The Impact on Native American Identity and the Tragic Legacy of Indian Schools

[00:00:00] Never Again, Never Again, Never Again, Never Again, Never Again, Never Again, Never Again.

[00:00:08] This podcast is presented by the Coalition Against Global Genocide with the goal to further its mission

[00:00:15] to educate, motivate and empower individuals and communities to oppose genocide and crimes against

[00:00:22] humanity, the impact on Native American identity and the tragic legacy of Indian schools.

[00:00:31] Today, we're going to be looking at the effects of legal policies in undermining Native sovereignty

[00:00:42] and culture, leading to a lasting legacy of inequality.

[00:00:52] We'll talk about the various laws created to systematically strip Indigenous Americans of

[00:00:58] their identity and human rights.

[00:01:01] Like the Indian Appropriations Act, the Dawes Act back in 1887, and then the Indian Citizenship

[00:01:09] Act. The impact of these laws are still with us. We must highlight the traumatic loss of cultural

[00:01:19] heritage and family bonds through the Indian boarding school experiences and the lasting intergenerational

[00:01:25] effects. This is the impact of colonialism and forced assimilation. And to help us unpack all

[00:01:36] of this, we have clips from some of our previous episodes. We'll hear from a member of the Blackfoot

[00:01:42] tribe, an expert on the history of the Carlisle Indian School, and an esteemed archaeologist specializing

[00:01:49] in groundbreaking work to respectfully uncover unmarked graves at former boarding schools.

[00:01:57] They joined Dr. Pius on this podcast, and their powerful messages shed light on this often overlooked

[00:02:03] part of history. This history is really intertwined with the legacy of the United States. It's something we need

[00:02:11] to understand if we want to address the consequences of these policies. We'll start with the Indian

[00:02:18] Appropriations Act in 1851, which was signed into law by the U.S. Congress to further the agenda of

[00:02:28] expansionism and assimilation. The government at this time believed that Native American culture was a

[00:02:33] barrier to progress, and so they sought to completely dismantle it. The act created the reservation system as we know it today.

[00:02:43] Native American tribes were forced to move to specific areas of land where they would be confined and overseen by the

[00:02:49] government. The intention behind this plan was to severely limit their ability to hunt, fish, and gather traditional food sources,

[00:02:59] leaving them with no option but to assimilate to the new white American way of life. For anyone who isn't familiar with that term,

[00:03:09] it's the process of adopting the language and culture of a dominant social group or nation, or the state of being socially integrated into the culture of the dominant group in a society.

[00:03:17] So in this scenario, trying to completely erase indigenous culture and force the Native Americans to adopt white American culture,

[00:03:27] included in the Indian Appropriations Act was the creation of the Office of Indian Affairs,

[00:03:35] which later rebranded as the Bureau of Indian Affairs or known as the BIA.

[00:03:42] The Bureau of Indian Affairs was established to oversee the management of reservations and the indigenous people living there.

[00:03:50] The BIA implemented programs aimed at assimilating Native Americans by introducing religious and cultural practices that included the establishment of Indian schools.

[00:04:01] These schools have a really dark history, and we'll go deeper on that.

[00:04:05] But this new group or Bureau now controlled the allocation of funds to these tribes,

[00:04:12] often with strings attached that undermined their way of life and self-governance.

[00:04:18] This included the establishment of Indian boarding schools, which played a central role in this process.

[00:04:25] These schools were designed to forcibly assimilate Native American children

[00:04:31] by stripping them away from their families, their homes, their language, culture, and spiritual practices.

[00:04:38] On a previous episode, we spoke with Dr. Sydney Brown, a member of the Blackfeet Nation of Montana,

[00:04:44] and she shared a story about how these institutions impacted her family.

[00:04:49] And it's, uh, it's awful.

[00:04:52] Just awful.

[00:04:53] Because that was my father, running away from boarding schools,

[00:04:58] and being caught and taken back to boarding school,

[00:05:02] and then being shipped way far away from home,

[00:05:05] and still walking and riding on the railroads to get home so he could be with his family.

[00:05:13] This speaks to the profound disruption of family bonds

[00:05:16] and the trauma inflicted upon generations of Native American children.

[00:05:20] This idea that you could separate the Indian from the man,

[00:05:25] as if one couldn't exist alongside the other.

[00:05:29] And keep in mind, these were children.

