Stolen Spirits
- Description
- Reviews
- Citation
- Cataloging
- Transcript
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In 2021, in the small rural town of Genoa Nebraska, a harrowing search commenced to locate the graves of Native America children who were taken from their tribes and sent to the Genoa U.S Indian Industrial School, one of America’s largest and longest running boarding schools for indigenous children. The Genoa school was part of a vast network of institutions for Native American children set up in the 19th and 20th centuries across the USA. Their purpose was to assimilate indigenous children into the white man’s world. By 1926, it’s estimated more than 80% of Native American children were enrolled in these institutions. Many of these children left the school their culture broken. Some didn’t return home at all. Last year, the discovery of more than a thousand graves of children at the sites of former boarding schools in Canada pushed the U.S. to examine its own history. Presented by ABC journalist Stan Grant, whose family was impacted by Australia’s assimilationist policies, Stolen Spirits is a powerful and haunting story of one community’s attempts to uncover the truth about a painful past.
"While the film itself is unable to answer many of the questions that it sets out to expose, it does highlight the challenge survivors and their families have faced in trying to find out what happened to the family members that never made it home. It provides an excellent opportunity for classroom discussion on this history, the practice of forced assimilation and how the effects are still being felt generations later. Highly Receommended." —Educational Media Reviews Online
“This powerful documentary compels audiences to reflect on historical injustices and the resilience of communities striving to reclaim their cultural identity. Informative yet concise, it is exceptionally well-suited for classroom viewing. "Stolen Spirits is a versatile educational resource that can spark critical discussions on cultural assimilation policies, historical trauma and cultural resilience. For educators and professionals in fields related to education, the documentary can serve as a tool for professional development."” —Video Librarian
Citation
Main credits
Worthington, Anne (screenwriter)
Worthington, Anne (film producer)
Grant, Stan (presenter)
Other credits
Cinematographer, Greg Nelson; editor, Leah Donovan.
Distributor subjects
Indigenous Studies,Native Americans,Human Rights,Bureau of Indian Affairs,Native America children,Indigenous Children,American Indian Boarding SchoolsKeywords
00:00:07.767 --> 00:00:10.900
(gentle music)
00:00:14.200 --> 00:00:17.867
(gentle music continues)
00:00:18.967 --> 00:00:21.076
- [Stan] In the United
States' Midwest,
00:00:21.100 --> 00:00:24.100
a harrowing search is underway
00:00:24.600 --> 00:00:28.276
to locate the graves of
Native American children taken
00:00:28.300 --> 00:00:32.533
from their tribes and
sent to boarding schools.
00:00:32.833 --> 00:00:34.200 position:20%
- These were not schools,
it was a prison camp.
00:00:38.100 --> 00:00:39.533
- From as far back as I can
remember, I've heard this story.
00:00:41.100 --> 00:00:42.500
You know, my mom would say
she's still lost somewhere.
00:00:47.167 --> 00:00:48.000
- The recent discovery in Canada
00:00:48.867 --> 00:00:50.233
of more than a thousand graves
at former boarding schools
00:00:52.467 --> 00:00:53.867
exposed the state sanctioned
abuse of indigenous children.
00:00:59.500 --> 00:01:01.376
The blueprint for
these schools came
00:01:01.400 --> 00:01:03.909
from across the border
in the United States.
00:01:03.933 --> 00:01:08.509
Now, native American tribes in
the US are demanding justice
00:01:08.533 --> 00:01:10.876
for the forced removal
of their children
00:01:10.900 --> 00:01:14.043
and a bigger untold
story is emerging.
00:01:14.067 --> 00:01:18.709
A landmark federal government
report now estimates tens
00:01:18.733 --> 00:01:21.176
of thousands of
indigenous children
00:01:21.200 --> 00:01:25.267
could have died at
US institutions.
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- I don't like
calling these things
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grave sites or cemeteries.
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I don't call 'em that,
I call 'em crime scenes.
00:01:34.600 --> 00:01:36.709
That's what I call them.
00:01:36.733 --> 00:01:39.209
- [Stan] In this report,
"Foreign Correspondent"
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gains exclusive access
to one community
00:01:42.667 --> 00:01:43.833
as it begins a journey
to uncover the truth.
00:01:46.700 --> 00:01:47.400
(gentle music continues)
00:01:53.900 --> 00:01:54.467
(eerie music)
00:01:59.867 --> 00:02:06.000
(wings fluttering)
(birds squeaking)
00:02:07.767 --> 00:02:12.443
(eerie music continues)
(bison snorting)
00:02:12.467 --> 00:02:16.567
(class speaks in Dakota)
00:02:21.233 --> 00:02:24.409
(class speaks in Dakota)
00:02:24.433 --> 00:02:26.143
On a cold winter's morning,
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these Native American children
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are having a lesson in language.
00:02:30.167 --> 00:02:32.776
- Okay, that's your
format, are you ready?
00:02:32.800 --> 00:02:35.567
Here we go (speaks in Dakota).
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(class speaks in Dakota)
00:02:41.300 --> 00:02:44.976
The language is
literally the heart
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and soul of our people.
00:02:46.033 --> 00:02:47.433 position:20%
It holds our identity and
it holds our practices,
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our beliefs, our
philosophies, our worldview
00:02:54.567 --> 00:02:55.267
all inside the language.
00:02:55.733 --> 00:02:56.900
So our existence is
directly tied to it.
00:02:59.067 --> 00:02:59.767
There was the weed.
00:02:59.900 --> 00:03:02.043
- [Stan] Redwing Thomas
is one of the few
00:03:02.067 --> 00:03:05.509
who can speak Dakota,
his tribe's language.
00:03:05.533 --> 00:03:09.276
- Practice this word with
me, say (speaks in Dakota).
