White Earth Boarding School

White Earth Boarding Schools were Native American boarding schools established in Minnesota in an attempt to assimilate White Earth Nation children to white societal expectations.[1][2][3]

Background edit

Initially the government founded a boarding, or industrial, school in 1871. This school was the first of 16 boarding schools established in the state, and it remained open until 1919.[1][2][4] In 1878, the Saint Benedict Monastery also opened a day school, which was later designated as a boarding school in 1892. This boarding school was closed in 1945.[1][5] Students at these schools were often forcibly taken from their homes and subjected to harsh forms of discipline, as well as forced to complete manual labor.[1][2] The unjust conditions led to the schools closing and also formal apologies being issued by the Saint Benedict Monastery nuns.[1][5]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d e Gunderson, Dan (2021-10-26). "A reckoning: St. Benedict nuns apologize for Native boarding school". MPR News. Retrieved 2023-11-17.
  2. ^ a b c Lajimodiere, Denise (2016-06-14). "The sad legacy of American Indian boarding schools in Minnesota and the U.S." MinnPost. Retrieved 2023-11-17.
  3. ^ Stockman, Dan (2023-03-30). "Inside the effort to identify Catholic-run boarding schools for Indigenous children". Global Sisters Report. Retrieved 2023-11-17.
  4. ^ Doran, Sarah (2022-09-30). "How many Native American boarding schools were there in Minnesota?". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2023-11-17.
  5. ^ a b "Saint Benedict's Monastery Apologies To White Earth Nation For Boarding School 'Injustice' - CBS Minnesota". www.cbsnews.com. 2021-10-29. Retrieved 2023-11-17.