By hannover-web.com On October 25, President Biden delivered a historic apology for the forced separation of Native American children from their families, a practice that sent many to residential schools where abuse occurred. He described this chapter as one of the “most horrific” in American history.
According to reports from AFP, between 1819 and the 1970s, the United States operated hundreds of Indian boarding schools aimed at erasing Native American cultures. Indigenous children were forcibly assimilated into the European colonizers’ way of life, which included being pressured to convert to Christianity.
A recent government report unveiled heartbreaking accounts of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse endured by children in these schools, estimating that nearly 1,000 children lost their lives, with many believing the actual number could be even higher.
During a speech in Laveen Village, located in the Gila River Indian Community of Arizona, Biden passionately stated, “As President of the United States, I formally apologize for the actions of the past government.”
He further described the existence of these boarding schools over approximately 150 years as one of the “most horrific chapters” in U.S. history and referred to it as “a stain on our soul.”
Biden acknowledged the inadequacy of any apology to remedy the devastating impact of the federal boarding school policies, declaring, “On this day, we are finally stepping into the light.”
Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, who is the first Native American cabinet secretary, recalled her grandparents’ experiences with anger, recounting how they were “secretly taken from their community and forced to live in a Catholic school.”
Haaland emphasized that though federal authorities attempted to “eliminate our languages, traditions, and way of life, they failed,” adding, “Despite all that has happened, we still stand here.”
This apology comes in the context of a broader recognition of the historical abuse faced by Indigenous people, with Canada also reporting thousands of children who died in similar residential schools. Countries around the world are increasingly addressing their own histories of mistreatment toward Indigenous populations, with official apologies being issued.