00:03:09.300 --> 00:03:10.076
(class speaks in Dakota)
00:03:10.100 --> 00:03:11.509 position:20%
Try again (speaks in Dakota).
(class speaks in Dakota)
00:03:11.533 --> 00:03:17.509
Less than 5% of my people,
we don't know our language.
00:03:17.533 --> 00:03:19.843
We are on the verge
of reclaiming it
00:03:19.867 --> 00:03:22.276
but it's a uphill
walk, you know?
00:03:22.300 --> 00:03:23.476
And we have a long way to go.
00:03:23.500 --> 00:03:26.009
It took generations to
wipe the language out.
00:03:26.033 --> 00:03:28.776
It's gonna take
generations to restore it.
00:03:28.800 --> 00:03:33.243
(gentle music)
She ignored him.
00:03:33.267 --> 00:03:34.809
- [Stan] He blames
the US government's
00:03:34.833 --> 00:03:40.033
boarding school policy for
destroying his people's culture.
00:03:40.167 --> 00:03:43.943
- As native people, we've been
severed from our language,
00:03:43.967 --> 00:03:47.276
from our culture,
from our practices
00:03:47.300 --> 00:03:49.243
over a whole course of time.
00:03:49.267 --> 00:03:50.709
But the boarding school era
00:03:50.733 --> 00:03:52.343
in the course of
history did a number
00:03:52.367 --> 00:03:53.767
on our people where we almost
did not recuperate from it.
00:04:00.433 --> 00:04:05.243
- [Stan] From 1819 to
1969, hundreds of thousands
00:04:05.267 --> 00:04:08.609 position:20%
of indigenous children were
taken from their tribes
00:04:08.633 --> 00:04:12.343
and placed in state and
church run boarding schools
00:04:12.367 --> 00:04:15.476
across the US and
its then territories.
00:04:15.500 --> 00:04:20.276
(men singing in
foreign language)
00:04:20.300 --> 00:04:23.276
The schools, under the
guise of education,
00:04:23.300 --> 00:04:27.533
were a dark experiment
in assimilation.
00:04:28.100 --> 00:04:30.176
The model for the
schools was devised
00:04:30.200 --> 00:04:36.543
by military officer Richard
Henry Pratt, an Indian hunter.
00:04:36.567 --> 00:04:39.167
(eerie music)
00:04:43.233 --> 00:04:45.876
By stripping away culture,
00:04:45.900 --> 00:04:52.233
Pratt believed he could kill
the Indian and save the man.
00:04:53.833 --> 00:04:54.609
- When you have a motto,
00:04:54.633 --> 00:04:55.843
"Kill the Indian
and save the man,"
00:04:55.867 --> 00:05:00.376 position:20%
I mean, come on, that's is
as genocidal as it gets.
00:05:00.400 --> 00:05:03.443
The schools were created
for one purpose only
00:05:03.467 --> 00:05:05.976
and that was to destroy
our belief system,
00:05:06.000 --> 00:05:12.376
to destroy our family system
and to change our identity.
00:05:12.400 --> 00:05:16.576
(eerie music continues)
- [Stan] By 1926, 83%
00:05:16.600 --> 00:05:19.776
of Native American
children were enrolled
00:05:19.800 --> 00:05:22.209
in these institutions.
00:05:22.233 --> 00:05:24.543
- Everyone in this
room literally descends
00:05:24.567 --> 00:05:25.976
from a boarding school survivor.
00:05:26.000 --> 00:05:28.300
I mean, that's just the truth.
00:05:28.933 --> 00:05:31.443
- [Stan] Redwing's
grandfather Albert was sent
00:05:31.467 --> 00:05:34.667
to boarding school
at the age of eight.
00:05:36.133 --> 00:05:37.843
He attended one of the largest
00:05:37.867 --> 00:05:41.476
and longest running
institutions,
00:05:41.500 --> 00:05:46.767
the Genoa US Indian
Industrial School in Nebraska.
00:05:47.400 --> 00:05:49.809
- He never really
talked about it
00:05:49.833 --> 00:05:54.509
and it wouldn't be until later,
you know, later in his life
00:05:54.533 --> 00:05:56.409
where stories would be shared.
00:05:56.433 --> 00:06:00.209
One experience shared
that a soiled sheet
00:06:00.233 --> 00:06:02.109
would be used to be
wiped in the mouths
00:06:02.133 --> 00:06:05.676
of the other children who
spoke their language, you know?
00:06:05.700 --> 00:06:07.843
And if they didn't
want those dirty sheets
00:06:07.867 --> 00:06:10.343
and soiled sheets
shoved into their mouth,
00:06:10.367 --> 00:06:12.409
well, then you stop
speaking your language
00:06:12.433 --> 00:06:14.800
and start speaking English.
00:06:15.767 --> 00:06:17.076
That's pretty hateful.
00:06:17.100 --> 00:06:18.943
You know, that's pretty evil.
00:06:18.967 --> 00:06:22.276
(train honking)
(train rattling)
00:06:22.300 --> 00:06:28.133
(gentle music)
(train rattling)
00:06:30.767 --> 00:06:36.576
(gentle music)
(train rattling)
00:06:36.600 --> 00:06:39.176
- [Stan] This entrance
and a few buildings
00:06:39.200 --> 00:06:41.043
and barns are all that remain
00:06:41.067 --> 00:06:45.033
of the Indian Industrial
School in Genoa.
00:06:47.567 --> 00:06:50.643
Once a sprawling
campus housing children
00:06:50.667 --> 00:06:53.300
from more than 40 tribes,
00:06:53.833 --> 00:06:56.343
today it's a place
where people come
00:06:56.367 --> 00:06:59.609
to learn the history
of what happened here.
