The federal government has disclosed that over 400 schools emerged across 37 states as part of a repressive boarding school system that forcibly separated Native American children from their families and communities. The Interior Department, spearheaded by Secretary Deb Haaland, has expanded its investigation over the past three years, confirming that at least 973 children of American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian descent died while attending these schools. The government has taken responsibility for its role in the system and has calculated that from 1871 to 1969, it spent an equivalent of $23 billion in today's dollars on the boarding school initiative.

Secretary Deb Haaland has outlined a path towards healing and reconciliation, advocating for an investment of $23.3 billion over an extended period back to tribes and communities. This investment aims to address the deep-seated trauma inflicted over a century of forced assimilation. The report also proposes initiatives such as family reunification, language revitalization, and Indian education to mend the deep wounds and restore the cultural fabric of tribal communities.

Moreover, the report highlights the establishment of a national memorial to acknowledge the tribes' suffering and educate the wider populace about this dark chapter in American history. It also calls on the federal government to issue a formal apology and continue documenting this period for historical accuracy and acknowledgment. A key pillar of the healing process is the repatriation of the remains of children who never returned home from these schools.

Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs, Bryan Newland, emphasized that the legacy of these institutions persists today, manifesting in the ongoing suffering within Native communities. The Interior Department has uncovered 74 marked or unmarked burial sites at 65 schools, further underscoring the harrowing magnitude of the atrocities perpetuated in the boarding school system.

As the revelations unfold and the call for action grows louder, the federal government is urged to embark on a road to healing that involves not just financial reparations, but genuine efforts to reconcile with the deep-seated trauma inflicted on Native communities. This report marks a pivotal moment in acknowledging the past injustices and setting a course for reconciliation and healing under the leadership of Secretary Deb Haaland.