Federal investigation identifies over 400 indigenous boarding schools, 50 burial sites in the US

The U.S. compelled generations of Native American children to attend boarding schools where they experienced violence and trauma to achieve its broader goal of acquiring tribal land, a federal report concluded Wednesday after a nearly yearlong investigation.

The schools intentionally cut ties with children’s tribal nations and purposely worked to assimilate students into mainstream culture, Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Bryan Newland said in the 105-page report. The review focused on 408 federally run boarding schools, with the largest concentration, 76, in Oklahoma.