- $1.6 million eliminated from boarding school documentation projects
- 973+ confirmed child deaths in government-funded assimilation institutions
- Alaska oral history initiative among 15 terminated tribal grants
- Biden’s 2023 apology contrasts with current funding priorities
The Trump administration’s recent cancellation of critical humanities grants has effectively silenced efforts to document one of America’s darkest chapters. Over $1.6 million allocated for preserving boarding school survivor testimonies and digitizing century-old abuse records now sits frozen, leaving organizations like the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition unable to process 100,000+ pages of historical documents.
This decision directly impacts intergenerational healing, as demonstrated by Roberta Sam’s experience. The Tlingit & Haida member discovered through coalition records that 12 relatives endured Oregon’s Chemawa Indian School, including one who never returned home. “Understanding this history explained so much about our family dynamics,” Sam noted, echoing sentiments from thousands relying on these resources.
The Alaska Native Heritage Center exemplifies regional consequences, losing dual grants totaling $130,000. Their planned exhibit on the Wrangell Institute – where children faced forced haircuts and language suppression – now risks permanent delay. “Elders finally felt safe to share stories,” said Indigenous researcher Benjamin Jacuk. “Without funding, we’re losing their voices forever.”
Three critical insights emerge from this funding crisis:
- Digitized records reduce genealogical research time from years to hours for displaced families
- Unprocessed documents may contain burial site clues for 60% of unrecovered student remains
- Oral history gaps complicate tribal land claims relying on cultural continuity evidence
Former Interior Secretary Deb Haaland condemned the cuts as “historical erasure,” noting the terminated grants represented 55% of NEH’s April 2024 tribal allocations. Despite these setbacks, the Interior Department’s ongoing boarding school investigation has identified 53 unmarked burial sites since 2021, with 84% located on non-tribal land.
John Campbell’s story underscores why researchers fight to preserve these accounts. The Tulalip Tribes member learned through coalition records that his mother’s boarding school punishments explained lifelong communication struggles. “She washed my mouth with soap whenever I slipped into our language,” he recalled. “Now I understand that trauma.”
With 72% of boarding school survivors over age 75, historians warn the window for firsthand documentation is closing. The canceled grants particularly impact smaller tribes like Washington’s Kenaitze Indian Tribe, where limited resources already delay cultural preservation projects by 3-5 years.
As legal experts note, these records hold implications beyond historical reckoning. The Indian Child Welfare Act (1978) faces ongoing Supreme Court challenges, with boarding school documentation frequently cited in tribal sovereignty arguments. “You can’t address present injustices without acknowledging past systems,” emphasized attorney and Ojibwe citizen Bryan Newland.
