The U.S. Army will return the remains of 12 Native American children who died while attending the Carlisle Indian Industrial School, continuing a years-long effort to reunite former students with their families and tribal communities.
The Office of Army Cemeteries announced that disinterment operations will begin Sept. 1 at the cemetery located on Carlisle Barracks. The remains will be returned to tribes and family members for private reburial ceremonies as soon as practical following their removal.
The students attended the Carlisle Indian Industrial School between 1879 and 1918. The federal boarding school was established to assimilate Native American children into mainstream American society, separating many from their families and cultures. Thousands of Indigenous children from tribes across the country attended the institution during its operation.
The students whose remains will be returned this year are Mabel Stock, Edward Angalook, Lucy Spaulding and Tummassak (Tomicock), all Alaska Natives; Peter Howe, Richard Morgan and Christine Redstone of the Fort Peck Tribes; Frances Bones of the Comanche Nation; Fannie Gibson of the Absentee Shawnee Tribe; Della Atkins of the Shoshone Paiute Tribes; Susie Davis of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians; and Margaret Davis of the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community.
The upcoming effort marks the ninth consecutive year that the Army has conducted disinterments at the cemetery in response to requests from tribes and descendants. Last year, 19 sets of remains were removed and returned.
At least 168 children are known to have died while attending the Carlisle school. The cemetery remains on an active military installation, requiring a visitor pass or Department of Defense identification for access.
Interest in the school’s legacy has grown in recent years. In 2024, the former Carlisle Indian School site became a national monument. Efforts to recognize and preserve Native American history in Carlisle also continue elsewhere in the community.
This summer, construction is scheduled to begin on a Native American cultural center at Dickinson College. The facility will be known as the Jim Thorpe Center for the Futures of Native People, honoring the famed athlete and Carlisle student known by his Sac and Fox name, Wa-Tho-Huk.
The return of the students’ remains represents another step in ongoing efforts to address the lasting impact of the federal boarding school system and to restore children who died far from home to their tribal communities.
Source: ABC27