00:06:59.633 --> 00:07:03.800
(gentle music continues)
00:07:04.400 --> 00:07:07.809
This building, once
the school's workshop,
00:07:07.833 --> 00:07:11.909
is now a museum run by
the Genoa Foundation,
00:07:11.933 --> 00:07:15.133
a group of local volunteers.
00:07:16.267 --> 00:07:20.267
- [Judi] Hi, Nancy,
it's so good to see you.
00:07:20.533 --> 00:07:23.609 position:20%
- [Stan] Judi Gaiashkibos's
mother, Eleanor,
00:07:23.633 --> 00:07:25.300
went to school here.
00:07:25.600 --> 00:07:28.509
- I'll let you look
at your mom's window.
00:07:28.533 --> 00:07:30.943
That was donated in her honor.
00:07:30.967 --> 00:07:33.876 position:20%
- [Stan] Like many survivors,
her mother didn't talk
00:07:33.900 --> 00:07:37.067
about her time at
boarding school.
00:07:37.600 --> 00:07:39.376
- She would talk about
it and there was sort
00:07:39.400 --> 00:07:44.276
of a haunting look or a sadness
to the tone of her voice.
00:07:44.300 --> 00:07:46.543
She tried to tell
the good things.
00:07:46.567 --> 00:07:50.943
It says my mother's name
there, but I don't know.
00:07:50.967 --> 00:07:53.409
I don't have a lot of
pictures of my mother
00:07:53.433 --> 00:07:54.209
because for one thing,
00:07:54.233 --> 00:07:56.143
they made them be
photographed for everything
00:07:56.167 --> 00:08:00.009
and my mother detested
having her picture taken.
00:08:00.033 --> 00:08:02.143
So I look at that
photo they have,
00:08:02.167 --> 00:08:05.433
and I say one of those
girls is my mother.
00:08:06.433 --> 00:08:10.276
My mother cooked and
baked breads and rolls
00:08:10.300 --> 00:08:13.209
and food that the children ate.
00:08:13.233 --> 00:08:16.933 position:20%
However, most of the time
they went to bed hungry.
00:08:18.167 --> 00:08:19.609
- [Stan] To try to learn more,
00:08:19.633 --> 00:08:22.876
Judi began attending
the school's reunions.
00:08:22.900 --> 00:08:26.943
- [Judi] I started going to the
Genoa Indian School reunions
00:08:26.967 --> 00:08:28.076
after my mother died.
00:08:28.100 --> 00:08:29.909
So I got to learn
about what it was like
00:08:29.933 --> 00:08:31.976
and meet people
that could have been
00:08:32.000 --> 00:08:33.633
at school with my mother.
00:08:35.600 --> 00:08:36.243
- Is that her?
00:08:36.267 --> 00:08:39.643
- [Stan] The Genoa Foundation's
secretary, Nancy Carlson,
00:08:39.667 --> 00:08:44.543 position:20%
started the annual gatherings
more than 30 years ago.
00:08:44.567 --> 00:08:48.276 position:20%
- Former students were coming
back asking information
00:08:48.300 --> 00:08:52.209
about the school and
saying they wanted reunions
00:08:52.233 --> 00:08:53.276
and this sort of thing.
00:08:53.300 --> 00:08:55.943
And so we thought,
you know what?
00:08:55.967 --> 00:08:58.109
These people have
this real need.
00:08:58.133 --> 00:09:00.309
Let's try to help
them and do that.
00:09:00.333 --> 00:09:02.476
- [Photographer] Three,
good, super, I got you.
00:09:02.500 --> 00:09:05.576
- [Stan] This reunion
was the first.
00:09:05.600 --> 00:09:11.609
Filmed in 1990, these pictures
have never been broadcast.
00:09:11.633 --> 00:09:13.309
- First year I came,
I stayed two years.
00:09:13.333 --> 00:09:16.276
- [Stan] As the school
has no living survivors,
00:09:16.300 --> 00:09:17.743
they offer a rare glimpse
00:09:17.767 --> 00:09:22.143 position:20%
into what life was like for
some former of students.
00:09:22.167 --> 00:09:24.543
- [Reporter] So what was
it, what was your day like?
00:09:24.567 --> 00:09:25.976
What time did you have
to get up and all?
00:09:26.000 --> 00:09:28.909
- Had to get up at four
o'clock in the morning.
00:09:28.933 --> 00:09:31.743
We never got any time
off to make up for it.
00:09:31.767 --> 00:09:33.743
- [Reporter] What
did you learn here?
00:09:33.767 --> 00:09:36.967
- Well, I guess I don't
know, I learned to,
00:09:37.133 --> 00:09:38.809
I guess I'm not really sure.
00:09:38.833 --> 00:09:40.043
I guess I learned
how to get along
00:09:40.067 --> 00:09:42.376
with, you know, with other
people, you know, strangers,
00:09:42.400 --> 00:09:44.200
being around strangers.
00:09:44.333 --> 00:09:46.609
- This was just like
a military school.
00:09:46.633 --> 00:09:48.376
We had to march
everywhere we went.
00:09:48.400 --> 00:09:53.733 position:20%
To dinner we were marched,
to church we marched.
00:09:55.300 --> 00:10:01.633
- These were not schools, it
was a prison camp, a work camp.
00:10:03.567 --> 00:10:08.600
It wasn't a lovely place
to learn your education.
00:10:10.200 --> 00:10:12.567
They were little soldiers.
00:10:14.133 --> 00:10:16.009
Every morning, you
know, the whistles blew,
00:10:16.033 --> 00:10:21.643
you had to get out of bed,
there was nothing of home.
00:10:21.667 --> 00:10:26.476
You were stripped of all
your cultural belongings.
00:10:26.500 --> 00:10:32.067
Your hair, which is so sacred
for the boys, was all cut off.
00:10:33.700 --> 00:10:34.533
It was a self-sufficient school.