[00:05:35] There were a range of ways that Native American children were acquired for these schools,

[00:05:41] and few of them were truly voluntary.

[00:05:46] Tactics like coercion, threats, violence in certain situations,

[00:05:51] and even the abduction of children were all methods used to get more Native American children enrolled.

[00:05:58] Frequently, superintendents, Indian agents, and other federal officials

[00:06:02] would arrive at a reservation

[00:06:03] and spend weeks persuading parents to enroll their children in an Indian school.

[00:06:09] Often they would lie

[00:06:11] and misrepresent the nature of the schools

[00:06:15] and the length of stay.

[00:06:18] Parents would eventually sign their children up for school,

[00:06:22] expecting them to return home for vacations,

[00:06:25] or to return home after a year or two.

[00:06:27] And once these children got to school,

[00:06:30] their contracts would be changed to five years or more.

[00:06:33] And if they left,

[00:06:34] they wouldn't be allowed to return to school,

[00:06:37] or to return home.

[00:06:40] Parents were told,

[00:06:42] if you want to see your children,

[00:06:44] then you have to come here to visit them.

[00:06:47] We're not going to allow them to come home.

[00:06:51] Dr. Holly Norton shares a really shocking story

[00:06:54] on this podcast

[00:06:55] about a superintendent

[00:06:57] who basically abducted Muscalero Apache students

[00:07:01] from a school in Albuquerque.

[00:07:03] And when their parents came to pick them up,

[00:07:06] they were gone,

[00:07:08] taken to a boarding school in Colorado

[00:07:10] without their parents' consent.

[00:07:12] And in some cases,

[00:07:14] when tribes resisted,

[00:07:15] the U.S. Army

[00:07:17] was even called in

[00:07:18] to remove children from their families

[00:07:20] at gunpoint.

[00:07:22] Kids,

[00:07:23] some as young as four years,

[00:07:26] coming from as far away as Alaska,

[00:07:28] were put on trains,

[00:07:30] stagecoaches,

[00:07:31] and even ships,

[00:07:33] and sent thousands of miles away

[00:07:35] from everything they knew,

[00:07:36] taken across a country

[00:07:38] that they'd never seen

[00:07:39] with other children

[00:07:40] who were equally as terrified

[00:07:42] as they were.

[00:07:43] They didn't speak each other's language,

[00:07:45] and they didn't speak English,

[00:07:47] so they were just completely and totally

[00:07:50] at the mercy

[00:07:51] of the people that were taking them.

[00:07:56] Frequently,

[00:07:57] they were headed for Carlisle,

[00:08:00] Pennsylvania.

[00:08:01] The Carlisle Indian School

[00:08:03] was established in 1879

[00:08:05] by Colonel Richard Henry Pratt

[00:08:07] and the U.S. Army.

[00:08:10] It was the first federally funded boarding school

[00:08:12] in the U.S.

[00:08:14] It was sold as a vocational institution

[00:08:17] aimed at uplifting

[00:08:19] a severely disadvantaged group

[00:08:20] and aiding their transition

[00:08:22] into this new Western society.

[00:08:25] Pratt's Indian School

[00:08:27] was inspired by his experiences

[00:08:29] escorting Native American prisoners

[00:08:31] from Texas

[00:08:33] to their jails in Florida.

[00:08:35] He arranged for some

[00:08:36] to attend the trade school

[00:08:38] for black Americans

[00:08:39] in Hampton, Virginia

[00:08:40] at the Hampton Institute.

[00:08:41] And it's interesting

[00:08:43] because the director

[00:08:44] of Hampton

[00:08:45] actually expressed

[00:08:46] concerns

[00:08:47] about

[00:08:49] allowing black

[00:08:50] and Native American students

[00:08:52] to interact

[00:08:52] because he feared

[00:08:54] that they might realize

[00:08:55] their shared oppression

[00:08:56] and unite against the system.

[00:08:59] It highlights how

[00:09:00] there was a deliberate effort

[00:09:02] to keep these marginalized groups

[00:09:04] divided,

[00:09:05] attending separate schools.

[00:09:08] Booker T. Washington

[00:09:10] would later emerge

[00:09:11] from this same institution

[00:09:12] and went on to establish

[00:09:14] the Tuskegee Institute

[00:09:16] in Alabama.

