fbpx
facebook app symbol  twitter  linkedin  instagram 1
 
Native-led social justice organization Illuminative is launching a new podcast examining the horrific abuse and neglect of Native American children at Red Cloud Indian School, a former boarding school on South Dakota’s Pine Ridge Reservation, home to the Oglala Sioux Tribe.

 

In the six-episode series titled “American Genocide,” Illuminative founder Crystal Echo Hawk (Pawnee) and Lashay Wesley (Choctaw) hit the ground on Pine Ridge in search of justice for the Native children who were abused and died at Red Cloud.

Red Cloud stopped boarding students in 1980 and today operates as a private Catholic school with more than 600 students from Pine Ridge attending. There has been no acknowledgment of the horrors committed by the institution during the Boarding School Era, a period between the late 1860s and the 1960s during which hundreds of thousands of Native American children were ripped from their homes and placed in government and church-run boarding schools the U.S. in an attempt to strip them of their Native culture and identity. 

 “We had no idea where this would end up when we first started — all we knew was that this story had to be told – and what we uncovered is far bigger than any of us could have imagined,” Echo Hawk toldVariety. “The United States government and Catholic Church blatantly committed genocide, and no one really knows about it outside of the Native community.”

Never miss Indian Country’s biggest stories and breaking news. Sign up to get our reporting sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. 

“American Genocide” dives into the history of Red Cloud’s past and its perception today as a positive presence in the community. 

Episodes will give listeners an embedded perspective through interviews with school administrators, local elders and survivors, young activists, and U.S. Department of the Interior Deb Haaland while examining Red Cloud’s search for mass graves on its campus, growing tension between the school and community youth activists, and if the Catholic Church will close the school and return the land to the Oglala Sioux people. 

Listen to the trailer for ‘American Genocide’ at illuminative.org/americangenocidepodcast

More Stories Like This

Skate for Democracy: Protect the Sacred Mobilizes Native Youth Voters Through Skateboarding
Preserving Culture in Glass | Q&A: Tlingit Artist Preston Singletary
Prairie Band Potawatomi Chef Pyet DeSpain Takes Over Los Angeles Restaurant
The Indigenous Fashion Collective Announces Groundbreaking Events in Los Angeles for Indigenous Peoples Day
Inaugural One Lacrosse Gathering to Honor Native Traditions in D.C. on September 7

Following the release of the U.S. Department of the Interior's final report, we at Native News Online took a moment to reflect on our extensive three-year effort to highlight the traumatic legacy of Indian boarding schools. By covering all 12 Road to Healing events and publishing over 250 articles, we have amplified survivors' voices and illuminated the lasting impact on Indigenous communities. Our work continues. Please consider donating to help fund our ongoing coverage of Indian boarding schools.

About The Author
Native News Online Staff
Author: Native News Online StaffEmail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Native News Online is one of the most-read publications covering Indian Country and the news that matters to American Indians, Alaska Natives and other Indigenous people. Reach out to us at [email protected].