US Officials Conclude Nationwide Tour Listening to Victims of Abusive Native American Boarding Schools in Montana

"Road to Healing" tour confronts long history of forced cultural assimilation, abuse, and trauma inflicted on Indigenous children in government-backed and religiously-operated boarding schools; second investigative report on burial sites and federal expenditure expected soon.

• U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, herself a member of Laguna Pueblo in New Mexico, concluded her "Road to Healing" tour in Montana, aimed at addressing the trauma caused by government-backed Native American boarding schools.
• For over 150 years, Indigenous children were forcibly sent to these schools - many run by religious and private institutions - where they were subjected to abuse as part of a wider initiative to 'civilize' them.
• An earlier investigative report identified 408 of these schools across 37 states, revealing that students were renamed with English names, put through military drills, and forced into hard labor such as farming and railroad work.
• Victims and survivors recounted scarring experiences of being punished for speaking their native languages, being locked in basements, and having their hair cut to eradicate their cultural identities. The teaching focus was predominantly vocational, leaving many with limited employment prospects.
• A second investigative report, expected soon, will delve into the locations of burial sites, evaluate the schools' impact on Indigenous communities, and track the federal funds used in the ill-fated program.

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