[00:09:18] Just as Tuskegee

[00:09:19] represented a promise

[00:09:20] in American race relations

[00:09:21] for black Americans,

[00:09:22] the Carlisle Indian School

[00:09:24] was to symbolize

[00:09:25] these efforts

[00:09:26] with Native Americans.

[00:09:27] This was politically acceptable

[00:09:29] and eased the animosity

[00:09:32] and guilt felt

[00:09:33] by white Americans

[00:09:34] towards indigenous Americans.

[00:09:37] Pratt and others

[00:09:38] thought that the key

[00:09:39] to Native American assimilation

[00:09:41] was to take away

[00:09:42] their indigenous culture

[00:09:44] and way of life,

[00:09:46] effectively erasing

[00:09:47] their identity.

[00:09:49] The motto was

[00:09:52] Save the man,

[00:09:53] kill the Indian.

[00:09:56] That's a truly

[00:09:57] chilling philosophy,

[00:09:58] a heartless phrase

[00:09:59] that really encapsulates

[00:10:01] the mindset

[00:10:01] at the time.

[00:10:02] And it epitomized

[00:10:04] the school's mission,

[00:10:05] along with other

[00:10:06] boarding schools.

[00:10:09] Pratt eventually

[00:10:09] convinced Army officials

[00:10:11] focused on the long battles

[00:10:13] with resisting tribes

[00:10:14] out west

[00:10:15] to allow him

[00:10:16] to use Carlisle barracks

[00:10:18] on their military base

[00:10:19] for an Indian school.

[00:10:21] The Department of Interior

[00:10:23] would later describe

[00:10:24] Colonel Pratt's vision

[00:10:25] as, quote,

[00:10:26] His beliefs were

[00:10:28] ethnocentric

[00:10:28] and anthropologically naive.

[00:10:30] Originally,

[00:10:31] Carlisle

[00:10:32] was a Civil War

[00:10:33] prisoner of war camp,

[00:10:34] and it was housing children

[00:10:36] and young teens.

[00:10:37] These kids showed up

[00:10:39] after weeks

[00:10:40] on a train

[00:10:40] in some instances.

[00:10:41] They were immediately

[00:10:42] stripped of their clothing.

[00:10:44] The shirt their mother

[00:10:45] gave them,

[00:10:46] the moccasins

[00:10:48] their father made,

[00:10:49] and other belongings

[00:10:51] were burned

[00:10:51] or worse.

[00:10:53] Stolen.

[00:10:54] The children were given

[00:10:56] military uniforms,

[00:10:58] wool,

[00:11:00] scratchy things

[00:11:01] with big buttons.

[00:11:03] Their heads were shaved,

[00:11:05] which for Native people

[00:11:06] has a lot of

[00:11:07] spiritual significance,

[00:11:08] whether you're

[00:11:09] a female or a male.

[00:11:11] The children had

[00:11:12] their original names

[00:11:13] stripped away,

[00:11:14] and they were assigned

[00:11:15] Christian names.

[00:11:17] John, Mary, Noah,

[00:11:19] David, for instance.

[00:11:21] They were forced

[00:11:22] to attend church,

[00:11:22] which began instructing

[00:11:24] children to speak English.

[00:11:26] As a consequence

[00:11:27] of speaking

[00:11:27] their native language,

[00:11:29] these kids often faced

[00:11:30] physical punishments

[00:11:31] and severe beatings.

[00:11:34] Punishments for speaking

[00:11:35] your own language.

[00:11:37] A way to

[00:11:38] civilize the indigenous people.

[00:11:41] Despite the conditions,

[00:11:43] these children

[00:11:43] were very resilient

[00:11:44] and even remodeled

[00:11:46] the grounds

[00:11:46] to include a gym

[00:11:48] and art studio.

[00:11:50] There were powerful bonds

[00:11:51] that were formed

[00:11:52] among these children

[00:11:52] who were forced to live

[00:11:53] and learn together,

[00:11:54] often far from

[00:11:55] their own families.

[00:11:57] They created

[00:11:58] their own families

[00:11:59] in the face

[00:11:59] of this shared trauma.

[00:12:01] But to be clear,

[00:12:03] these were not schools.

[00:12:05] This wasn't about education.

[00:12:08] These schools were

[00:12:09] designed to just

[00:12:10] strip away

[00:12:11] every aspect

[00:12:12] of native identity.

[00:12:13] This was about

[00:12:15] enforcing

[00:12:15] the social systems

[00:12:17] of white American culture.

