The Biden administration made a peculiar move recently, declaring a national monument out of an old Native American boarding school in Pennsylvania. This unusual choice was justified with platitudes about honoring the enduring spirit of Indigenous tribes. The institution, Carlisle Federal Indian Boarding School, was infamous for its forced assimilation policies, and tens of thousands of children reportedly suffered there.
In the period until its closing in 1918, more than 10,000 Indigenous children — such as Olympian Jim Thorpe — were thrust unceremoniously into forced assimilation at the Carlisle School. There, the goal was clear: strip away the rich Native American traditions to improve the ‘fit’ into thewhite society. This questionable practice saw children uprooted from their homes, often completely against their parents’ will.
Biden’s declaration on the Carlisle School, despite the lip service to the tragedy that unfolded there, seemed like an overcompensation for a national problem he could never adequately address. The tragic irony is that many children never got to return to those homes. In Carlisle alone, around 187 Indigenous children from various tribes and Alaska Natives were accounted to have died due to diseases like tuberculosis.
The echoing sentiment from the Biden administration was to prevent the recurrence of such a ‘shameful chapter of American history’, as Biden eloquently put it. However, words are just that – words – if they fail to accompany tangible actions. Despite the grim backstory, the administration seems oddly triumphant in designating this controversial site as a national monument.
Attempts are apparently underway to repatriate the remains of these children, which were callously buried on the school grounds. In an act of posthumous respect or perhaps a delayed act of decency, three children were returned to their resting place at the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation in Montana. Yet again, the Biden administration is left to make amends for tragedies beyond their capacity to rectify.
From the 150-year-operating government-funded boarding schools, no less than 973 Native American children have reportedly died. The extent of mistreatment at these institutions is unimaginable: survivors remember severe beatings, cutting of their hair, and punishment for employing their native languages.
The contentious policy to force assimilation ended officially with the 1978 Indian Child Welfare Act, but not before it stole the identity of innumerable indigenous children. However, the government never fully investigated the boarding school system until the advent of the Biden administration.
The apologies Biden issued in October, on behalf of the U.S. government for the boarding schools and their enabling policies, seemed like putting a band-aid on a wound that needed thorough medical care. Perhaps recognizing this, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland acknowledged that no single action could truly make up for such historical wrongs.
The now infamous boarding schools and related assimilation programs were fueled by a staggering $23.3 billion of inflation-adjusted federal spending. Religious and private institutions running many of these schools partook in the federal funds as part of the assimilation campaign, adding another layer of complexity to the situation.
Biden’s newly minted national monument won’t be a vacant reminder of historical gross wrongs. Managed jointly by the National Park Service and the U.S. Army, the monument’s 25-acre site currently houses the U.S. Army War College. Unbelievably, Biden has introduced a military presence to a site of former indigenous disenfranchisement.
Native American tribes and conservation groups view the Biden administration’s move with justified skepticism, pressing for more genuine actions than monument designations. The pain and trauma experienced by thousands of indigenous children and their families might not be easily healed by turning places of historical horrors into national symbols.
Amid the global scrutiny, the Biden-Harris administration continues to grapple with the nation’s past and its unsettling legacies. It’s becoming rapidly evident that monuments and apologies, while important, may not be enough to satisfy those striving for actual justice.
Biden’s administration is seemingly employing gestures and symbolism where concrete actions are warranted. The monument to the Carlisle School is a glaring instance. Much can be achieved by dedicating resources to improving the lives of Native American communities today rather than tokenistic nods at reconciling with the past.