Legacy of Native American boarding schools comes into view through a new interactive map

By SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN
Associated Press

The list of boarding schools in the United States that once sought to “civilize” Native Americans, Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians is getting longer. The National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition released a new interactive map Wednesday that includes 523 schools. The Minnesota-based group has spent years been building what is considered the most extensive list of boarding schools. The map also includes schools that operated in Canada. The U.S. Interior Department released its own list of more than 400 schools last year as part of an ongoing investigation meant to recognize the trauma that resulted from policies aimed at stripping Indigenous people of their cultures and language.