[00:12:19] Breaking that connection

[00:12:21] to their heritage.

[00:12:22] And the methods

[00:12:24] that they used

[00:12:25] were just brutal.

[00:12:26] And Carlyle wasn't

[00:12:28] an isolated

[00:12:29] incident.

[00:12:31] It became

[00:12:33] the model for

[00:12:34] at least 24 more

[00:12:35] off-reservation

[00:12:37] schools.

[00:12:38] Another key tool

[00:12:39] that they used

[00:12:40] in this campaign

[00:12:41] was the

[00:12:42] Civilization Fund Act,

[00:12:44] which essentially

[00:12:45] channeled money

[00:12:46] to religious institutions

[00:12:47] to establish

[00:12:48] more of these

[00:12:49] boarding schools.

[00:12:51] So the government

[00:12:52] was basically

[00:12:52] outsourcing

[00:12:53] its assimilation

[00:12:54] agenda.

[00:12:55] And there was

[00:12:56] this really

[00:12:56] disturbing aspect

[00:12:57] of

[00:12:58] the funding system

[00:13:00] for these schools.

[00:13:02] It was all based

[00:13:04] on per capita

[00:13:05] enrollment,

[00:13:06] which meant

[00:13:07] that schools

[00:13:07] were actually

[00:13:08] incentivized to

[00:13:09] pack in as many

[00:13:09] students as possible.

[00:13:11] It prioritized

[00:13:12] profit

[00:13:13] over the well-being

[00:13:14] of these children.

[00:13:15] children.

[00:13:16] So the more

[00:13:17] children they

[00:13:17] enrolled,

[00:13:18] the more money

[00:13:19] these institutions

[00:13:20] received,

[00:13:21] regardless of

[00:13:22] the living conditions.

[00:13:24] Let's look at

[00:13:25] places like

[00:13:26] Fort Lewis Indian

[00:13:27] Boarding School

[00:13:27] in Colorado.

[00:13:29] From 1880

[00:13:30] to 1891,

[00:13:32] and they

[00:13:32] closed it down

[00:13:33] and almost

[00:13:34] immediately opened

[00:13:35] it up as a

[00:13:36] boarding school.

[00:13:36] So these

[00:13:37] students were

[00:13:38] put into

[00:13:39] these quarters

[00:13:40] on this

[00:13:41] frontier

[00:13:42] military

[00:13:43] installation

[00:13:45] never well cared

[00:13:46] for,

[00:13:47] was already

[00:13:48] dilapidated

[00:13:48] by the time

[00:13:49] they moved in.

[00:13:50] And the cemetery

[00:13:51] continued to be

[00:13:53] used.

[00:13:54] There was a

[00:13:54] female reporter

[00:13:56] with the

[00:13:57] Denver Post

[00:13:58] who revealed

[00:13:59] some truly

[00:14:00] horrific conditions

[00:14:01] at Fort Lewis.

[00:14:02] She shared

[00:14:03] stories of

[00:14:04] overcrowding being

[00:14:05] a major issue

[00:14:06] with children,

[00:14:07] sometimes even

[00:14:08] sharing the

[00:14:08] same beds.

[00:14:10] The facilities

[00:14:11] were in

[00:14:12] terrible shape.

[00:14:13] There were

[00:14:14] multiple reports

[00:14:15] of staff

[00:14:15] sexually abusing

[00:14:16] many of the

[00:14:17] children.

[00:14:18] Diseases like

[00:14:19] tuberculosis

[00:14:20] and trachoma,

[00:14:21] which can cause

[00:14:22] blindness,

[00:14:23] were widespread.

[00:14:24] You can only

[00:14:26] imagine how

[00:14:26] quickly illnesses

[00:14:27] would spread in

[00:14:28] those kinds of

[00:14:29] conditions.

[00:14:30] In 2023,

[00:14:32] the National

[00:14:33] Native American

[00:14:33] Boarding School

[00:14:34] Healing Coalition

[00:14:35] published a list

[00:14:36] of 523 Indian

[00:14:38] boarding schools

[00:14:39] located in the

[00:14:40] United States.

[00:14:41] This is the

[00:14:42] largest known

[00:14:43] compilation of

[00:14:44] U.S.

[00:14:44] Indian boarding

[00:14:45] schools to

[00:14:45] date.

