IRVING, N.Y. — “I formally apologize.” Those were the words from President Joe Biden for the United States’ role in forcing Indigenous children into boarding schools.
Adjunct professor Dean Seneca recognizes this sad chapter in U.S. history.
“Our children's lives matter,” he said.
Seneca says the President’s apology is a big step forward in healing.
“We can't cover this up,” he said.
The U.S. Department of the Interior investigated the boarding schools and how they were operated in the country. It showed that thousands of young Indigenous children were taken away from their families and forced into schools so they could assimilate.
“When you separate children from their families, I think the biggest impact is that these children when they became of age to have children of their own, they didn’t really know how to be parents,” said Seneca.
“They didn’t grow up in a family structure, they grew up in a militarized institution. So, their ability to provide loving, caring, parental guidance and care for their children really didn’t exist.”
The Thomas Indian School was the boarding school located within the Cattaraugus Indian Reservation in Erie County here in Western New York.
A few years ago, Elliott Tallchief spoke with 2 On Your Side. He was five years old when he was taken from his family.
“Dragged us into the car. We were crying and I guess screaming too. I don't know. But I remember crying all the way,” he said.
Tallchief added that he was punished for speaking the Seneca language and was stripped of his culture. For many here in Western New York, President Biden’s apology is personal.
“We really need to research the impacts of these boarding schools,” Seneca said.
“How this really changed our way of life and what do we need to do in order to heal.”
You can watch the full commUNITY episode 70 linked below.