Preliminary report into Indian boarding school history lays the groundwork for dismantling policies that have harmed Indigenous people

SEATTLE — The Attorney General’s Office (AGO), under the guidance and leadership of a Truth and Healing Tribal Advisory Committee (TAC), released a preliminary report on the history of Indian boarding schools in Washington, outlining next steps the committee and the AGO will undertake as they aim to help policymakers address the harmful legacies of these institutions.

In 2023, the state Legislature directed the AGO to convene the TAC to research the history and impacts of Indian boarding schools in Washington.

Lawmakers also directed the TAC to hold culturally grounded listening sessions and develop recommendations to address past and present public policies that harm tribes and Indigenous people.

The TAC, made up of tribal elders, boarding school survivors, and legal experts, has provided invaluable leadership and guidance. The TAC members prioritized establishing Indigenous-centered protocols and elder guidance grounded in tribal sovereignty. This deliberate and thoughtful approach by the TAC enabled the AGO to lay the foundation for culturally respectful project design and implementation.

Members of the Truth and Healing Tribal Advisory Committee are:

• Shx’my’ah Edward “Arlen” Washines (Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation).
• Rebecca Black (Quinault Indian Nation).
• Diana Bob (Lummi Nation).
• Abriel Johnny (Tlingit and Haida).
• Tamika LaMere (Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians).

“This is a step towards healing and accountability from the traumatic and harmful legacy of Indian boarding schools,” Attorney General Nick Brown said. “Thanks to the committee’s dedicated work, we completed an initial phase of research, relationship building, and planning. The AGO is fully committed to sustaining this partnership, securing necessary resources, and supporting the TAC’s forthcoming recommendations to actively dismantle policies and systems that disproportionately harm Indigenous people.”

“True healing demands sustained commitment, transparent record-keeping, robust funding for tribally led healing initiatives, and institutional reforms that honor the unique relationship between tribes and the state,” the TAC said in the preliminary report. “We stand ready to support the next phase of this work in partnership with community and in consultation with tribes.”

Central to the history of United States expansion is a shameful pattern of broken treaties and agreements with tribes as well as assimilationist policies intended to stamp out Native cultures and languages. As the preliminary report notes, Indian boarding schools “were a centerpiece of U.S. assimilationist policy from the mid-19th century through the 1970s.” Indigenous children were forcibly separated from their families and communities and sent to boarding schools, where they were generally prevented from speaking their language or continuing any practices of their cultures and tribes. 

The TAC members and AGO staff found about two dozen boarding school facilities that operated in Washington state or territorial boundaries from 1850 through 1930. Many received some form of federal support, while others were run solely by private or religious organizations. The report also lists other facilities, such as asylums and hospitals, that were used to separate Native children from their families.

Goals for our work ahead include:

• Working with tribal leaders to conduct at least six listening sessions across the state, prioritizing the cultural, emotional, spiritual, and psychological well-being of survivors, family members, and community members,
• Researching and reporting findings on the state’s support to Indian boarding schools,
• Researching and reporting findings on current state policies and practices that originate from Indian boarding schools or other assimilationist policies and that cause disproportionate harm to American Indian and Alaska Native people, and
• Developing recommendations regarding how the state can address the harm done by Indian boarding schools and other cultural and linguistic termination practices.

Research into the legacy of Indian boarding schools in Washington in some ways dovetails with the work of the AGO’s Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and People Cold Case Unit. The AGO aims to work with Indigenous families and impacted community members to identify cold cases. Some of the cold cases may involve children who did not return from boarding school.

The preliminary report is available here.

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