US President apologizes for boarding school policy for indigenous people

(CLO) US President Joe Biden officially apologized for the government 's role in forcing indigenous children into boarding schools, where many were physically and sexually abused, causing nearly 1,000 deaths.

Speaking as he left the White House for Arizona on October 24, US President Joe Biden said: "I am doing something I should have done a long time ago: formally apologizing to indigenous peoples for the way we treated their children over the years."

James Nells of the Navajo Nation leads the 2022 opening ceremony, ahead of a meeting to discuss the harmful effects of Indian boarding schools. Photo: AP

From 1869 to the 1960s, more than 18,000 Indigenous children, some as young as four years old, were taken from their families and placed in the residential school system.

The schools, often run by Christian churches, were part of a policy of forced assimilation introduced by Congress in 1819 as an effort to "civilize" Native Americans, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians.

Children are beaten, sexually abused and forbidden to speak their own language, forbidden to act in any way that reflects their culture. Many have not seen their families for years.

In a press release, the White House said Mr. Biden believes that “to usher in the next era of Federal-Tribal relations, we need to fully acknowledge the harms of the past.”

His speech on October 25 will mark the first time a US president has apologized for the abuse of boarding schools and the forced removal of indigenous children, an act defined by the United Nations as genocide.

"I never expected something like this to happen," said US Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, a member of the Pueblo of Laguna in New Mexico. "It's a big deal to me and it's a big deal to all of Indian Country."

Haaland is the first Native American to lead the Interior Department . She launched an investigation into the residential school system shortly after her appointment. The department held hearings and collected testimony from survivors.

The document records nearly 1,000 deaths and 74 graves at more than 500 boarding schools.

Ngoc Anh (according to AJ)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/tong-thong-my-xin-loi-vi-chinh-sach-nguoi-ban-dia-post318415.html