Excerpt:
The remains of a dozen children who died at the notorious Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Pennsylvania more than 100 years ago were transported home to tribal lands this fall, following an arduous process with the U.S. Army, which owns the school’s ancient cemetery.
Among them was Della Atkins, whose remains were returned to the Shoshone Paiute Tribes 126 years after her death at Carlisle, one of the many abusive institutions that attempted to forcibly assimilate Indigenous children into white, Christian society.
“It hurts us knowing we couldn’t have Della come home alive,” the tribe said in a statement. “It’s a reminder of the trauma and dehumanization of the Boarding School Era and its wide implications to all of Indian Country.”
Atkins’ family expressed gratitude that their relative will finally rest among her family and homelands. Her repatriation is the tribe’s first such return from a boarding school cemetery.
“We never expected to be a part of such a movement but through it all, we realize that we all are tied into reconciliation and the healing of this great trauma. Bringing Della home is just the start for us here.”
— Della Atkins’ family
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| Photos of Alaska Native children before and after they were taken to Carlisle Industrial Boarding School in Pennsylvania. Among them was Tummassak, who entered the school on Nov. 14, 1897 and died there on April 8, 1900. Her remains were recently returned to her community. Archival images from the Carlisle Indian School Digital Resource Center and the Cumberland County Historical Society. Licensed under Creative Commons. |
‘Bringing Della Home’: Army Returns Children’s Remains to Tribes, Relatives
https://imprintnews.org/indigenous-youth-and-families/bringing-della-home-army-returns-childrens-remains-to-tribes-relatives/277659?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_term=Wed+Oct+14+2026&utm_campaign=More+Than+100+Years+Later+Remains+of+Indigenous+Children+who+Died+at+Infamous+Boarding+School+Go+Home
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