After two years traveling throughout Indian Country, including Arizona, the coalition completed its 22nd and final stop in Oklahoma.

3 Takeaways:

– The Oral History Project could be made public as soon as next year.
– The coalition traveled to the Gila River Indian Community in December as part of an Arizona stop.
– Three healing circles will be offered in the Pacific Northwest.

Though there still is plenty more work to be done, National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition staff can rest easy knowing they have completed a major milestone.

Over the past two years, coalition officials have been recording and archiving testimonies from survivors of the federal boarding school system with the goal of adding the recordings to the Library of Congress’ boarding schools collection and the Smithsonian American History Museum.

The initiative was established by former U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Deb Haaland (Laguna Pueblo).

Headlined by an all-Indigenous team, the coalition conducted 22 visits across 19 states, including a stop in Arizona last year.

Their final stop was in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in June. Oklahoma was also the first stop for the Oral History Project. That state is home to the largest number of federal Indian boarding schools.

Among the 22 stops, the coalition traveled to Pellston, Michigan; the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota; Anchorage, Alaska; Harbor Springs, Michigan; and Chandler, Arizona.

The project contains 300-plus testimonies from survivors who shared their stories. Prior to their visits to tribal communities, officials connected with survivors over the phone to ensure they were still willing to participate in the project.

At each of the stops, project officials created a safe space for each survivor, offering 90 minutes of recording time in a confidential and comfortable area. Everyone shared a meal following the recording session.

Additionally, all participants received a copy of their recorded testimony. Reports state that the Oral History Project will be publicly available in 2027.

Additionally, Healing Circles will be offered later this year. On Sept. 15 and Oct. 6, the coalition is hosting in-person healing circles at the Northwest Healing Center, located on the Northwest Indian College Tulalip campus in Washington state. The first meeting was on Aug. 18. The coalition created these three efforts to help bridge the gap between Indian boarding school survivors and descendants in the Pacific Northwest.

The Northwest Healing Center provides resources, support and education on the many ways individuals can heal from the atrocities of the federal boarding school system.

With more healing and work to be done, the coalition will continue to remain on the front lines of helping Native people heal and process the traumas they experienced.

O’odham Action News will continue to monitor this topic.