‘Holding Space for Stories’: National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition Gathers Testimony in New Mexico

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By Shaun Griswold

January 27, 2026

TAMAYA, N.M. — The National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition is in New Mexico this week to interview people for an oral history project documenting people’s experiences at any of the 526 Indian boarding schools that operated in the United States.

The coalition, which calls itself NABS for short, started interviews with registered participants the day after Monday’s opening ceremony at the Tamaya Regency Resort, located in Santa Ana Pueblo. This is the 17th stop for the oral history project. So far, the group has interviewed more than 280 people from Native communities across the country, according to oral history co-director Charlee Brissette.

These events are essential to gathering information that presents an honest account of how boarding schools were used to expand U.S. termination policies against Native American people, removing them from their language and culture, and how that truth can lead to community healing.

Outside of the listening spaces, NABS has created educational resources such as K–12 curriculum and an Indian Boarding School Database to allow searches into millions of documents and records.

“We have a team of digital archivists who go out and do scanning trips to National Archives facilities, religious facilities—anywhere there are boarding school records,” said NABS Director of Strategic Initiatives Jason Packineau. “That could be student files, administrative files. There are report cards. There are health records.”

Packineau (MHA/Jemez/Laguna) and Brissette (Sault Ste. Marie Tribe) sat down for an interview about this week’s visit and to provide an update on the oral history project.

This interview has been edited for clarity.

Native News Online: What is the mission this week for NABS?

Charlee Brissette: Our mission is to provide a safe and culturally grounded space for our boarding school survivors and relatives to share their stories and to be heard. We're recording their stories because, ultimately, with this project, their stories are going to be housed in the Library of Congress. And so we're here holding space for stories this week from our relatives. The site visits are essential.

NNO: Why is it important to discuss Indian boarding school history in 2026?

Jason Packineau: The mission of our organization is centered on three pillars: truth, justice and healing. The oral history project that we're doing is a big part of our justice work. It's about implementing the stories into this work of truth-telling—of being able to give our boarding school survivors that opportunity, which they may have never had, to share their truth. And that's really important.

So it comes on an individual level of justice, but we also know that justice is something all of our communities need. Learning about each other's stories is so important to how we connect to one another. The core of this project is really getting those stories out in a public way so that people can hear what Indian boarding school was like for the students who actually attended, rather than relying on what we think may have happened or on secondary sources.

This is our opportunity to really create a setup where the people who attended can share their stories as a primary source. That’s why it’s going to be at the Library of Congress—so that anybody in future generations, or even now, can really hear all those stories: the good, the bad, the hard, the beautiful—all of it. It’s just so important that this project gets done.

Brissette: So many things come to mind. A lot of people still have no idea that these boarding schools existed, why they existed, what their purpose was, and the systemic structures that were in place to try to assimilate and eradicate the culture of a whole group of people.

It’s important that these stories we’re gathering come directly from those who attended the institutions. It’s part of the truth pillar as well, because we can’t deny what they’ve experienced by hearing their story. I also think being here and getting to know our relatives who are sharing their stories with us is part of the healing pillar as well. It’s all of it.

Some have not shared their stories ever before. This is the first time they’re sharing them. Or they’ve been waiting 60 years to share, and they finally feel like they can leave a legacy for their kids and grandkids. And there’s healing in that.

NNO: Can you describe why there are multiple site visits at different locations? Why take that approach?

Brissette: At NABS, we’ve identified 526 boarding schools across the United States. That’s not including the residential schools in Canada. And we know that there are relatives who attended these institutions all over the country. So it’s our responsibility—our sacred responsibility—to travel to where they are, to meet them where they are, and record their stories if they’re willing to share.

Packineau: I think part of what’s built into that is a sense of urgency. This is something that can’t wait. Those who attended boarding schools, especially federal boarding schools, are now reaching an age where we’re losing some of those elders. It was important for the scope of the project to be nationwide and as large as possible, which is why this is our 17th stop—reaching as many people as we can, as soon as possible.

NNO: Can you describe or identify any tribal communities, cities, towns or states where people are coming from?

Brissette: We’ve visited communities all over the country—Montana, South Dakota, North Dakota, Minnesota, Michigan. We’ll be in California and Washington. There are a lot of communities that have stories to share, and it’s important that we give them space to do that.

The stories are very nuanced. It’s a very complex history. By our survivors and relatives sharing their stories, we’re able to gather a full picture of what happened in these boarding schools and institutions—from the trauma and abuses that occurred in some, to the good things and bright spots, such as people meeting their spouses or lifelong friends and gaining skills. There are many sides to these stories, and it’s important they’re able to share them so we get the full picture.

NNO: Can you discuss the importance of bringing the oral history project here to New Mexico?

Brissette: We know that there are a lot of institutions in New Mexico. We know there are a lot of relatives who stayed where they attended school. Based on that, Census data, and a few other metrics we look at, it’s important that we visit the Southwest.

Packineau: Even though this is focused on the history of Indian boarding schools, we know that in New Mexico that lineage and history is still here—represented in places like the Institute of American Indian Arts, which has its roots as an Indian boarding school, and Santa Fe Indian School. In these nuanced ways, Indian boarding schools are part of New Mexico’s history.

It’s different now because it’s viewed through a lens of sovereignty. Education is something New Mexicans can exercise themselves. Boarding school history is very significant in New Mexico.

NNO: For someone who may be interested in participating, what can they expect?

Brissette: We start by inviting them into our welcome room. They get to meet the team, have refreshments, and get comfortable in the space. We go over consent and informed consent is very important. Then they get professional portraits taken, which they’ll receive after the project is complete. Then they go into the interview room.

The interview usually takes about an hour, but they can share whatever is important to them. Afterward, we have a quiet room with an Indigenous social worker or licensed therapist to help them decompress. They can smudge or use traditional medicines if they want. Then we welcome them back with gifts, an honorarium, a travel stipend, and sometimes meals. We also have a craft table, and many people stay and visit. Our team is here to hold space.

NNO: Is there any follow-up?

Brissette: Yes. The oral historians follow up after one week, one month and three months. It continues as much or as little as the relative wants. Often we become like family.

NNO: Sounds like you’re developing kinship.

Packineau: Very much. Relationship-building was a key part of this project. We send care packages, offer online healing circles, and share local resources. We want to make sure we’re not causing more harm.

NNO: What kind of questions are people asked?

Brissette: We ask about life before boarding school, arriving, experiences there, coming home, and healing. They get the questions beforehand, and there’s no pressure to answer anything they’re not comfortable with.

NNO: What kind of feedback do you receive?

Brissette: People feel grateful and supported. We get messages, holiday cards, birthday cards. Some didn’t get birthdays in boarding school. Acknowledging them matters.

Packineau: The space stays open all week. People come back, make friends, and stay connected. That shows the level of care we try to bring into this work.

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