DFL_GOTV2026_WebBanner 1800×150 px

The Lost identities

Share :
Facebook
X
DFL_GOTV2026_WebBanner 1800×150 px

A lot of things had happen to the Native children during the Boarding School era. They been taking away from their family and put into boarding schools. They would become Christianized and forget their traditional ways. The children would be beaten and punished if they talked the native languages. After the children achieved and learned the white man ways, they were adopted into white man homes.

Many people suffered physically from diseases such as: smallpox, influenza, and tuberculosis. Emotionally they suffered by having their children taken away. They suffered spiritually from having their culture taken away. Our ancestors suffered emotionally as well. How would you feel if your children were taken away from you?

The federal government developed a plan to get the native children to

forget their traditional ways and adopt the white man ways. The plan

was to take the children and put them into federal boarding and mission

schools. The federal government and churches operated these schools. 

One of the ideas was to break up families and to hurt the generations

for a long time. I think that all this history took courage to survive.

This reporting is made possible by readers like you.

The Circle is a nonprofit newsroom with no tribal affiliation, no corporate ownership, and no paywall. Independent Native journalism depends on reader support.

Advertisement

Medicaid Exemptions - MN DHS Ad 2

Recent Stories

Advertisement

Medicaid Exemptions - MN DHS Ad 2

More From EducationNews

Native Women Run Builds Community and Breaks Barriers to Racing

As runners prepare for October races, Native Women Run is working to ensure Native women have a place at the starting line. This nonprofit organization represents and empowers Native women across the United States and Canada, creating opportunities to run while strengthening visibility, sisterhood, empowerment, and community. Founder Verna NezBegay Volker, a Navajo Nation citizen […]

Lily Gladstone, Kiowa Gordon to Star in Supernatural Western ‘The Curse of Silver’

Lily Gladstone and Kiowa Gordon are set to star in The Curse of Silver, a new supernatural horror-western that will reunite the actors with Quantum Cowboys director Geoff Marslett. Gladstone, an Oscar nominee known for Killers of the Flower Moon, and Gordon, known for Twilight and Dark Winds, are attached to lead the film. Marslett […]

Dakota-Led Owámniyomni Project Restores Connection to Sacred Minneapolis River Site

MINNEAPOLIS — Along Ȟaȟá Wakpá, the Mississippi River, a Dakota-led effort is working to restore land, culture, and community connection at Owámniyomni, commonly known as St. Anthony Falls. For Dakota people, Owámniyomni, meaning “turbulent waters,” has long been a sacred place for ceremony, gathering, trade, and offerings. Nearby Wíta Wanáǧi, or Spirit Island, was a […]

DFL_GOTV2026_WebBanner 1800×150 px

Search The Circle

Find stories, columns, events, and magazine features.

Indigenous news, community stories, events, and updates—delivered to your inbox.