Honestly, it’s about time.
When President Joe Biden stood on a stage at the Gila River Indian Community in Arizona on October 25, 2024, he didn’t just give a speech. He did something that no sitting U.S. president had ever done in nearly 150 years. He looked a crowd of elders, survivors, and families in the eye and said the words: "I formally apologize."
But if you think this was just about saying sorry for some old history books, you’re missing the bigger picture. This wasn’t some "oops" moment. It was an acknowledgment of a systematic, government-funded attempt to literally "kill the Indian and save the man."
The Real Story Behind Biden's Apology to Native Americans
For over a century, the U.S. government operated or supported 417 boarding schools across 37 states. These weren't the kind of boarding schools you see in movies about rich kids in New England. These were "houses of horror," as some survivors call them.
The goal was simple and brutal: forced assimilation.
Imagine being four or five years old. Soldiers or government agents show up. They take you away from your parents, sometimes thousands of miles away. When you arrive, they cut your hair—which many tribes consider sacred—and burn your traditional clothes. You’re given a number or a strange English name. If you speak your native language? You get beaten. If you practice your religion? You’re punished.
The Department of the Interior, led by Secretary Deb Haaland—the first Native American to ever hold a cabinet position—did the heavy lifting here. Her team spent three years digging through 103 million pages of federal records. What they found was gut-wrenching. At least 973 children died in these schools. We’re talking about kids buried in marked and unmarked graves, far from their families, because of disease, abuse, and neglect.
Why Arizona? Why Now?
You might wonder why Biden chose the Gila River Indian Community for this. It’s symbolic. Arizona was home to dozens of these schools. But it's also political. Biden’s visit was his first official trip to a tribal nation as president. He waited until the end of his term, following the release of the final investigative report in July 2024.
He didn't mince words. He called the policy a "sin on our soul" and a "blot on American history."
But let's be real—the timing, just weeks before a massive election, didn't go unnoticed. While many tribal leaders praised the move as "historic" and "healing," some activists were skeptical. They wondered why it took 150 years and why it happened right when the Native vote was becoming a decider in swing states like Arizona and Wisconsin.
What the Apology Actually Changes (And What It Doesn't)
An apology is great for the soul, but it doesn't pay the bills or bring back a lost language.
The Interior Department’s report didn't just ask for a sorry; it laid out a roadmap. We’re talking about real, material recommendations.
- Repatriation: Bringing the remains of those 900+ children home. This is a massive, expensive, and sensitive task involving the U.S. Army (who still manages sites like the Carlisle Barracks in Pennsylvania).
- Language Revitalization: The government spent roughly $23.3 billion (in today’s dollars) to destroy Native languages. The recommendation is to spend at least that much to save them.
- Land Return: Some of these school sites are still federal property. There’s a push to give that land back to the tribes.
The Carlisle National Monument
In December 2024, Biden followed up the apology by establishing the Carlisle Federal Indian Boarding School National Monument. This is huge. The Carlisle Indian Industrial School was the blueprint for the entire system. By making it a national monument, the government is ensuring this story can't be "rewritten" or forgotten.
Is "Sorry" Enough?
If you talk to survivors like Rosita Worl, an Alaskan Native leader who was kidnapped and taken to a school at age six, the apology feels like a "shift in the soul." But for others, it’s just the start.
There’s a massive gap between an apology and "redress."
Basically, the U.S. government has a "trust responsibility" to Native nations. For a century, they used that power to break families apart. Now, the question is whether future administrations will keep the checkbook open. The 2025 budget proposal included more money for tribal child welfare and "kinship care"—basically making it easier for Native kids to stay with their relatives instead of being shuffled into a system that doesn't understand their culture.
What Most People Get Wrong
A lot of folks think these schools ended in the 1800s. Nope. This system ran until 1969. Some schools operated well into the 70s. We aren't talking about "ancient history." We’re talking about people’s parents and grandparents. The trauma is "intergenerational."
When a parent was abused in a school and never learned how to "be" a parent in a healthy home environment, that pain trickles down. That’s why you see higher rates of poverty and health issues in some communities. It’s not a coincidence; it’s a legacy.
Moving Forward: Actionable Steps for Allies
If you’re reading this and wondering how to actually support the healing process, don't just post a hashtag.
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- Support Language Programs: Look into organizations like the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition (NABS). They are doing the hard work of digitizing records so families can find their ancestors.
- Educate Yourself on ICWA: The Indian Child Welfare Act is constantly under legal threat. It’s the law that prevents Native children from being unfairly removed from their tribes today. Understanding it is key to being a good ally.
- Acknowledge the Land: It’s more than a "land acknowledgment" at the start of a meeting. Learn which tribe’s ancestral land you live on and support their current-day initiatives, whether it's water rights or local businesses.
- Demand Legislative Action: Biden’s apology was an executive action. For lasting change—like permanent funding for mental health and language programs—Congress has to pass laws. Keep an eye on the "Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies Act."
The apology was the first step on a very long road. It didn't fix the past, but it finally stopped the government from lying about it. As Secretary Haaland said, "We are still here." And now, for the first time, the United States is finally listening.
Next Steps for Deepening Your Understanding:
To truly grasp the scale of this history, you should explore the Department of the Interior’s Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative Investigative Report (Volume II). It contains the full list of the 417 schools and the specific findings on student deaths and burial sites. Additionally, look for local tribal archives in your state to see if a former boarding school site exists nearby; many are now used for tribal administration or community centers, representing a powerful reclamation of space.