September 27–October 3
Week of Remembrance -
Honors Children, Survivors and Families
Impacted by Indian Boarding Schools

 
A time for remembrance, reflection, learning and honoring those whose lives and communities were impacted by the Indian boarding school in past and ongoing today. 

September 30th is known as Orange Shirt Day or National Day for Truth and Reconciliation where hundreds of events are scheduled in both Canada and United States throughout the week to honor those who attended and the many who never came home. 
Indigenous history with settlers from many nations is marked by historical events that define the impact of nonnatives on Indigenous life. Boarding schools are one of the events that continues to unfold in the generational trauma that shapes current day life. These schools were opened specifically to erase native language and cultural practices. By the 1880s, all eastern Indian nations have been moved to reservations, where they are systematically excluded from the American economy and political system. Traditional practices and ceremonies were outlawed. Children removed from their homes and placed in boarding schools, where they are forced to adopt Christianity and punished if they speak their language or maintain their cultural practices.
It is important that we all become knowledgeable of the impact that Boardings schools (some of which were run by Quakers) had on prior and current generations of Indigenous peoples.
By understanding the impact of Boarding schools can we better understand the challenges of the people of indigenous nations today. Can we also better understand the challenges of refugee children of all nations?
What lessons can we learn from the past that will inform our decisions of present-day challenges?
What actions can we take to help healing the ongoing impact of our Boarding Schools on indigenous peoples?

Resources

Book
Indian Boarding Schools – Native News Online, Firsthand accounts of Boarding School students, Parents, Children and Grandchildren of boarding schools - Book is in Meeting Library

Articles
Native News Online https://nativenewsonline.net/
Indian Country Today      https://ictnews.org/
Indian Country Today Weekly News Cast on youtube
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1X00FG69feXYF-T05kXOCOwJjH5oPoIW

Movies
PBS guide to documentaries:
https://www.pbs.org/articles/native-american-history-documentaries-about-residential-schools-and-forced-adoptions
Movies - Stories of the next generation impact
    Smoke Signals
    Rez Ball
    THE GRIZZLIES