- Details
- By Jenna Kunze
The Department of the Interior announced Friday that Interior Secretary Deb Haaland (Laguna Pueblo) and Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Bryan Newland (Bay Mills Indian Community) will travel to Mille Lacs County, Minnesota on Saturday, June 3, 2023 for the seventh stop on “The Road to Healing” tour.
The visit is part of a yearlong tour across the country that provides Native American survivors of Indian boarding schools and their descendants an opportunity to share their experiences.
Minnesota hosted at least 16 federal Indian boarding schools, according to the Interior’s 2022 investigative report listing 408 federally supported boarding schools. The report was one outcome from the Interior’s Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative to shed light on the troubled history of Federal Indian boarding school policies and their legacy. Following the publication of Volume 1 of the department’s investigative report last May, Haaland announced the “Road to Healing” initiative to collect oral histories—with trauma-informed support— from impacted Native communities.
Previous stops for The Road to Healing tour include Native American communities in Anadarko,Oklahoma; Pellston, Michigan; the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota; the Gila River Indian Community in Arizona; Many Farms, Arizona on the Navajo Nation; and the Tulalip Reservation in Washington.
Native News Online will be onsite for the June 3 event as part of its ongoing reporting project on Indian boarding schools and their effects on Native American families and communities.
More Stories Like This
Sacred Mound Returned to Osage NationNavajo Nation Gets Land Into Trust Near Flagstaff
Nearly 150 Community Members Celebrate Running and Dance Medicine with the Zuni Youth Enrichment Project
Mattaponi Indian Tribe Files for Federal Recognition
Honoring Heritage in Uniform: Native American Soldier Granted Religious Accommodation to Grow Hair, Embrace Lakota Identity
Support Independent Indigenous Journalism That Holds Power to Account
With the election now decided, Native News Online is recommitting to our core mission: rigorous oversight of federal Indian policy and its impact on tribal communities.
The previous Trump administration’s record on Indian Country — from the reduction of sacred sites to aggressive energy development on tribal lands — demands heightened vigilance as we enter this new term. Our Indigenous-centered newsroom will provide unflinching coverage of policies affecting tribal sovereignty, sacred site protection, MMIR issues, water rights, Indian health, and economic sovereignty.
This critical watchdog journalism requires resources. Your support, in any amount, helps maintain our independent, Native-serving news coverage. Every contribution helps keep our news free for all of our relatives. Please donate today to ensure Native News Online can thrive and deliver impactful, independent journalism.
