We need the support of the masses to enact change. Tribes and Tribal Organizations have passed resolutions in support of boarding school healing, individuals have signed petitions in support of repatriation and government acknowledgement of boarding school impacts, and letters have been written to Congress, but there is still more work to do.
For any questions regarding Tribal, state, or federal commissions, please email info@nabshc.org.
Resolutions in Support of a Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies Act
We Need to Take Collective Action
The following are expressions of support for the work of the Coalition and for the Coalition’s plan to support healing. They are from various tribes and regional and national organizations of tribes, as well as related organizations that are familiar with boarding school healing issues. If you would like assistance in drafting your own resolution or expression of support, please contact us at info@nabshc.org. We invite your support, and it would be sincerely appreciated!
National Organizations:
- Resolution of the National Congress of American Indians, #AK-21-004
- Resolution of the National Congress of American Indians, #MOH-17-014
- Resolution of the National Congress of American Indians, #PHX-16-063
- Resolution of the National Congress of American Indians, #ATL-14-026
- Resolution of the National Congress of American Indians, #REN-13-055
- Resolution of the National Indian Health Board, #13-01
- Letter of Support from the National Indian Child Welfare Association, August 27, 2014
Past Resolutions
Resolution in Support of the Release of Political Prisoner Leonard Peltier
Date: September 29, 2022
Resolution Organizer: The National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition
Past Petitions
Petition for a Truth Report on US Boarding Schools
Date: August 18, 2016
Petition Organizer: The National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition
We, the undersigned, hereby petition the US Federal Government to tell the American people the truth about their US Indian Boarding School Policy and we are petitioning for the creation of a “Truth Report: The US Boarding School Policy, History, and Legacy.”
The National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition, along with our tribal allies, calls for: the commission of a comprehensive national study of the history of the US Boarding School Policy, complete documentation of all schools, how many students attended, and the events that took place at each of the schools.
We also seek the gathering of testimony from those that suffered from abuse, neglect or other trauma; and documentation of the effects of the policy on individuals, families and communities. This study is necessary to support recommendations by and to Tribal Nations concerning inter-generational trauma and potential paradigms for healing and reconciliation.
Our Coalition Members and relatives want the truth about what happened in US Boarding Schools. Any form of government acknowledgement falls short if it does not include the commission of a truth study on US Boarding Schools.
Petition for Carlisle Repatriation
Date: March 31, 2016
Petition Organizer: The National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition
In Cooperation With: The Northern Arapaho and the Rosebud Sioux Tribal Nations
We the undersigned, Petition the US Army War College, the Secretary of Defense, and the Commander in Chief of the United States of America to repatriate the remains of Native American students buried at the Carlisle Indian Industrial School Cemetery, now the US Army War College. The following legislation requires all Federal entities to comply with the request for repatriation:
The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA),
Pub. L. 101-601, 25 U.S.C. 3001 et seq., 104 Stat. 3048, is a United States federal law enacted on 16 November 1990. The Act requires federal agencies and institutions that receive federal funding[1] which has possession or control over Native American human remains and associated funerary objects to compile an inventory of such items and, to the extent possible based on information possessed by such Federal agency, identify the geographical and cultural affiliation of such item and upon request of a known lineal descendant of the Native American or of the tribe, return such Native American remains to the lineal descendants and culturally affiliated Indian tribe.
We support the requests from the Northern Arapaho Tribe, Rosebud Sioux Tribe, and any other tribes, to repatriate the remains of their relatives who are interred at the Army War College, also known as the Carlisle Indian Industrial School.
Repatriation is a small yet essential part of healing the trans-generational wounds inflicted upon families and individuals through the US Boarding School experience. The Army War College is required by law to complete an inventory of the remains and to comply with these requests for repatriation.
By signing this petition, we join the “Call to Repatriate” Carlisle Indian Students buried at the cemetery who deserve to go home and to receive a proper, culturally-relevant burial. The relatives of these children are entitled to have the remains returned so that they may grieve and heal from their loss in whatever way they choose and not have to travel all the way to Carlisle, PA to visit them. Nor should they be subjected to any further grieving resulting from having their loved ones identified as a tourist attraction for the Army War College.