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NABS - Boarding School Healing

@nabshc

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To lead in the pursuit of understanding and addressing the ongoing trauma created by the U.S. Indian Boarding School policy.

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This Mental Health Awareness Month, and every month, we honor the healing journeys of Indian boarding school relatives and their descendants. Intergenerational trauma impacts our communities deeply, but healing is possible through culturally informed care, support, and connection.

NABS has compiled healing-informed resources for self-care, including crisis support lines and long-term trauma-informed care options for those experiencing trauma stress, grief, anxiety, or emotional triggers related to boarding school trauma.

You are not alone. Support is available.

View the full resource guide here: bit.ly/NABS-healing-resources (link in bio) by @nabshc

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5 months ago

We honor the Alaska Native children and relatives returning home to their communities decades after their deaths while attending Indian boarding schools.

These homecomings are a powerful reminder of the importance of remembering the children, honoring families, and supporting the ongoing work of truth, justice, and healing.

We hold the children, their families, and their communities in our hearts as they welcome their relatives home.

Read more on their return: @anchoragedailynews by @nabshc

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3 days ago

On October 14, 2026, the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition, Native Organizers Alliance, National Congress of American Indians, and Native American Rights Fund sent a joint letter to the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, expressing deep concern about the planned closures of the National Archives at Chicago, and the National Archives at Santa Francisco, located in San Bruno, California, without meaningful Tribal consultation.

For Indian boarding school survivors, descendants, Tribal Nations, Tribal Historic Preservation Offices, Native researchers, and families searching for answers, these records are far more than historical documents. They can hold the names, experiences, correspondence, and stories that help families reconnect with relatives and communities understand what happened to generations of Native children and families.

Read full letter here: boardingschoolhealing.org/nara-letter by @nabshc

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5 days ago

This Indigenous Peoples Day, and every day, NABS celebrates the brilliance, strength, cultures, and resilience of Indigenous peoples. We honor boarding school survivors, descendants, and those who never made it home. Their stories, experiences, and lives must never be forgotten.

Every day, we remain committed to advancing truth, justice, and healing for survivors, descendants, and all those impacted by the U.S. Indian boarding school era. We will continue this work, honor those affected, and pursue the accountability our communities deserve.

Learn more about the Indian boarding school era in the U.S. and the work NABS’ is doing to advance truth, justice, and healing for boarding school survivors: boardingschoolhealing.org

#IndigenousPeoplesDay by @nabshc

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7 days ago

On September 30, the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition (NABS) gathered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to commemorate the National Day of Remembrance for Indian Boarding School Survivors and those who never made it home, honoring the lives, experiences, and lasting legacies of those impacted by the boarding school era.

Our Board Vice President, Ramona Klein, Ed.D. (Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa), shared powerful reflections on her boarding school experience and the resilience of Indigenous peoples.

Learn more about the Indian boarding school era in the U.S. and NABS’ work to advance truth, justice, and healing for boarding school survivors: boardingschoolhealing.org by @nabshc

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10 days ago

Last week, during the National Week of Remembrance, a week to honor children, survivors, family, and community members impacted by the boarding school era, an investigative article was published by @indiancountrytoday . This piece discusses the “Indians of Good Shepherd” plot at Milwaukee’s Calvary Cemetery.   More than a century later, we are still learning about their lives and piecing together the stories of who they were. For some, even their final resting place has remained largely unknown outside of historical records. Bringing their names and stories forward is an act of remembrance, but it is also an act of honoring these young people as individuals whose lives had meaning.

To those children who came home, and those who did not, to the families and Tribal communities who have and continue to carry loss, often without answers and acknowledgement, our hearts and prayers are with you. We hold their lives and stories with care, respect, and dignity. by @nabshc

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12 days ago

Today is the National Day of Remembrance of Indigenous Boarding Schools, recognized in the United States and Canada.

Until the 1970s in the U.S. and until the 1990s in Canada, boarding school policies forcibly separated Native children from their families, placing our relatives in genocidal institutions in an attempt to destroy Native communities, languages, and cultures. At least 1,000 Native children died at over 500 schools across Turtle Island, with many buried in unmarked graves, and many stolen relatives still being returned home.