00:10:35.100 --> 00:10:36.200
So the children
were used as labor.
00:10:41.367 --> 00:10:42.433
You learned the
three Rs half the day
00:10:44.167 --> 00:10:45.233
but it was a very
watered down curriculum.
00:10:47.000 --> 00:10:47.700
It wasn't stimulating,
00:10:48.367 --> 00:10:49.733
it wasn't with the goal
that you could be anything.
00:10:53.867 --> 00:10:54.567
Dreams could come true
00:10:54.700 --> 00:10:56.033
at the Genoa Indian
School for these children.
00:10:56.833 --> 00:10:57.933
No, the dream was you
will be a servant.
00:11:03.167 --> 00:11:06.243
(tense music)
00:11:06.267 --> 00:11:07.976
- [Stan] Many students
left the school
00:11:08.000 --> 00:11:09.709
with their culture broken.
00:11:09.733 --> 00:11:12.809
Others didn't
return home at all.
00:11:12.833 --> 00:11:18.833
(tense music continues)
(grass rustling)
00:11:20.133 --> 00:11:21.043
- [Reporter] What is important
00:11:21.067 --> 00:11:24.776 position:20%
about where we're standing
now as far as you know?
00:11:24.800 --> 00:11:30.176
- Only that it's where
we think the cemetery is.
00:11:30.200 --> 00:11:31.700
The only reason.
00:11:31.900 --> 00:11:37.367
- [Reporter] Why would there
be a cemetery with the school?
00:11:37.867 --> 00:11:43.943
- Well, kids started
dying at an early age.
00:11:43.967 --> 00:11:45.433 position:20%
I mean, at the early time
they were at the school,
00:11:47.667 --> 00:11:48.733
they had to do
something with 'em.
00:11:51.567 --> 00:11:52.700
Yeah, I don't think it
was possible those days
00:11:53.433 --> 00:11:54.567
to send them home,
the bodies, I mean,
00:11:57.233 --> 00:11:58.067
so they buried them here.
00:12:00.233 --> 00:12:04.443
- [Stan] James Nash attended
the school in the late 1920s.
00:12:04.467 --> 00:12:09.243
At the reunion, he revealed
two of his classmates died
00:12:09.267 --> 00:12:10.833
at the school.
00:12:11.200 --> 00:12:14.876
He believes their
deaths were covered up.
00:12:14.900 --> 00:12:19.576
- I searched the archives
in Washington DC for a week
00:12:19.600 --> 00:12:21.909
and I never found
any record whatsoever
00:12:21.933 --> 00:12:26.909
of these two deaths that
I personally knew about.
00:12:26.933 --> 00:12:29.543
- [Reporter] Why do
you think that is?
00:12:29.567 --> 00:12:32.943
- I think probably whoever
00:12:32.967 --> 00:12:37.633
was operating the
Genoa Indian School
00:12:38.367 --> 00:12:39.409
had those records destroyed
00:12:39.433 --> 00:12:44.333
because they were
derogatory to their image.
00:12:45.133 --> 00:12:46.243
- He took some of the people
00:12:46.267 --> 00:12:47.600
from the foundation
board or some of the guys
00:12:49.500 --> 00:12:50.867
and they went out and they
looked where he thought it was
00:12:52.567 --> 00:12:54.000
but they couldn't find any
markers or anything there.
00:12:56.733 --> 00:12:58.100
The next day they had
like a grader that came in
00:13:01.500 --> 00:13:03.276
and just removed
the top soil to see
00:13:03.300 --> 00:13:05.276
if they could find
were there graves
00:13:05.300 --> 00:13:07.509
and they did not find anything.
00:13:07.533 --> 00:13:09.309
And so it was because of that,
00:13:09.333 --> 00:13:10.809
that they didn't find anything,
00:13:10.833 --> 00:13:14.043
that they decided we
were going to do this,
00:13:14.067 --> 00:13:16.743
set up a marker that's
just east to the east
00:13:16.767 --> 00:13:21.933
of this building to honor those
former students that died.
00:13:26.467 --> 00:13:27.309
(ominous music)
00:13:27.333 --> 00:13:32.043
- [Anchor 1] The remains of
215 children, some as young
00:13:32.067 --> 00:13:34.809
as three buried, for
decades on the grounds.
00:13:34.833 --> 00:13:37.109
- [Anchor 2] More
unmarked graves uncovered
00:13:37.133 --> 00:13:39.543
at another Catholic
residential school.
00:13:39.567 --> 00:13:43.809
- [Stan] Last year in Canada,
the discovery of mass graves
00:13:43.833 --> 00:13:48.343
at the sites of former boarding
schools shocked the world.
00:13:48.367 --> 00:13:52.676
But with more than double the
number of schools in the US,
00:13:52.700 --> 00:13:53.833
the government says
tens of thousands
00:13:55.200 --> 00:13:56.633
of indigenous children could
have suffered the same fate.
00:14:00.067 --> 00:14:01.976
- At no time in history
have the records
00:14:02.000 --> 00:14:06.076
or documentation of this policy
been compiled or analyzed
00:14:06.100 --> 00:14:10.043
to determine the full scope
of its reaches and effects.
00:14:10.067 --> 00:14:13.776
We must uncover the truth
about the loss of human life
00:14:13.800 --> 00:14:18.067 position:20%
and the lasting consequences
of these schools.
00:14:18.933 --> 00:14:20.876
- [Stan] A historic
federal investigation
00:14:20.900 --> 00:14:26.733
into America's own boarding
school era is now underway.
00:14:28.200 --> 00:14:29.976
In Nebraska's capital, Lincoln,
00:14:30.000 --> 00:14:33.509
Judi Gaiashkibos head up
the state's Commission
00:14:33.533 --> 00:14:34.843
on Indian Affairs.
