The report highlighted that the number of deaths could potentially be higher.
An investigation conducted by the U.S. Department of Interior revealed that over 970 Native American children passed away at federal Indian boarding schools between 1819 and 1969. The report, released on July 30, stated that at least 973 American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian children lost their lives while attending schools operated or supported by the federal government over a 150-year period.
During the 1800s, Indian boarding schools were established by the United States to forcibly assimilate Native children, separating them from their families and communities. These children were stripped of their native identities, given English names, had their hair cut, and were forbidden from using their languages or practicing their cultural traditions and religions. They were subjected to military drills, forced manual labor, and other harsh conditions.
The report, while not specifying the exact causes of death for each child, acknowledged that the actual number of deaths might be higher than recorded. It also identified 74 marked and unmarked burial sites at 65 school locations.
This investigation was part of the “Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative,” launched by Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland in response to the discovery of 215 unmarked graves at the Kamloops Indian Residential School in Canada. The report shed light on the traumatic and violent tactics used to forcibly assimilate Native children and erase their cultural identities.
The report also made recommendations for the government, including issuing a formal apology and investing in programs to help Native American communities heal from the traumas inflicted by the boarding school system. The findings of the investigation were based on a thorough review of government records and listening sessions with survivors of Indian boarding schools. Please rewrite this sentence.
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