Montana News
Investigation finds that nearly 1,000 Indigenous children died in U.S. boarding schools
Nearly 1,000 Indigenous children died in boarding schools run by the U.S. government over a 150-year period. That's according to a federal report. Montana Public Radio's Aaron Bolton has more. In 2021, U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Holland launched the first federal investigation into the U.S. government's boarding schools for Indigenous children. The schools were an attempt to assimilate American Indians and Alaska Natives by removing them from their homes. The schools had a long history of physical and sexual abuse. The Interior Department released its final report from its investigation. It found that over 18,000 children were sent to boarding schools between 1819 and 1969. The report says that's likely an undercount due to poor record-keeping and other issues. The report also compiled the first comprehensive list of boarding schools finding hundreds over most states in the nation. The investigation found at least 973 children died while attending boarding schools. In Columbia Falls, I'm Aaron Bolton.