00:14:34.867 --> 00:14:37.909
She says it's time
to tell the truth
00:14:37.933 --> 00:14:41.776
about what happened at
her mother's school.
00:14:41.800 --> 00:14:45.443
- When we first heard about
what was going on in Canada,
00:14:45.467 --> 00:14:51.867
I said, "We've got to focus on
the children that died here."
00:14:52.467 --> 00:14:55.943
A cemetery at a school
is not the norm,
00:14:55.967 --> 00:14:57.476
that you could die at school
00:14:57.500 --> 00:14:59.676
and then you're gonna
be buried out the door.
00:14:59.700 --> 00:15:03.276
(vehicle droning)
00:15:03.300 --> 00:15:07.076
- [Margaret] This whole
history is almost invisible.
00:15:07.100 --> 00:15:08.676
People aren't aware of the fact
00:15:08.700 --> 00:15:10.709
that we're gonna find
these kind of graves.
00:15:10.733 --> 00:15:13.576
We're gonna find
missing children here
00:15:13.600 --> 00:15:16.033
in the United States too.
00:15:17.167 --> 00:15:20.643
- [Stan] Judi asked
historian Dr. Margaret Jacobs
00:15:20.667 --> 00:15:24.543
to find out how many
children died at Genoa.
00:15:24.567 --> 00:15:30.376
(gentle music)
(door slamming)
00:15:30.400 --> 00:15:31.943
- When I started trying
to find out what happened
00:15:31.967 --> 00:15:34.743 position:20%
to the children who died,
the first place I looked
00:15:34.767 --> 00:15:36.400
was the government records.
00:15:39.067 --> 00:15:39.576
Nothing.
00:15:39.600 --> 00:15:43.909
So that's when I started
doing some newspaper searches.
00:15:43.933 --> 00:15:47.176
- [Stan] She soon began
uncovering reports
00:15:47.200 --> 00:15:49.009
of students' deaths.
00:15:49.033 --> 00:15:54.300
- Spinal paralysis,
heart failure.
00:15:54.467 --> 00:15:56.543
There's a lot of
accidental deaths.
00:15:56.567 --> 00:15:59.300
We've come across a drowning,
00:15:59.500 --> 00:16:03.567
a child who was hit by a train.
00:16:03.900 --> 00:16:06.709
Diseases were sweeping
through these schools
00:16:06.733 --> 00:16:10.143
but in many cases, they
weren't returning the children
00:16:10.167 --> 00:16:12.576
to their homes when they died
00:16:12.600 --> 00:16:15.043
and they were
burying them on site.
00:16:15.067 --> 00:16:18.943
And it's just kind
of chilling to me.
00:16:18.967 --> 00:16:23.009
You know, to think that
for so many children
00:16:23.033 --> 00:16:25.109
the schools were death traps.
00:16:25.133 --> 00:16:30.967
(gentle music)
(birds chirping)
00:16:31.233 --> 00:16:33.176
- Those who grew
up in Genoa knew
00:16:33.200 --> 00:16:35.076
and understood
what happened here.
00:16:35.100 --> 00:16:36.909
It was a point that we
were taught in school
00:16:36.933 --> 00:16:40.876
about Native American
boarding schools assimilation
00:16:40.900 --> 00:16:43.909
but we weren't aware
of the cemetery.
00:16:43.933 --> 00:16:47.176
At least I know myself,
I didn't stop to think
00:16:47.200 --> 00:16:51.643
about the students that died
here, what happened to them?
00:16:51.667 --> 00:16:55.209
- [Stan] Nikki Drozd volunteers
with the Genoa Foundation
00:16:55.233 --> 00:16:58.909 position:20%
and is helping investigate
student deaths.
00:16:58.933 --> 00:17:03.433
She recently discovered
more children had died.
00:17:04.400 --> 00:17:08.243
- We have found 86
students that have died.
00:17:08.267 --> 00:17:10.909
But without having the
actual government records
00:17:10.933 --> 00:17:14.309
it's hard to say how
many there really are.
00:17:14.333 --> 00:17:16.243
It's almost 100%
00:17:16.267 --> 00:17:18.809
that there are more
students that have died.
00:17:18.833 --> 00:17:22.933
(gentle music continues)
00:17:24.300 --> 00:17:30.133
(gentle music)
(birds chirping)
00:17:33.900 --> 00:17:37.643
- [Stan] One of the 86
children who died at Genoa
00:17:37.667 --> 00:17:42.067
was Carolyn Fiscus's
aunt, Mildred Lowe.
00:17:43.567 --> 00:17:46.043
- I have an old picture
of my grandmother
00:17:46.067 --> 00:17:47.109
and my Aunt Mildred.
00:17:47.133 --> 00:17:49.743
And Mildred looks like
she's about three years
00:17:49.767 --> 00:17:54.776
and they're wearing white
people's clothes and shoes.
00:17:54.800 --> 00:17:57.343
My little, my auntie
must have moved.
00:17:57.367 --> 00:17:59.700
You know how little kids wiggle.
00:18:01.500 --> 00:18:03.509
- [Stan] In 1927, Mildred Lowe
00:18:03.533 --> 00:18:05.809
was taken from the
Winnebago tribe
00:18:05.833 --> 00:18:10.543
and sent across the plains of
Nebraska to school in Genoa.
00:18:10.567 --> 00:18:12.143
(train whistling)
00:18:12.167 --> 00:18:13.343
- [Carolyn] They
put her on the train
00:18:13.367 --> 00:18:17.776
and it started moving and
that train whistle would blow.
00:18:17.800 --> 00:18:19.076
And then she got to Genoa
00:18:19.100 --> 00:18:22.476
and she got off and
that was how it was.