[00:14:47] It's hard to

[00:14:48] even imagine

[00:14:48] the trauma

[00:14:49] inflicted on

[00:14:50] those families.

[00:14:51] The ripple

[00:14:52] effects of

[00:14:52] this trauma

[00:14:53] continue to

[00:14:54] affect multiple

[00:14:56] generations.

[00:14:58] It's hard to

[00:14:59] even imagine

[00:15:00] being forcibly

[00:15:01] separated from

[00:15:02] your family,

[00:15:03] forbidden from

[00:15:04] speaking your

[00:15:04] native language,

[00:15:05] and punished for

[00:15:06] practicing your

[00:15:07] cultural traditions.

[00:15:08] It really speaks

[00:15:10] volumes about

[00:15:12] the way that

[00:15:12] these children

[00:15:12] were treated,

[00:15:13] even in death.

[00:15:15] So at

[00:15:16] Carlisle, I

[00:15:17] believe that

[00:15:18] there were

[00:15:18] 185 students

[00:15:20] that were buried

[00:15:21] there over the

[00:15:23] course of its

[00:15:23] existence.

[00:15:24] At Fort

[00:15:25] Luce, we've

[00:15:26] identified 31

[00:15:28] deaths of

[00:15:29] students.

[00:15:29] The number

[00:15:31] of graves

[00:15:32] that we've

[00:15:32] identified is

[00:15:33] more.

[00:15:34] Recent

[00:15:35] discoveries of

[00:15:36] unmarked graves

[00:15:38] at former

[00:15:39] boarding school

[00:15:39] sites across

[00:15:40] Canada and

[00:15:41] the United

[00:15:41] States are a

[00:15:43] chilling reminder

[00:15:43] of the human

[00:15:45] cost.

[00:15:46] We know

[00:15:47] these graves

[00:15:48] were hidden

[00:15:48] since archaeologists

[00:15:49] began locating

[00:15:50] and studying

[00:15:51] unmarked graves

[00:15:52] at some of

[00:15:53] these former

[00:15:54] boarding school

[00:15:54] sites like

[00:15:55] Fort Lewis.

[00:15:56] This is a

[00:15:57] delicate process

[00:15:58] all about

[00:15:59] respecting the

[00:16:00] sanctity of

[00:16:01] these burial

[00:16:01] sites and

[00:16:03] allowing those

[00:16:03] who are buried

[00:16:04] there to rest

[00:16:05] in peace.

[00:16:07] In Canada,

[00:16:09] they've had this

[00:16:09] very public

[00:16:10] reckoning with

[00:16:11] their Indian

[00:16:11] schools,

[00:16:12] really grappling

[00:16:13] with the

[00:16:14] atrocities.

[00:16:15] But in the

[00:16:16] U.S., it's

[00:16:17] almost like we've

[00:16:18] just collectively

[00:16:19] forgotten.

[00:16:25] These discoveries

[00:16:27] have brought to

[00:16:27] light the

[00:16:27] horrific abuses

[00:16:28] that occurred

[00:16:29] within these

[00:16:30] institutions,

[00:16:30] and they serve

[00:16:32] as a powerful

[00:16:32] call to action

[00:16:33] to address

[00:16:34] the legacy

[00:16:35] of injustice.

[00:16:36] So,

[00:16:37] listener,

[00:16:38] think about

[00:16:39] your own

[00:16:39] experience.

[00:16:40] Did you

[00:16:41] learn about

[00:16:42] these boarding

[00:16:42] schools when

[00:16:43] you were in

[00:16:43] school?

[00:16:44] Because this

[00:16:45] idea of

[00:16:46] forgetting has

[00:16:48] some profound

[00:16:49] implications.

[00:16:51] It suggests a

[00:16:52] collective amnesia

[00:16:53] around this

[00:16:54] whole dark

[00:16:55] chapter,

[00:16:56] which might be

[00:16:57] why so many

[00:16:58] people are

[00:16:59] unaware of its

[00:17:00] legacy.

[00:17:01] And it wasn't

[00:17:02] just about

[00:17:02] assimilation.

[00:17:04] It was about

[00:17:05] cultural erasure

[00:17:06] and the

[00:17:07] suppression of

[00:17:08] indigenous

[00:17:09] identity.

[00:17:11] It's important

[00:17:12] to remember

[00:17:12] that the

[00:17:13] impact of

[00:17:14] these policies

[00:17:15] extended far

[00:17:16] beyond the

[00:17:17] boarding school

[00:17:17] walls.

