Ka‘ū News Briefs, Wednesday, May 11, 2022

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A FEDERAL STUDY, INCLUDING KAMEHAMEHA SCHOOLS, HILO BOARDING SCHOOL, MAUNA LOA FORESTRY CAMP SCHOOL and eight others in Hawai'i, concludes that between 1819 and 1969, the U.S. government used militarization and "identity alteration methodologies" in an attempt to assimilate native children into American culture." For Hawai'i, it notes: "Although the ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i-based public school system initially operated using only the Hawaiian language, it eventually repressed ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i in education by promoting English. By 1888, only 16 percent of children were taught in Hawaiian."
    The investigative report was released Wednesday by Secretary of the Interior Deb Hawland and Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Bryan Newland. They released Volume I through the Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative, "a comprehensive effort to address the troubled legacy of federal Indian boarding school policies."
    The study researched 408 federal schools across 37 states or then territories, including 21 schools in Alaska and 11 schools in Hawai'i.

Hilo Boarding School in 1909. Photo from Wikimedia

      The Secretary of the Interior said, “The consequences of federal Indian boarding school policies—including the intergenerational trauma caused by the family separation and cultural eradication inflicted upon generations of children as young as four years old—are heartbreaking and undeniable. We continue to see the evidence of this attempt to forcibly assimilate Indigenous people in the disparities that communities face. It is my priority to not only give voice to the survivors and descendants of federal Indian boarding school policies, but also to address the lasting legacies of these policies so 
Indigenous peoples can continue to grow and heal.”
    The Assistant Secretary of the Interior said, “This report presents the opportunity for us to reorient federal policies to support the revitalization of Tribal languages and cultural practices to counteract nearly two centuries of federal policies aimed at their destruction. Together, we can help begin a healing process for Indian Country, the Native Hawaiian Community and across the United States, from the Alaskan 
tundra to the Florida everglades, and everywhere in between.”
    Department of Interior announced The Road to Healing, a year-long tour that aims to
travel across the country "to allow American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian survivors of the federal Indian boarding school system the opportunity to share their stories, help connect communities with trauma-informed support, and facilitate collection of a permanent oral history." Also announced is a collaboration with "the White House Council of Native American Affairs on the path ahead to preserve Tribal languages, invest in survivor-focused services, and honor our obligations to Indigenous communities."

Shop class at Hilo Boarding School in 1901. Photo from Wikimedia

    The study points to such practices nationwide of renaming Indian children from Indian to English names; cutting the hair of Indian children; discouraging or preventing the use of American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian languages, religions and cultural practices; and organizing Indian and Native Hawaiian children into units to perform military drills.
    "Despite assertions to the contrary, the investigation found that the school system largely focused on manual labor and vocational skills that left American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian graduates with employment options often irrelevant to the industrial U.S. economy, further disrupting Tribal economies."
    The study reports the history of Hilo Boarding School:
    "The Congregational Mission in Hawai'i opened schools to support their efforts of Christian conversion, and in October 1836, two grass houses were completed between David Lyman's house and Reverend Titus Coan's house. On October 3rd, the school opened with eight boarders, but the number soon increased to twelve. It received $900 in funding annually from the Board of Education (likely Hawai'i), and its assistant teachers are paid from the district school fund of Hilo. Classes were conducted in the English language. With the advent of World War II, the dormitory facilities were donated to the U.S. Army, which occupied the buildings until 1943. Thereafter, the facilities of Hilo Boarding School were utilized by different community groups until the final destruction of its buildings between 1968 and 1972."
    Read Volume I at https://www.bia.gov/sites/default/files/dup/inline-files/bsi_investigative_report_may_2022_508.pdf. See descriptions and photos of other Hawai'i and mainland schools at at https://www.bia.gov/sites/default/files/dup/inline-files/appendix_a_b_school_listing_profiles_508.pdf