Repatriation is the return of someone to their own land or country. This issue is not talked about enough when regarding the Native Americans and the boarding schools they were required to attend from 1879 into the 1930s-1950s. 

Many of the children who went to these schools died and instead of the bodies being returned to their families and homeland, they were buried in a cemetery on the school grounds. As of four years ago, most had yet to be returned. 

In 2021, ten of those bodies were finally returned to their families and communities. This situation is not discussed enough and should be brought to more people’s attention.

A reason the boarding schools were not brought up into conversations might, at least for the Native Americans, be the trauma endured at the boarding schools, which makes them not want to bring up memories. 

Christopher Eaglebear, a member of the Sachangu Youth Council, says, “Boarding schools aren’t really talked about growing up where I come from… Something traumatic happened there that made you not want to talk about it, you did not want to recreate that pain… and your parents just wanted you to be protected from all that perfectness.”  

These boarding schools were so traumatic, causing the Lakota people to not even want to consider opening that part of their life again. The schools used the motto, “Kill the Indian, save the man,” which prompted them to erase the students’ Indian identity to more “civilize” them in any way they saw fit.  

Eaglebear explains this when saying, “Everything that makes us who we are was kind of detached from us from these boarding schools.” He also says that, “These schools, they played a key part in trying to sever that [spirituality, way of life] connection to who we are as Dakota. They took away our language and they made it impossible for us to be who we really are.”

These schools took away aspects of their identity in horrid ways such as cutting their hair short and forcing them to speak English; which plays a major role into why these instances and experiences are not brought up for concern. 

This is why those dead students’ remains are just being brought home now; someone was brave enough to endure reliving these memories to furthermore educate people on the issue of repatriation and unearthing the truth about what happened. 

Deb Haaland, U.S Secretary of Interior, is advocating for those who are unable to speak at a more widespread and country level to help shed light to the issue of repatriation. Haaland says her and the Interior department are, “Uniquely positioned to assist in the effort to recover the dark history of these institutions that have haunted our families for too long.” She also explains that as a whole to help bring more attention to the issue of repatriation we must, “Uncover the truth about the loss of human life and the lasting consequences of these schools.”