[00:17:28] Then,

[00:17:29] 36 years after

[00:17:30] the Indian

[00:17:30] Appropriation

[00:17:31] Act,

[00:17:32] on February

[00:17:33] 8,

[00:17:34] 1887,

[00:17:35] the United

[00:17:36] States Congress

[00:17:37] passed the

[00:17:37] Dawes Act.

[00:17:39] This was a

[00:17:40] deliberate effort

[00:17:40] to dismantle

[00:17:41] tribal culture

[00:17:42] and, again,

[00:17:44] their land

[00:17:44] ownership.

[00:17:46] The law

[00:17:46] stated,

[00:17:47] To each

[00:17:48] head of a

[00:17:48] family,

[00:17:49] one quarter

[00:17:50] of a section.

[00:17:50] To each

[00:17:51] single person

[00:17:52] over 18

[00:17:53] years of age,

[00:17:54] one eighth

[00:17:54] of a section.

[00:17:55] To each

[00:17:56] orphan child

[00:17:56] under 18

[00:17:57] years of age,

[00:17:58] one eighth

[00:17:59] of a section.

[00:18:00] And to each

[00:18:01] other single

[00:18:01] person under

[00:18:02] 18 years now

[00:18:03] living,

[00:18:03] or who may

[00:18:04] be born prior

[00:18:05] to the date

[00:18:06] of the order

[00:18:06] of the president

[00:18:07] directing an

[00:18:07] allotment of

[00:18:08] the lands

[00:18:09] embraced in

[00:18:09] any reservation,

[00:18:11] one sixteenth

[00:18:12] of a section.

[00:18:13] A section

[00:18:14] of the law

[00:18:14] specified groups

[00:18:15] that were to

[00:18:16] be exempt

[00:18:16] from the law.

[00:18:18] The provisions

[00:18:18] of this act

[00:18:19] shall not extend

[00:18:20] to the territory

[00:18:21] occupied by

[00:18:21] the Cherokees,

[00:18:22] Creeks,

[00:18:23] Choctaws,

[00:18:24] Chickasaws,

[00:18:24] Seminoles,

[00:18:25] and Osage,

[00:18:26] Miamis,

[00:18:26] and Peorias,

[00:18:27] and Saks and

[00:18:28] Foxes in the

[00:18:29] Indian Territory,

[00:18:30] nor to any

[00:18:31] of the reservations

[00:18:31] of the Seneca

[00:18:32] Nation of New

[00:18:33] York Indians

[00:18:34] in the state

[00:18:34] of New York,

[00:18:35] nor to that

[00:18:36] strip of territory

[00:18:37] in the state

[00:18:38] of Nebraska

[00:18:38] adjoining the

[00:18:40] Sioux Nation

[00:18:40] on the south.

[00:18:42] However,

[00:18:43] they broadened

[00:18:43] the act's provisions

[00:18:44] to include

[00:18:45] these tribes,

[00:18:46] too.

[00:18:47] And in 1893,

[00:18:49] President Grover

[00:18:50] Cleveland started

[00:18:51] the Dawes

[00:18:52] Commission to

[00:18:53] talk with the

[00:18:54] Cherokees,

[00:18:55] Creeks,

[00:18:56] Choctaws,

[00:18:57] Chickasaws,

[00:18:58] and Seminoles,

[00:18:59] known as

[00:19:00] the Five

[00:19:01] Civilized Tribes.

[00:19:03] These tribes

[00:19:04] were called

[00:19:04] civilized because

[00:19:05] they adopted

[00:19:06] some American

[00:19:07] ways.

[00:19:08] The goal was

[00:19:09] to make

[00:19:09] agreements that

[00:19:10] would allow

[00:19:10] these tribes

[00:19:11] to keep some

[00:19:12] of their native

[00:19:13] land in exchange

[00:19:14] for giving up

[00:19:15] their tribal

[00:19:16] governments and

[00:19:17] following state

[00:19:18] and federal laws.

[00:19:20] Once registered,

[00:19:22] their names were

[00:19:23] put on something

[00:19:23] called the Dawes

[00:19:25] Rolls.

[00:19:26] This list helped

[00:19:28] the BIA figure

[00:19:29] out who was

[00:19:30] eligible to receive

[00:19:31] land.

