Sherman Institute, built in the Mission Revival architectural style, enrolled its first students on Sept. 9, 1902.; Credit: SHERMAN INDIAN MUSEUM

Earlier this month, Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland announced an effort to search federal boarding schools for burial sites of Native American kids. 

The effort is similar to the one in Canada, which found the remains of up to 751 people, likely mostly children, at an unmarked grave in a defunct school in the province of Saskatchewan.  

We dive into the history of American Indian Boarding Schools, as well as their evolution and what the schools that still exist, including Sherman Institute High School in California, look like today.

Guests:

Brenda Child, professor of American Studies and American Indian Studies at the University of Minnesota; she is the author of many books, including “Boarding School Seasons: American Indian Families, 1900-1940” (University of Nebraska Press, 2000)

Amanda Wixon, curator at the Sherman Indian Museum, which is on the campus of Sherman Indian High School; assistant curator at Autry museum of the American West; PhD candidate in history at UC Riverside where her research is in Native American history, especially federal boarding schools and the carceral aspects of the Sherman Institute

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

The new curriculum would teach all students about tribes and Indian culture in North Dakota.

Nearly 17 million children lack high-speed internet at home that's considered crucial to their ability to participate in remote learning during the pandemic, according to a new study.

A close look reveals how the famed photographer altered his glass negatives, creating the popular image of Native Americans that still exists today

Over 70% of American Indian young adults (20-39 years old) and 50% of American Indian teenagers exhibit cholesterol levels or elevated blood fat, posing

In October 2010, the hosts of Backstory visited Colonial Williamsburg's Kimball Theatre to perform a live show.

This circa 1910 Yup'ik mask from Good News Bay, Alaska--made of driftwood, baleen, feathers, paint and cotton twine--is part of "Infinity of Nations: Art and History in the Collections of the National Museum of the American Indian," an exhibition at the National Museum of the American Indian, opening Saturday, Oct. 23.

The post Yup’ik mask in “Infinity of Nations” exhibition at the American Indian Museum appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

For two weeks the team recorded and documented the community’s elders, families and llamas along a pilgrimage of remembrance in Pisaq, Peru.

The post American Indian Museum launches Chawaytiri documentation project in Peru appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The new research reveals that from the period between 1100-1600 small agricultural settlements up and down the Delaware River Valley caused a 50-percent increase in sediment runoff into the Delaware River.

The post Study reveals environmental impact of American Indian farms centuries before Europeans arrived in North America appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian is hosting a series of public satellite broadcasts featuring a multinational team of researchers, engineers and archaeologists who are working in Peru on the origins and engineering of the Inka Road of South America.

The post American Indian Museum to host public broadcasts focusing on the Inka Road appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Native Americans and America’s early colonists ate many more blue crabs than modern researchers previously thought, according to a team of scientists studying crab remains […]

The post American Indians, colonists had healthy appetite for crabs, study shows appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The post Smithsonian conservators open 2001 Jim Thorpe Wheaties Box from the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

On Wednesday, November 9, Grand Canyon National Park will host a Native American Indian Heritage Celebration and will waive entrance fees on Veterans Day. https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/news/2016-native-heritage-and-veterans-day.htm

On Thursday, November 9 Grand Canyon National Park will host a Native American Indian Heritage Celebration. Park entrance is free November 11-12 for Veterans Day. https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/news/veterans-day-native-american-heritage.htm

The new curriculum would teach all students about tribes and Indian culture in North Dakota.

In the early 20th century, Native people responded to the proclamation of Mother’s Day with powwows, ceremonies, rodeos, feasts, and songs

How Do American Indians Celebrate Mother's Day? | Smithsonian Voices | National Museum of the American Indian  Smithsonian.com

In the prerotavirus vaccine era, diarrhea-associated hospitalization and outpatient rates among American Indian and Alaska Native children were higher than those among the general US population. Routine rotavirus vaccination has dramatically decreased rotavirus diarrhea burden in the general US population.

Decreases in diarrhea-associated hospitalization and outpatient rates among American Indian and Alaska Native children in postvaccine years were observed in all Indian Health Service regions, with declines greater in each subsequent year after vaccine introduction. (Read the full article)

Disparities in vaccination coverage between American Indian/Alaska Native and white children previously existed between 2001 and 2004 but were not present in 2005.

This study updates a previous study by analyzing data through 2010 and found that these gains have been maintained. (Read the full article)

Program cancelled due to Hurricane-Florence-related cancellations by panelists.

Mobil Natural Gas Inc., Mobil Exploration & Producing U.S. Inc. and their affiliates have agreed to pay the United States $32.2 million to resolve claims that they violated the False Claims Act by knowingly underpaying royalties owed on natural gas produced from federal and American Indian leases.

Dominion Oklahoma Texas Exploration & Production Inc. and Marathon Oil Company have agreed to pay the United States $2,219,974.98 and $4,697,476.57, respectively, to resolve claims that the two companies separately violated the False Claims Act by knowingly underpaying royalties owed on natural gas produced from federal and Indian leases.

"I am deeply honored by your invitation to be with you today and to share with you some of the work in which we have been engaged at the Department of Justice to improve life in Indian Country," said Assistant Attorney General West.

