Hello to everyone reading this! I am continuing to blog about my book: Sky Woman Lives in Me. Though it was published in 2016, I continue to share this story because it is as relevant today, as it was at the turn of the century.
Canadian Indigenous people have shared their stories about the Canadian Residential Schools. Their children were forced to attend, to become assimilated white. Last year a mass grave of 215 unknown indigenous children from Canada were found at a British Columbia Residential School. Canada has continued investigating all of it’s Residential Indigenous Schools. More graves of unknown indigenous children have been discovered at other Canadian schools. My heart is heavy, sad, knowing these children died just for going to school, thinking they were going to school to learn. Instead, they died. The photo above of Fort Qu’ Appelle Residential Indian School in Canada, shows teepees outside the school grounds, that parents put up, to stay close to their children. Canada had 139 Residential Indian Schools, all modeled after the Carlisle Indian Industrial Boarding School, started in 1879.
Here in America, the Interior Department and our government are now investigating the Indian Boarding Schools that began in 1879. Carlisle was the first school to force students to attend to become assimilated white. Of the over 350 Indian Boarding Schools, here in our country, almost all, have cemeteries on their school grounds; as does the Residential Indian Schools in Canada! I am glad our government is finally investigating our Indian Boarding Schools. It is about time! Kudos to Marsha Small for working with ground penetrating radar in school cemeteries, finding unknown, unmarked graves. I am thankful to Interior Secretary Deb Haaland for having an investigation into our country’s Indian Boarding Schools. Kudos to Denise Lajimodiere and NABS and others who are working hard on this investigation. Recently, Arizona and Michigan have started investigations of Indian Boarding Schools in these two states. The hidden history of America’s Indian Boarding Schools will be shared. It is about time! Thank you for reading my blog. Sincerely, Roberta Capasso, Author-Sky Woman Lives in Me.
Sky Woman Lives in Me 