[00:19:32] The Dawes Act

[00:19:34] and all the

[00:19:34] legislation that

[00:19:35] followed aimed

[00:19:36] to safeguard

[00:19:36] indigenous Americans'

[00:19:38] property rights,

[00:19:38] especially during

[00:19:40] the land rushes

[00:19:40] of the 1890s.

[00:19:42] However,

[00:19:43] the outcomes

[00:19:44] were often

[00:19:44] quite the opposite.

[00:19:46] The land

[00:19:47] assigned to

[00:19:47] Native Americans

[00:19:48] frequently consisted

[00:19:50] of poor soil

[00:19:50] and desert-like areas

[00:19:52] that were not

[00:19:53] suitable for farming.

[00:19:55] Additionally,

[00:19:56] the self-sufficient

[00:19:56] farming methods

[00:19:57] required now

[00:19:58] were vastly

[00:19:59] different from

[00:20:00] the traditional

[00:20:00] tribal lifestyle.

[00:20:02] many individuals

[00:20:04] did not wish

[00:20:04] to pursue

[00:20:05] agriculture

[00:20:05] this way,

[00:20:07] and those

[00:20:08] who were

[00:20:08] interested

[00:20:08] often

[00:20:09] lacked the

[00:20:11] financial means

[00:20:11] to acquire

[00:20:12] the necessary

[00:20:13] tools,

[00:20:13] tractors,

[00:20:14] animals,

[00:20:14] seeds,

[00:20:15] and other

[00:20:16] supplies to

[00:20:16] sustain this

[00:20:17] lifestyle change.

[00:20:19] There were

[00:20:19] significant

[00:20:20] challenges related

[00:20:21] to inheritance

[00:20:22] as well.

[00:20:23] Frequently,

[00:20:24] young children

[00:20:25] inherited land,

[00:20:26] but were unable

[00:20:27] to farm them

[00:20:27] due to being

[00:20:28] sent away

[00:20:29] to boarding

[00:20:30] schools.

[00:20:31] Often,

[00:20:32] several individuals

[00:20:33] inherited the

[00:20:34] exact same land,

[00:20:35] so the size

[00:20:37] or share of

[00:20:37] land was

[00:20:38] inadequate

[00:20:39] for profitable

[00:20:40] farming.

[00:20:42] Additionally,

[00:20:43] tribes were often

[00:20:43] undercompensated

[00:20:44] for their land

[00:20:45] allotments,

[00:20:46] and if individuals

[00:20:47] rejected government

[00:20:48] stipulations,

[00:20:49] their allotments

[00:20:50] were sold

[00:20:51] to non-Native

[00:20:51] individuals.

[00:20:53] This created

[00:20:54] a huge loss

[00:20:55] of tribal land

[00:20:56] for American

[00:20:57] communities

[00:20:57] and totally

[00:20:58] disregarded

[00:20:59] their everyday

[00:21:00] lives.

[00:21:01] This act

[00:21:02] broke up

[00:21:03] community-owned

[00:21:04] land into

[00:21:05] individual plots,

[00:21:07] which totally

[00:21:08] disrupted cultures,

[00:21:09] but also paved

[00:21:11] the way

[00:21:11] for further

[00:21:12] land theft.

[00:21:14] Then,

[00:21:15] on June 2,

[00:21:15] 1924,

[00:21:17] the United States

[00:21:18] Congress

[00:21:18] passed yet

[00:21:19] another act

[00:21:20] targeting Native

[00:21:21] Americans called

[00:21:22] the Indian

[00:21:22] Citizenship Act,

[00:21:25] granting U.S.

[00:21:25] citizenship to

[00:21:26] all Native

[00:21:27] Americans born

[00:21:28] in the country.

[00:21:29] 94 years

[00:21:31] after the

[00:21:31] Indian Removal

[00:21:32] Act was

[00:21:32] signed by

[00:21:33] President Andrew

[00:21:34] Jackson,

[00:21:35] you'd think

[00:21:36] this would be

[00:21:36] a step

[00:21:37] towards equality,

[00:21:38] but sadly

[00:21:39] it wasn't.

[00:21:41] It was

[00:21:42] basically

[00:21:42] a tool

[00:21:43] used to

[00:21:44] undermine

[00:21:45] tribal

[00:21:45] sovereignty.