"Each November, we come together to honor the history and cultural traditions of America’s indigenous peoples," said Attorney General Holder.

"Whether it’s an 18-year-old who wants to be the first person in his family to attend college and become a teacher, or a 32-year-old single mother taking evening courses in nursing, or a tribal elder who enjoys participating in courses on tribal history and language, the threads that weave your colleges together with your communities are especially strong and resilient."

"As we honor American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage month, we work to build on our continued progress strengthening tribal law enforcement," said Deputy Attorney General Cole.

"At the Justice Department, we have made enforcing the rights of American Indians a priority," said Assistant Attorney General Perez.

"I think there's little doubt that over the last four years, the President, the Attorney General and this Department have placed high importance on improving tribal justice and public safety in Indian country," said Acting Associate Attorney General West.

"In the years to come, we look forward to strengthening our partnership with tribal nations, and to building even more effective collaborations with our colleagues at the Department of the Interior and other federal agencies," said Deputy Attorney General Cole.

"We cannot rest as long as crime rates in many tribal communities remain far above the national average. We cannot rest as long as tribal members suffer disproportionately from violence, property offenses, and other criminal acts," said Acting Associate Attorney General West.

Attorney General Eric Holder today announced the first public hearing of a new task force to examine the impact of exposure to violence on American Indian and Alaska Native children. Joining President Obama and other officials at the Department of the Interior for the White House Tribal Nations Conference, Attorney General Holder shared the announcement with leaders from the 566 federally recognized tribes and emphasized the Justice Department’s long-standing collaboration with leaders in American Indian and Alaska Native communities to improve public safety.

The Attorney General’s Advisory Committee of the Task Force on American Indian/Alaska Native Children Exposed to Violence held its first public hearing today in Bismarck, N.D., convening tribal researchers, advocates and local community members to discuss domestic violence and child physical and sexual abuse in Indian Country.

ifty years ago Attorney General Robert Kennedy came here to Bismarck and spoke of the "tragic irony" of First Americans living in the freest country in the world yet imprisoned by conditions of poverty and deprivation -- conditions not found in the natural order of things but manmade, imposed and perpetuated by bigotry and greed and violence.

More than 30 tribal leaders, juvenile court judges, child advocates, juvenile justice system experts and community members from the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community testified today in the second public hearing of the Advisory Committee of the Attorney General’s Task Force on American Indian and Alaska Native Children Exposed to Violence.

Let us reaffirm our commitment to the safety and health of tribal communities. And let us rededicate ourselves to giving native children a future unclouded by violence and brightened by hope. This is the responsibility of every one of us.

"As a nation, we cannot, and we will not, simply stand by as the voices of Native Americans are shut out of the democratic process. I am personally committed to working with tribal authorities – and with Congress – to confront disparities and end misguided voting practices once and for all.”

"Standing by as Native voices, for whatever reason, are shut out of the democratic process is not an option. That is why the Attorney General and I support legislative steps that will guarantee voters have access to polling places on Indian reservations and in Alaska Native villages," said Associate Attorney General West.

The Advisory Committee of the Attorney General’s Task Force on American Indian and Alaska Native Children Exposed to Violence convenes its final public hearing in Anchorage, Alaska, today and tomorrow

"We have come to Anchorage to lessen the number of suffering children. We come to continue the important work we began six months ago when this Advisory Committee held its first hearing in Bismarck," said Associate Attorney General West

Kal Penn who played Irrfan’s son in The Namesake can’t get over the loss. “Irrfan was such an incredible artist. What a loss. It was magical. He was so gracious and giving as an artist and a person.”

Not many know about Irrfan’s wicked sense of humour. Says Kal, “He could be so funny! He had a wonderful sense of humor and I remember his approach to the craft being particularly warm.”

Kal recalls Irrfan as an actor sheared of vanity. “He was friendly. Friendly and down to earth. There was never any attitude with Irrfan, he was so comfortable in his own skin and so fully and truly embodied his character when the cameras were rolling.”

But what according to Kal really made Irrfan special was the way he embraced silences. “I've never worked with an artist who communicates so beautifully without needing to speak. When we would shoot scenes for The Namesake, so often, Irrfan would play beat after story beat with intimacy and in silence that made me immediately at ease and in the moment.”

Kal Penn learnt a lot from watching Irrfan not only while they worked together but also when they didn’t work together. “I learned a lot from working with Irrfan but also from watching him work across different mediums, different languages, and different continents. I will always admire his work more broadly, and to have had that kind of range is so remarkable.”

Kal will remember Irran as an actor who at once no one and everyone. “He was such a commensurate artist whose performances are simultaneously intimate and reflect the humanity in each of us.”

Also Read: 5 Years Of Piku: Deepika Padukone bids farewell to Irrfan Khan with an unseen picture

Zaferatos, Nicholas C. (Nicholas Christos)

Educators, archaeologists celebrate at MPSC on Jan. 23.

Interview with Matthew Tobey, MD, MPH, author of Evaluation of Barriers to Telehealth Programs and Dermatological Care for American Indian Individuals in Rural Communities

Rotch Library - KF5605.M67 2018

In October 2010, the hosts of Backstory visited Colonial Williamsburg's Kimball Theatre to perform a live show.