Indian Country Responds to President Biden’s Historic Apology

Details

By Neely Bardwell

October 28, 2024

Last Friday, President Joe Biden issued a historic apology for federal Indian boarding school policy that forcibly stripped Native children of their languages and culture over 150 years in a systematic campaign of assimilation. He gave the apology during a visit Friday to the Gila River Indian Reservation near Phoenix.

Reactions across Indian Country vary, Native News Online compiled a few of the responses to Biden’s apology. 

U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs

“For more than a century, the federal government’s Indian Boarding School policies and practices stole hundreds of thousands of Native children from their homes in an effort to destroy Native languages, cultures, and identities. It’s an unconscionable chapter in our nation’s history, with a lasting legacy that continues to affect communities today. President Biden’s formal apology is a significant step toward confronting the dark history of these policies. Now Congress must act – the federal government also has a solemn responsibility to chart a path toward healing. 

Earlier this year, the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs advanced legislation to establish a federal commission to investigate, document, and acknowledge the historical injustices of the federal boarding school policies. Equally as important, the bill would provide crucial supports for survivors and their descendants. Passing this bill is a moral imperative, and I will continue to work with my colleagues to move quickly so we can begin to deliver the justice, closure, and support Native communities deserve,” said Chairman Schatz.

U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Vice Chair of the Committee 

“I commend the President for his apology to all the survivors and Native communities which continue to be impacted by the tragic legacy of the Indian boarding school era. This acknowledgement of the pain and injustices inflicted upon Indigenous communities— while long overdue— is an extremely important step toward healing,” said Vice Chairman Murkowski. “These actions reinforce the importance of confronting this egregious chapter in history and strengthens my resolve to get my legislation to create a Truth and Healing Commission signed into law.”

Crystal Echo Hawk, Founder and CEO of IllumiNative

“This apology is a significant step toward justice for Indian Country, but it must not be the end of the government’s efforts…We must continue to demand further accountability of the harms done to Native peoples, especially the Native children who experienced neglect, inhumane conditions, physical and sexual abuse, and death under the guise of education. The federal government must commit to supporting Native-led healing initiatives, language revitalization programs, and cultural preservation efforts to effectively begin repairing the damage of the past.”

Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren

“This dark chapter caused untold suffering, trauma, and loss, and its impact still reverberates in our communities today,” he said. “Many of them would have been grandmas and grandpas that never came home. President Biden’s apology sends a message that healing and truth are central to building a just future.”

Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation

“We cannot deny, however, that it’s impossible to forgive the government for these houses of horror-masked-as-schools that affected generations before us and still affect us to this day as we work through the trauma of it all — but we appreciate today’s historic message and the accountability President Biden carried out on behalf of the United States government.”

Indigenous activist Edgar Villanueva (Lumbee Tribe), founder of Decolonizing Wealth Project  

“When I heard the words, ‘I formally apologize,’ something shifted in my soul. And while we know so much more needs to be done, today was a reminder that this is how our country can heal. We must face our past, apologize, and take action to repair the harms in a materially significant way.” 

Chase Iron Eyes, Director and Lead Counsel for Lakota People’s Law Project, Sacred Defense Fund

“Let’s be clear: an apology is an acknowledgment of wrongdoing, but it is not any form of redress. An apology is just the beginning of a necessary truth-telling. It is a nice start, but it is not a true reckoning, nor is it a sufficient remedy for the long history of colonial violence. The president's apology calls for a deeper examination.”

Chairman Marshall Pierite of the Tunica-Biloxi Tribe of Louisiana 

“Today’s apology by President Biden on behalf of the United States government is both welcomed and long overdue…With today’s apology, my hope is that all tribal nations will look forward and work together toward the shared goal of improving the lives of our tribal citizens and the communities around us. Indian country is one built upon the principles of strength, perseverance, and the belief in a brighter future for all tribal citizens.”

 U.S. Representative Melanie Stansbury (NM-01)

“Indigenous history is American history. Today, the U.S. government took a necessary and long overdue step in acknowledging an often dark and painful past with our Indigenous nations. I commend and am grateful for President Biden and Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland’s ongoing work to right the wrongs of the past and apologize for the suffering caused by American Indian boarding schools.”

More Stories Like This

About The Author

Author: Neely BardwellEmail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Neely Bardwell (descendant of the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indian) is a staff reporter for Native News Online. Bardwell is also a student at Michigan State University where she is majoring in policy and minoring in Native American studies.