Native American Communities: How Government Can Help

In the wake of a recent report on the harms of 19th- and 20th-century Indian boarding schools, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland announced a cross-country tour called The Road to Healing, during which survivors of the boarding-school system could share their stories. If healing is what Ms. Haaland wants, though, this strategy will likely disappoint.

The latest Interior Department report on life in these schools — where many Indian children were sent against their will but where many were also sent by their parents voluntarily — was prompted by news from Canada that hundreds of “unmarked graves” had been found last year at the sites of the boarding schools there. In response, more than 25 churches in western Canada were vandalized or burned. (Most of the schools were church-affiliated.)

About the Author

Naomi Schaefer Riley

Naomi Schaefer Riley is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and the author of No Way to Treat a Child.

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In the wake of a recent report on the harms of 19th- and 20th-century Indian boarding schools, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland announced a cross-country tour called The Road to Healing, during which survivors of the boarding-school system could share their stories. If healing is what Ms. Haaland wants, though, this strategy will likely disappoint.

The latest Interior Department report on life in these schools — where many Indian children were sent against their will but where many were also sent by their parents voluntarily — was prompted by news from Canada that hundreds of “unmarked graves” had been found last year at the sites of the boarding schools there. In response, more than 25 churches in western Canada were vandalized or burned. (Most of the schools were church-affiliated.)