00:18:22.500 --> 00:18:26.433
It was horrible,
lonely, and scary.
00:18:27.000 --> 00:18:29.943
- [Stan] Mildred died
three years later.
00:18:29.967 --> 00:18:32.209
She was 12 years old.
00:18:32.233 --> 00:18:34.943
- To lose a child and then
to lose them in that way,
00:18:34.967 --> 00:18:37.909
you don't know what
happened to them,
00:18:37.933 --> 00:18:40.709
it's a very sad
story for our family.
00:18:40.733 --> 00:18:43.933
(gentle music)
00:18:44.533 --> 00:18:47.076
This is my wall of
fame of my family.
00:18:47.100 --> 00:18:48.943
This is my mom and dad.
00:18:48.967 --> 00:18:51.409
This is on their 50th
wedding anniversary
00:18:51.433 --> 00:18:52.709
I think we had this taken.
00:18:52.733 --> 00:18:56.676
My dad's a little baldheaded
white guy and my mom's Ho-Chunk
00:18:56.700 --> 00:18:58.976
and then this is my
son and daughter,
00:18:59.000 --> 00:19:01.567
their graduation pictures.
00:19:02.500 --> 00:19:06.809 position:20%
And these is my pride and
joy, my grandchildren.
00:19:06.833 --> 00:19:10.709
Put my Aunt Mildred up
there with my grandmother.
00:19:10.733 --> 00:19:11.443
There they are.
00:19:11.467 --> 00:19:14.776
For me, it's like this
is missing this piece.
00:19:14.800 --> 00:19:19.076
(tense music)
(birds chirping)
00:19:19.100 --> 00:19:21.609 position:20%
- [Stan] Carolyn has spent
the last decade trying
00:19:21.633 --> 00:19:26.176
to find out what happened
to Mildred after she died.
00:19:26.200 --> 00:19:28.343
- She is probably
at the spirit world
00:19:28.367 --> 00:19:30.643
but she didn't get a send off.
00:19:30.667 --> 00:19:31.443
But everybody's there.
00:19:31.467 --> 00:19:35.209
We believe our ancestors
are there to greet her
00:19:35.233 --> 00:19:38.776
but you know, we want
her spirit to know
00:19:38.800 --> 00:19:40.967
that we know that too.
00:19:41.733 --> 00:19:42.643
- [Stan] Carolyn has recently
00:19:42.667 --> 00:19:45.843
received Mildred's
death certificate.
00:19:45.867 --> 00:19:51.533
It reveals Mildred died from
influenza and meningitis.
00:19:52.233 --> 00:19:54.909
- When I got it, I was like,
oh, you know, just reading that
00:19:54.933 --> 00:19:59.876
it's just kinda like you
say, oh, now this is real.
00:19:59.900 --> 00:20:04.543 position:20%
She really did die there,
and here's the evidence.
00:20:04.567 --> 00:20:08.400
And it's hard, I think,
it's hard for me.
00:20:08.600 --> 00:20:11.476
Pray for all the spirits
who haven't come home yet.
00:20:11.500 --> 00:20:13.409
Pray for them to find
their way on this smudge
00:20:13.433 --> 00:20:16.533 position:20%
and on this smoke (speaks
in foreign language).
00:20:17.033 --> 00:20:20.776
- [Stan] The document states
Mildred's body was sent home
00:20:20.800 --> 00:20:23.209
to the Winnebago reservation,
00:20:23.233 --> 00:20:26.043
but Carolyn is skeptical.
00:20:26.067 --> 00:20:28.709
They didn't have any
record of her being buried
00:20:28.733 --> 00:20:31.143
in the Winnebago Cemetery.
00:20:31.167 --> 00:20:35.767
And my grandmother's
record was there
00:20:36.067 --> 00:20:36.900
but we didn't have Mildred.
00:20:38.300 --> 00:20:38.867
(ominous music)
00:20:39.567 --> 00:20:40.900
- [Stan] She believes
Mildred was buried at Genoa
00:20:43.400 --> 00:20:44.233
in the school's lost cemetery.
00:20:46.000 --> 00:20:46.867
(gentle music)
(grass rustling)
00:20:51.833 --> 00:20:53.267 position:20%
- [Reporter] You want more
than just to come here
00:20:53.600 --> 00:20:54.300
and see this, right?
00:20:56.033 --> 00:20:56.600
- That's right.
00:20:57.633 --> 00:20:59.000 position:20%
I'd like them to definitely
locate the cemetery,
00:21:03.300 --> 00:21:07.476
fence it, probably a
monument of some sort.
00:21:07.500 --> 00:21:13.500
(gentle music continues)
(grass rustling)
00:21:13.867 --> 00:21:17.067
(placid music)
00:21:18.533 --> 00:21:19.476
- [Stan] More than 30 years
00:21:19.500 --> 00:21:22.276
after James Nash first
mentioned the cemetery,
00:21:22.300 --> 00:21:27.776
a new effort is underway to
find the children's graves.
00:21:27.800 --> 00:21:30.009
- [Rob] In this
situation with this story
00:21:30.033 --> 00:21:33.509
of Native American boarding
schools, there's a certain,
00:21:33.533 --> 00:21:36.876 position:20%
it feels like there's kind
of a sense of urgency.
00:21:36.900 --> 00:21:38.009
It'd be nice to be involved
00:21:38.033 --> 00:21:42.333
in that first step
of finding them.
00:21:42.467 --> 00:21:43.467
- [Stan] State
archeologist Rob Bozell
00:21:45.333 --> 00:21:46.167
is overseeing the fieldwork.
00:21:48.067 --> 00:21:49.533
- The only map that has been
found that depicts a cemetery
00:21:56.333 --> 00:21:57.167
is this 1899 Naz County atlas.