[00:21:47] Now,

[00:21:48] Native

[00:21:48] Americans

[00:21:49] had to

[00:21:49] follow state

[00:21:50] and federal

[00:21:51] laws,

[00:21:52] which conflicted

[00:21:53] with their

[00:21:53] own traditional

[00:21:54] leadership structures

[00:21:55] that had been

[00:21:56] practiced for

[00:21:56] generations.

[00:21:58] If they did

[00:21:59] not comply with

[00:21:59] U.S.

[00:22:00] laws,

[00:22:01] now they

[00:22:02] could be treated

[00:22:03] like criminals.

[00:22:05] Also,

[00:22:05] as a citizen,

[00:22:07] exercising your

[00:22:07] right to vote

[00:22:08] for your

[00:22:09] representatives

[00:22:09] is essential

[00:22:10] to the foundation

[00:22:11] of a democracy.

[00:22:13] However,

[00:22:14] at this time

[00:22:14] in the United

[00:22:15] States,

[00:22:15] the right to vote

[00:22:16] was regulated

[00:22:17] by state law,

[00:22:18] and certain

[00:22:19] states prohibited

[00:22:20] Native Americans

[00:22:21] from voting.

[00:22:23] This continued

[00:22:24] until 1957,

[00:22:26] so it was

[00:22:27] a series of

[00:22:28] laws and

[00:22:29] institutions

[00:22:31] working together

[00:22:33] with an effort

[00:22:33] to break down

[00:22:34] the foundation

[00:22:35] of Native

[00:22:36] American culture

[00:22:37] and their

[00:22:38] way of life.

[00:22:44] Native Americans

[00:22:45] were actually

[00:22:45] prohibited

[00:22:45] by law

[00:22:47] from practicing

[00:22:48] their traditional

[00:22:49] ceremonies

[00:22:49] until 1978.

[00:22:53] 1978.

[00:22:55] I mean,

[00:22:56] that's not

[00:22:57] ancient history,

[00:22:59] and the trauma

[00:23:00] from these

[00:23:00] experiences

[00:23:01] just keeps

[00:23:01] rippling

[00:23:02] through generations.

[00:23:04] It manifests

[00:23:05] in the social

[00:23:06] disparities

[00:23:07] that we see

[00:23:08] in some

[00:23:09] Native American

[00:23:10] communities today.

[00:23:12] This

[00:23:13] intergenerational

[00:23:14] trauma

[00:23:14] is a stark

[00:23:16] reminder

[00:23:17] that historical

[00:23:18] injustices

[00:23:19] have very real

[00:23:21] and lasting

[00:23:22] consequences.

[00:23:25] But amidst

[00:23:26] this painful

[00:23:26] legacy,

[00:23:27] there's a story

[00:23:28] of incredible

[00:23:29] resilience

[00:23:30] of Native

[00:23:30] American people

[00:23:31] and their

[00:23:32] cultures.

[00:23:33] Despite

[00:23:34] facing so many

[00:23:35] challenges,

[00:23:36] tribes are

[00:23:37] reclaiming

[00:23:37] their languages,

[00:23:39] spiritual

[00:23:39] practices,

[00:23:40] and traditional

[00:23:41] ways of life.

[00:23:43] There's a

[00:23:44] growing movement

[00:23:44] to revitalize

[00:23:45] and celebrate

[00:23:47] indigenous

[00:23:48] identity,

[00:23:49] and this is

[00:23:50] a powerful force

[00:23:51] for healing

[00:23:51] and empowerment.

[00:23:53] We'll talk

[00:23:54] about the

[00:23:55] strength,

[00:23:55] resiliency,

[00:23:56] and determination

[00:23:57] of these

[00:23:58] communities

[00:23:59] on future

[00:24:00] episodes.

[00:24:01] Thank you so

[00:24:02] much for joining

[00:24:03] us on this

[00:24:03] journey.

[00:24:08] The Never

[00:24:09] Again podcast

[00:24:09] is presented

[00:24:10] by the

[00:24:11] Coalition

[00:24:11] Against

[00:24:12] Global

[00:24:12] Genocide

[00:24:13] and its

[00:24:14] mission to

[00:24:14] educate,

[00:24:15] motivate,

[00:24:16] and empower

[00:24:16] individuals

[00:24:17] and communities

[00:24:18] to oppose

[00:24:19] genocide

[00:24:20] and crimes

[00:24:20] against

[00:24:21] humanity.

[00:24:21] journey.

[00:24:22] Thank you so