PBS Utah’s documentary examines the federal Indian boarding school system and the lasting impact it had on Native communities across the United States. These schools were created with one purpose: to force Native children to abandon their languages, traditions, and identities in order to fit into Anglo‑American society. The film uses firsthand Native testimony to show how these policies reshaped families, communities, and tribal nations for generations.
The story traces the roots of the system back to the late 1800s, when military officer Richard Henry Pratt pushed the idea that Native people could be “civilized” only by removing children from their homes and immersing them in English, Christianity, and military discipline. His approach became the model for federal boarding schools across the country. Children were stripped of their hair, clothing, and names. Speaking their own languages was punished. Many never returned home.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please: Share your reaction, your thoughts, and your opinions. Be passionate, be unapologetic. Offensive remarks will not be published. We are getting more and more spam. Comments will be monitored.
Use the comment form at the bottom of this website which is private and sent direct to Trace.