Oral History Project for Indigenous Boarding School Survivors Concludes, Offers Healing

An oral history project led by the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition has concluded in Tulsa, Oklahoma, documenting the experiences of hundreds of Indigenous people who attended boarding schools as part of the U.S. government's forced assimilation policies. The project, which began in March 2024, collected video testimonies from more than 360 survivors across 19 states. These recordings are set to be preserved in the Library of Congress, providing a lasting record of the systemic abuse endured by generations of Indigenous children.

Survivors described the project as deeply therapeutic, allowing them to release decades-old trauma and find closure. Iona Mad Plume, a 74-year-old Blackfeet woman, testified about her time at the Pierre Indian School in South Dakota, where she was sent at age 14. She recalled being beaten with a wooden dowel and eating weevil-infested food. Since her interview, Mad Plume said she has felt more grounded and able to let go of haunting memories, stating, “I got a lot out of that, pretty much a lot of closure.”

Gene Bozicic, 81, of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, attended the Catholic-run Holy Childhood School of Jesus in Michigan starting at age 11. She said the process gave her renewed confidence and pride in her heritage. “I hate to see it coming to an end, because they have given me my backbone back,” she said.

The project was a collaboration with the U.S. Department of the Interior. It followed a historic listening tour led by former Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, a Laguna Pueblo member and descendant of boarding school survivors. Haaland’s Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative reported that nearly 1,000 Native children were buried at 65 school sites, and documented widespread physical and sexual abuse, as well as attempts at cultural genocide.

Over time, the coalition refined its methods to better support survivors. Lacey Kinnart, the coalition’s oral history program co-director and a citizen of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe, said they added dedicated quiet rooms for decompression and matched survivors with licensed therapists specializing in boarding school trauma. The program’s conclusion marks a significant step in acknowledging historical injustices and aiding the healing process for Indigenous communities.

“Our elders don’t want to be a burden,” Kinnart said, emphasizing the importance of creating a safe space for survivors to share their stories.