The devastating impact of these policies is still felt by survivors and all their descendants today. The work to document these lived experiences, along with pathways to justice and healing, persists with organizations like @nabshc and community organizers across our Tribal Nations. Please give some time to visit their page and website to learn more and sustain support for their incredibly important work.

Honor survivors. Act in loving memory of your Ancestors. We remember today and everyday. 🧡🪶

Audio credit: @thebandblackbird @codyblackbird
Overlay by staroverlays taken in Turtle Island by @nabshc

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19 days ago

Today, on September 30, the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition (NABS) joins Native communities, survivors, descendants, Tribal Nations, and allies across the country in honoring the National Day of Remembrance for Indian Boarding School Survivors.

September 30 is a day to remember the children who were taken from their families and communities and sent to Indian boarding schools, to honor survivors and those who did not return home, and to recognize the lasting impact boarding school policies have had on Native families and communities.

“September 30 is a day to remember the children who were taken from their families and the survivors who carried that pain home. We remember so they are not forgotten, and we share our stories so future generations can heal. Our stories matter, and our children, families, and communities deserve to know the truth,” said NABS Board 2nd Vice-President and boarding school survivor, James LaBelle, Sr. (Inupiaq).

Learn more about the Indian boarding school era in the U.S. and our work toward truth, justice, and healing for boarding school survivors: boardingschoolhealing.org by @nabshc

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19 days ago

In 1973, six-year-old Phyllis Webstad entered the St. Joseph Mission Residential School in British Columbia.

Webstad was wearing a new orange shirt for her first day of school. School oblates quickly stripped her of her orange shirt and replaced it with the school’s institutional uniform.

Her bright orange shirt symbolized belonging, love, and care. The shirt’s removal and replacement represented how the system tried to strip away culture, language, and identity.

Learn more about the Indian boarding school era in the U.S. and our work toward truth, justice, and healing for boarding school survivors: boardingschoolhealing.org by @nabshc

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20 days ago

Yesterday marked the beginning of the National Week of Remembrance for Indian Boarding School Survivors, a time to honor the children who never returned home, survivors, families, and communities impacted by the Indian boarding school era.

We wanted to center and share the story of survivors, beginning with Maynard James Dunn, Spirit Lake Nation, who offers his experience at Marty Indian School in Marty, South Dakota.

This project was done in partnership with the University of Minnesota.

To learn more about and support our work toward truth, justice, and healing, go to boardingschoolhealing.org by @nabshc

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21 days ago

Several states have released proclamations recognizing the Day of Remembrance for Indian boarding schools attendees and survivors.

September 30 is the National Day of Remembrance for Indian Boarding School Survivors, a day to honor the children who never returned home, survivors, families, and communities impacted by the Indian boarding school era.

Our Day of Remembrance Toolkit is here to help you take action in your community. From hosting an event and sharing resources to lighting your porch orange or working with your state to issue a proclamation, there are many ways to participate.

Explore the toolkit and find a way to take action: boardingschoolhealing.org/day-of-remembrance-toolkit

Together, we can honor the past, support survivors, and build a future rooted in understanding, respect, and healing. by @nabshc

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24 days ago

U.S. Representatives introduce a house resolution that would make the week of September 27 to October 3 “National Week of Remembrance,” which aims to honor those who were forced to attend Indian boarding schools and to recognize the experience of Indian boarding school victims and survivors.

“The National Week of Remembrance calls on us to reflect on the history that forever changed our Native families, communities, and generations. We honor those who were taken from their families, survivors who carried the weight of the boarding school experience throughout their lives, and, with reverence, those who never returned to their homes,” said Nikki Santos, NABS Chief Executive Officer (Coeur d’Alene Tribe). “We honor the children. Their lives matter, and their stories and their truth belong in the history of this nation. Remembrance Week calls on all of us to ensure that experiences of Native children and families are never again forgotten or erased.”

Visit our toolkit to view full resolution: boardingschoolhealing.org/day-of-remembrance-toolkit by @nabshc

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25 days ago