Native American communities receive apology

A few weeks ago, President Joe Biden issued a formal Presidential apology to Native American communities for the U.S. government’s policy of removing Native American children from their families and sending them to boarding schools.

From 1819 through the 1970s, the federal government established boarding schools across the country to assimilate Native Americans into white American culture. These atrocities were committed by forcibly removing these children from their families, communities and belief systems.

Patty Talahongva, Hopi Boarding School Survivor from Phoenix Indian School, joined “Arizona Horizon” to discuss the apology to Native American communities in Arizona.

“I can compare to my grandmother’s experience,” Talahongva said. “She was sent when she was a little girl, and she was forcibly removed. She was forced to wear a uniform. She talked about how she had to march everywhere as a little child.”

“These schools were built on this military model,” Talahongva said. “Those influences of military stayed with the school until Phoenix Indian closed in 1990.”

Talahongva spoke about her personal experience at one of these schools, the Phoenix Indian School. She is currently writing a book about her experience and how it shaped her and affected her family.

“Back then, there were absolutely no visits,” Talahongva said. “It was very hard to get to these boarding schools. My great-grandmother had three kids taken away and sent to three different boarding schools in three different states. That broke up the family, and I never saw those family ties mended.”