At least $1.6 million in federal funds aimed at capturing and digitizing the stories of Indigenous children subjected to systemic abuse in boarding schools have been significantly reduced due to cuts made during President Donald Trump’s administration. These reductions represent only a fraction of the grants eliminated by the National Endowment for the Humanities, as part of a nationwide effort to reduce federal spending. In light of a major investigation into the federal boarding school system conducted by the prior administration and an apology from President Joe Biden, these funding cuts highlight a significant shift in approach towards Indigenous issues.
Deborah Parker, CEO of the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition and a citizen of the Tulalip Tribes in Washington state, expressed the importance of confronting the truth about American history, emphasizing, “If we’re looking to ‘Make America Great Again,’ then I think it should start with the truth about the true American history.” The coalition lost over $282,000 due to these budget cuts, which halted their project to digitize more than 100,000 pages of boarding school records essential for Native Americans seeking information about family members impacted by these institutions.
Roberta “Birdie” Sam, a member of the Tlingit & Haida tribes, recounted how she used the coalition's database to confirm her grandmother's attendance at a boarding school in Alaska and discovered additional family members who attended similar institutions. This knowledge has contributed significantly to her healing process, as she stated, "I understand why our relationship has been the way it has been. And that’s been a great relief for myself.”
In an April 2 letter addressed to the healing coalition, Michael McDonald, acting chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities, stated that the grant was deemed non-essential for the agency’s needs and priorities. Despite attempts to reach the National Endowment for the Humanities and other federal offices for comments on the cuts, there was no response.
The U.S. government forcibly removed Indigenous children from their homes for over 150 years, sending them to boarding schools designed to erase their cultures, languages, and identities. An investigation by the Interior Department revealed that at least 973 Native American children died in these government-funded institutions, emphasizing the need for comprehensive acknowledgment and healing of this painful history.
President Biden apologized in October for the government's role in establishing these schools and the policies that facilitated their operation. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, who is a citizen of the Laguna Pueblo and is currently running for governor in New Mexico, criticized the funding cuts as part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to obscure the nation’s historical truths. However, she asserted that these cuts could not erase the extensive efforts already put into revealing and healing from this dark chapter of American history.
A significant component of the recent funding cuts included $30,000 designated for a project by the Koahnic Broadcast Corporation and Alaska Native Heritage Center, which aimed to record and publicize oral histories from Alaska’s elders. Benjamin Jacuk, the director of Indigenous research at the Alaska Native Heritage Center and a member of the Kenaitze Indian Tribe, noted that these stories are crucial for the community's healing, emphasizing the importance of documenting elders’ experiences as they become more willing to share their histories.
Former Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs Bryan Newland criticized the cuts as particularly frustrating given their minimal impact on the federal budget. He remarked, “It’s not even a drop in the ocean when it comes to the federal budget,” questioning the justification for the cuts in terms of government efficiency and taxpayer savings.
In April 2024, the National Endowment for the Humanities announced grants totaling $411,000 to various tribal nations and organizations focused on highlighting the impacts of boarding schools, although the majority of these awards have since been rescinded. The grant cancellations have been tracked by the National Humanities Alliance, shedding light on the ongoing challenges faced by research programs related to boarding schools.
John Campbell, another member of the Tlingit and Tulalip Tribes, recounted his own family’s experiences with the boarding school system. He was able to learn about the traumatic experiences faced by his parents, both boarding school survivors, through the coalition’s database, revealing the generational trauma passed down as a result of the boarding school experience.
