"Kill the Indian, save the man"
| This well-known phrase is often attributed to Lieutenant Richard Henry Pratt, who was born in Rushford, NY in 1840. A Civil War veteran with an extensive Great Plains military career, Pratt pioneered Native American Boarding Schools after the 'Indian Wars' concluded in the 1920s. Pratt conceptualized a controversial system geared towards the cultural assimilation of Native American individuals. This resulted in the founding of the Carlisle Indian Boarding School: the flagship for Native American Boarding Schools in the United States. |  |
| In these school systems, Native American children, taken sometimes very far from home, were forced to assimilate into American culture. Tribal languages were banished, braids were cut, and traditional clothing was taken. And, like those clothes, children’s identities were stripped; their names were replaced with new—often biblical—names. |
"Healing begins with truth, truth begins with a story."
-Kate Russell, Wabanaki REACH
Documenting these stories is a crucial part of preserving the history of forced assimilation, cultural erasure, and abuse inflicted upon Native people. These stories serve as a testament to the resilience of Native peoples and contribute to the broader understanding of the need for reconciliation and intergenerational healing.
"We have to tell that story over and over again. That's the only way we're going to be able to change."
-Rayford Ray, Bishop of Northern Michigan
Boarding Schools in Michigan
In May of 2022, the United States released the Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative Investigative Report. The report shows that between 1819 and 1969, the United States operated or supported 408 boarding schools across 37 states. Five of these schools, in Michigan which were located in Baraga, Schoolcraft County, Mackinac Island, Mount Pleasant, and Harbor Springs.
“This report, as I see it, is only a first step to acknowledge the experiences of Federal Indian boarding school children.”
-Bryan Newland, U.S. Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Indian Affairs
Jim Williams
Lac Vieux Desert Survivor of Holy Childhood
Linda Cobe
Lac Vieux Desert Survivor of Holy Childhood
Dalinda Bressette
Lac Vieux Desert Survivor of Holy Childhood
Joe Dowd
Keweenaw Bay Indian Community Survivor of St. Joseph’s
Tom Biron
Lac Vieux Desert Survivor of Holy Childhood
Bud Nedeau
Lac Vieux Desert Survivor of Holy Childhood
Bobby Hazen
Lac Vieux Desert Survivor of Holy Childhood
Earl Meshigaud
Lac Vieux Desert Cultural Educator
Rayford Ray
Bishop - Episopal Diocese of Northern Michigan
Grace Challier
Lac Vieux Desert Professor (Ret.)
The Team
Leora Tadgerson
Mitch Bolo
Kathy Vanden Boogaard
Ariel Gougeon
Dan Truckey
The Walking Together: Finding Common Ground Traveling Exhibit project was developed by the Episcopal Diocese of Northern Michigan in partnership with the Great Lakes peace Center to uncover, acknowledge, and document the truth about Indigenous experiences in the Michigan Native American Boarding Schools.