The U.S. Army has resumed its work to return the remains of Native American children buried at the former Carlisle Indian Industrial School, continuing an effort that began eight years ago to repatriate students to their families and tribes.
This summer’s project focuses on 19 individuals, making it the largest group to be moved so far. Eighteen were members of the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes, and one was from the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma. The disinterments are being carried out under the supervision of the Office of Army Cemeteries and are scheduled to continue through Oct. 13. Privacy fencing has been placed around the Carlisle Barracks Post Cemetery, the site of the work.
All of the youths died while in the care of the U.S. government between 1879 and 1918, the years when the Carlisle school operated as the flagship of a network of federal boarding schools designed to assimilate Native Americans into white society. More than 10,000 children from about 50 tribes were brought to Carlisle during that time, many of them separated from their families for years.
Since the repatriation effort began, 41 children have been returned to their tribes. For Native communities, each return is deeply significant, especially for smaller tribes whose populations today may be fewer than 10,000. Families often travel long distances to witness the process and to reclaim their ancestors for reburial on tribal lands.
The Carlisle project has come to symbolize broader efforts to confront the legacy of boarding schools, which survivors and their descendants describe as tools of cultural erasure and trauma. The return of remains is viewed by many as a step toward healing and recognition of the children who never made it home.
Despite the progress, 135 marked graves remain at the Post Cemetery, a reminder of the many lives lost during the school’s history. The Army has pledged to continue working with tribal nations until every family that wishes to reclaim their children has that opportunity.
Source: PennLive