map of Indian Boarding Schools
This podcast is sponsored by the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community and produced by Goff Public. Our theme music is “Stomp Dance” by Bluedog.