Highlighting the History of Indian Boarding School Policies

Floor Speech

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Ms. DAVIDS of Kansas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today as a proud member of the Ho-Chunk Nation of Wisconsin. I believe a big part of my role as a Native woman in Congress is to simply educate my colleagues about our federal governments' relationship and responsibilities to tribes.

That includes the hard histories between the federal government and our Tribal communities--things that can be difficult to face. It would be difficult to find a Native person that has not had the Indian boarding school era impact their families or community.

It is estimated that by 1926, nearly 83 percent of Native children were enrolled in one of at least 367 currently known Indian boarding schools across 30 states. Thousands of our children were torn or coerced from families and communities by the federal government or religious entities to be ``assimilated'' into American society.

Students at Indian boarding schools were forced to change their entire sense of being with new names, hair, language, and culture. During these assimilation practices, many were not able to see their family or speak their language, and even experienced verbal and sexual abuse.

There are so many stories of children that never returned home. Future artists, doctors, language keepers, storytellers, and leaders skipped generations. We still feel those impacts today.

The federal government and our country must do better to acknowledge its legacy and understand the full truth of these policies.

This Congress, I'm working with Congressional Native American Caucus Co-chair Tom Cole on the Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies in the United States Act. This legislation seeks healing for stolen Native children and their communities.

Originally introduced by now-Secretary Deb Haaland, this bill would establish a formal commission to investigate, document, and acknowledge past injustices of the federal government's Indian Boarding School Policies. This commission is a critical step to allow Native families and communities to begin to heal.

Representative Cole and I are in the process and narrowing down the legislative text and hope to introduce the bill again soon. It received bipartisan support in the past, which shows that our relatives are being seen. And both the House and the Senate held hearings on the bill last Congress, which shows our colleagues are ready to listen.

The importance of fully understanding the impacts of Indian boarding school policies in the United States transcends political lines. And I know that sharing these experiences and learning the truth is a brave and sometimes hard thing to do.

We hope that in this difficult process, Tribal communities will also support each other physically, mentally, and spiritually. I will continue to amplify the voices of Indian Country in the halls of Congress and encourage my colleagues to join me in that mission.

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