00:21:59.333 --> 00:22:02.509
And I don't know if you can
see that, but right there,
00:22:02.533 --> 00:22:05.076
the word CEM for
cemetery and a cross,
00:22:05.100 --> 00:22:09.433 position:20%
that's a symbol cartographers
use for cemeteries.
00:22:11.100 --> 00:22:13.209
This is a very coarse scale.
00:22:13.233 --> 00:22:15.509
Again, they're depicting
something south
00:22:15.533 --> 00:22:19.743
of the railroad tracks and
east of this property line,
00:22:19.767 --> 00:22:22.109
but it doesn't give
us enough detail
00:22:22.133 --> 00:22:24.276
to say exactly where it is.
00:22:24.300 --> 00:22:26.409
We've also got some air photos.
00:22:26.433 --> 00:22:30.343
It shows the cemetery is
somewhere in this area.
00:22:30.367 --> 00:22:31.809
(suspenseful music)
00:22:31.833 --> 00:22:35.409
It's a big area,
probably 200 acres.
00:22:35.433 --> 00:22:41.600 position:20%
(suspenseful music continues)
(birds chirping)
00:22:43.467 --> 00:22:49.667 position:20%
(suspenseful music continues)
(wheels rattling)
00:22:55.133 --> 00:22:56.233
- [Stan] Using ground
penetrating radar,
00:22:57.400 --> 00:22:58.800
Rob and his team are looking
for disturbances in the soil,
00:23:01.900 --> 00:23:05.243
which could indicate
a grave shaft.
00:23:05.267 --> 00:23:09.809 position:20%
- This pyramid looking thing
represents a difference
00:23:09.833 --> 00:23:11.309
in soil compaction.
00:23:11.333 --> 00:23:13.743
Could be a grave, could
be a big animal hole.
00:23:13.767 --> 00:23:18.709
It's different than the
surrounding natural soil.
00:23:18.733 --> 00:23:22.233
We have another one
here, same shape.
00:23:23.533 --> 00:23:28.800
And we also had two same shape
00:23:28.933 --> 00:23:31.900
going up a little farther here.
00:23:32.333 --> 00:23:35.843
So we have potentially four.
00:23:35.867 --> 00:23:39.400
- Four anomalies.
- Three or four anomalies.
00:23:39.567 --> 00:23:42.843
- [Stan] The discovery
creates cautious optimism.
00:23:42.867 --> 00:23:46.767
It will take months
to analyze the data.
00:23:47.500 --> 00:23:48.943
- It's more than we've seen
00:23:48.967 --> 00:23:51.543
on our other two or
three trips out here.
00:23:51.567 --> 00:23:55.143
I don't think we saw any
anomalies any place else.
00:23:55.167 --> 00:23:56.000
So we are at least seeing those.
00:23:56.133 --> 00:23:57.433 position:20%
Whether they're signatures
of graves or not,
00:23:59.867 --> 00:24:00.943
don't know yet.
00:24:00.967 --> 00:24:03.243
(birds chirping)
(sign squeaking)
00:24:03.267 --> 00:24:09.509
- My name is Phillip Swantek,
born and raised here in Genoa.
00:24:09.533 --> 00:24:12.409
- [Stan] Phil Swantek owns
the land where the search
00:24:12.433 --> 00:24:15.333
for the children
is taking place.
00:24:15.867 --> 00:24:16.709
He believes the canal,
00:24:16.733 --> 00:24:20.043
which was constructed shortly
after the school's closure
00:24:20.067 --> 00:24:24.133
in the 1930s,
destroyed the cemetery.
00:24:24.500 --> 00:24:28.309
- And you have to realize
when they dug that canal,
00:24:28.333 --> 00:24:30.743
they had a dredge or a drag line
00:24:30.767 --> 00:24:35.309
that you could fit a big
truck into, on the scoop,
00:24:35.333 --> 00:24:37.576
you know, and in the 1930s,
00:24:37.600 --> 00:24:40.576
I don't think anybody
was too much concerned
00:24:40.600 --> 00:24:44.067
if they run across
bones or anything.
00:24:44.667 --> 00:24:46.609
- [Stan] But no
records have been found
00:24:46.633 --> 00:24:50.433
that construction
disrupted any graves.
00:24:50.600 --> 00:24:52.676
Phil says he has mixed feelings
00:24:52.700 --> 00:24:57.100
about what will happen
if the cemetery is found.
00:24:57.233 --> 00:24:59.843
- I own the land
and my opinion is
00:24:59.867 --> 00:25:02.376
if they did find
something there,
00:25:02.400 --> 00:25:07.643
I would probably want it
memorialized some way,
00:25:07.667 --> 00:25:09.576
but not disturbed.
00:25:09.600 --> 00:25:13.467
(contemplative music)
00:25:17.700 --> 00:25:21.476
(contemplative music continues)
00:25:21.500 --> 00:25:23.909
- [Stan] Eight of the
children who lost their lives
00:25:23.933 --> 00:25:28.533
in Genoa belong to
Nebraska's Omaha tribe.
00:25:30.267 --> 00:25:32.776
- You know, they're
speaking from the grave,
00:25:32.800 --> 00:25:34.443
that's just how we see it.
00:25:34.467 --> 00:25:37.867
"We're here, find
us, bring us home."
00:25:38.600 --> 00:25:41.143
- [Stan] Chairman
Leander Merrick says
00:25:41.167 --> 00:25:42.576
if the cemetery is found,
00:25:42.600 --> 00:25:46.076
the Omaha tribe will
repatriate their children
00:25:46.100 --> 00:25:49.876
and lay them to rest on
their ancestral lands.
00:25:49.900 --> 00:25:51.509
(birds chirping)
(gentle music)
00:25:51.533 --> 00:25:54.643
- They have to come
home, this is their home.
