U.S. Boarding Schools’ Dark Legacy: Lakota Children Finally Return Home

Over a century after nine Lakota children were taken from their families in the Dakota Territories and sent to the Carlisle boarding school in Pennsylvania, their remains have been repatriated—unveiling a painful chapter of U.S. history. The school, founded in 1879 by Richard Pratt, aimed to forcibly assimilate Indigenous children under the brutal motto: 'Kill the Indian, save the man.'

The recent return of the children’s remains to Pine Ridge and Rose Bud symbolizes a step toward healing generational trauma. Many Indigenous communities are now pushing for broader recognition of this systemic erasure of culture, language, and identity. 'This isn’t just history—it’s a wound that still bleeds,' said one tribal advocate.

As debates over racial justice and reparations sweep the U.S., stories like these remind us that progress demands confronting uncomfortable truths. Will this moment spark a reckoning with America’s past? Only time—and action—will tell.

Reference(s):

The Race Gap in the U.S.: Secrets can't be buried forever

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