US President Joe Biden has made a significant move by formally apologizing to the Native American community for a historical policy involving Indian boarding schools. This policy, which spanned 150 years, sought to culturally assimilate indigenous children. Biden described the actions taken under this policy as a “sin on our soul.”
The president remarked that expressing regret for what he termed a “blot on American history” ranks among the most significant actions of his administration.
From 1819 to the 1970s, the federal government implemented a system of Indian boarding schools that systematically separated children from their homes and families.
With just ten days remaining before the general election, President Biden’s apology during an event in Arizona provided him an opportunity to express his support for tribal nations in a crucial swing state, which the Democratic ticket narrowly secured by a margin of only 10,000 votes in the 2020 election.
During a visit to the tribally controlled Gila Crossing Community School near Phoenix, President Biden issued a formal apology for past actions. “I formally apologize as president of the United States for what we did,” he stated. “This has been a long time coming.”
The Biden administration claims to have allocated billions of dollars in support of indigenous Americans; however, affected communities argue that the president could take additional measures to assist them further.
The boarding schools systematically removed indigenous children from their cultural roots, aiming to assimilate Alaska Native, American Indian, and Native Hawaiian children into the dominant white American culture.
Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, the United States saw the establishment of over 523 government-funded Indian boarding schools. Religious organizations operated a significant number of these educational institutions.
The government has forcibly taken tens of thousands of children and relocated them to schools far from their homes, a troubling development. Indigenous children frequently endured both emotional and physical abuse, suffering beatings and starvation for the act of speaking their native languages. In certain instances, fatalities among children occurred.
The Biden administration has initiated a groundbreaking federal investigation into the Indian boarding school system, marking a significant step by the US Department of Interior to confront its historical legacy.
Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, who made history as the first Native American cabinet secretary, embarked on a tour last year to engage with indigenous survivors.
To document the experiences of survivors, the Department of Interior has launched an oral history project.
In Canada, the prime minister issued an apology in 2008 for the government’s role in compelling approximately 150,000 indigenous children to attend state-funded Christian boarding schools.
The government has established a truth and reconciliation commission to document the historical context of the nation’s residential school system.