00:25:54.667 --> 00:25:56.909
To bring 'em back here
is gonna bring closure
00:25:56.933 --> 00:26:01.609
for them, their spirits
and their loved ones
00:26:01.633 --> 00:26:05.000
and our community as a whole.
00:26:05.100 --> 00:26:08.343
This is shining a light
on the United States.
00:26:08.367 --> 00:26:10.400
This is not a good light.
00:26:11.367 --> 00:26:13.009
They wanted to eradicate us.
00:26:13.033 --> 00:26:16.076
They didn't want us
to be a threat to 'em
00:26:16.100 --> 00:26:17.076
because of what they were doing.
00:26:17.100 --> 00:26:21.243 position:20%
You know, the bottom line
is they wanted our land.
00:26:21.267 --> 00:26:24.533
(ominous music)
00:26:25.800 --> 00:26:26.709
- [Stan] Across the country,
00:26:26.733 --> 00:26:29.443
Native American
tribes are mobilizing
00:26:29.467 --> 00:26:33.200
as they begin searching
for their lost children.
00:26:34.000 --> 00:26:35.343
There are calls for a reckoning
00:26:35.367 --> 00:26:38.509
for the trauma caused
by boarding schools.
00:26:38.533 --> 00:26:40.709
(ominous music continues)
00:26:40.733 --> 00:26:44.109
Dr. Samuel Torres is from
the National Native American
00:26:44.133 --> 00:26:49.600
Boarding School Healing
Coalition, based in Minneapolis.
00:26:50.067 --> 00:26:52.276
- This moment, as
hard as it was,
00:26:52.300 --> 00:26:56.009
it has been an important
moment to remind folks
00:26:56.033 --> 00:26:59.443
from every background that
this is an important part
00:26:59.467 --> 00:27:04.609
of the story of the forming of
the United States of America,
00:27:04.633 --> 00:27:08.276
that this land was
once Indian land
00:27:08.300 --> 00:27:11.609
and it still is and
it always will be.
00:27:11.633 --> 00:27:15.143
- [Stan] He says there needs
to be a commission of inquiry
00:27:15.167 --> 00:27:19.576
as the first step
towards reconciliation.
00:27:19.600 --> 00:27:22.676
- Boarding school survivors
are not getting any younger,
00:27:22.700 --> 00:27:25.076
and there's a
wealth of knowledge
00:27:25.100 --> 00:27:31.133 position:20%
and a wealth of information
that needs to be shared.
00:27:31.267 --> 00:27:35.243
Truth cannot be
done without a focus
00:27:35.267 --> 00:27:36.943
on accountability and justice.
00:27:36.967 --> 00:27:37.743
And only through that
00:27:37.767 --> 00:27:41.843
can substantive healing
actually take place.
00:27:41.867 --> 00:27:45.067
(ominous music)
00:27:51.267 --> 00:27:56.000
(men sing in foreign language)
00:28:02.333 --> 00:28:05.709
- [Stan] For Redwing,
keeping the culture alive
00:28:05.733 --> 00:28:09.709
is key to healing
from a painful past.
00:28:09.733 --> 00:28:11.409
(gentle music)
00:28:11.433 --> 00:28:13.533
- So in my classroom,
00:28:16.267 --> 00:28:17.376
we reverse it
00:28:17.400 --> 00:28:21.467
(gentle music continues)
00:28:24.233 --> 00:28:29.033
for the ones who had to go
through it, so we reverse it.
00:28:29.367 --> 00:28:32.500
Instead it's a happy atmosphere,
00:28:32.700 --> 00:28:33.976
instead it's joyous
00:28:34.000 --> 00:28:37.643
and it's exciting
and it's enthusiastic
00:28:37.667 --> 00:28:38.443
and it's everything
00:28:38.467 --> 00:28:41.900
that our ancestors
were forbidden to have.
00:28:42.533 --> 00:28:48.633
That's why there's so
much energy in my room.
00:28:48.933 --> 00:28:49.643
It's for them.
00:28:49.667 --> 00:28:55.800 position:20%
(men sing in foreign language)
(gentle music)
00:28:58.500 --> 00:29:02.600
(gentle music continues)
00:29:07.567 --> 00:29:11.733
(gentle music continues)
00:29:14.033 --> 00:29:17.767
(footsteps thumping)
00:29:22.767 --> 00:29:26.343
- [Judi] This is real,
they really were here.
00:29:26.367 --> 00:29:29.943
It was 20 years ago
that I was last here
00:29:29.967 --> 00:29:36.200
and we're still looking for
those children that died.
00:29:41.600 --> 00:29:44.676
- [Stan] In Genoa, the
recent search failed
00:29:44.700 --> 00:29:46.900
to locate the cemetery.
00:29:48.000 --> 00:29:49.143
- [Judi] They're
there somewhere.
00:29:49.167 --> 00:29:51.976
We know they're under
the ground somewhere
00:29:52.000 --> 00:29:54.167
and they need to be honored
00:29:56.200 --> 00:29:58.376
- [Stan] Efforts to
find the children
00:29:58.400 --> 00:30:01.500
who never came home continue.
00:30:02.833 --> 00:30:07.509
- [Judi] I can't rest
until I feel I've exhausted
00:30:07.533 --> 00:30:11.976
every possible avenue
to find the children.
00:30:12.000 --> 00:30:15.100
(gentle music)
00:30:20.567 --> 00:30:24.633
(gentle music continues)
00:30:29.500 --> 00:30:30.409
(gentle music continues)
00:30:30.433 --> 00:30:35.767
(woman speaks in
foreign language)
00:30:43.300 --> 00:30:44.433
(woman speaks in
foreign language)
00:30:52.900 --> 00:30:54.033
(woman speaks in
foreign language)
00:30:55.867 --> 00:30:56.433
(gentle music)
