Carlisle Indian Industrial School: Reclaiming Native American Students' Remains

Repatriation of Students' Remains

• 💔 The remains of 58 Native American students have been repatriated since 2017 from a cemetery at the Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Pennsylvania.
• 🏫 This government-run boarding school was attended by 7,800 Native children from over 100 tribes.
• 🤝 The school works with tribes to ensure a dignified reinterment of the remains, allowing children from the same tribe to go home together.

Ceremonies and Family Wishes

• 🕊️ Families and tribes can request their children's remains be returned and participate in desired ceremonies.
• 😔 The video highlights the case of Wash, born in January 1877, who was buried without ceremony and away from her people, unable to receive a proper sendoff.

Harsh Boarding School Experiences

• ⛓️ Students endured harsh treatment, including cutting of hair and having their mouths washed out with lye soap.
• 🤕 Physical punishment, such as beatings, was also common.

The "Sea of Faces"

• 🖼️ A powerful display, commonly referred to as the "Sea of Faces," features blown-up images of the students on a wall.
• 👶 The youngest students are positioned in the front rows, creating a poignant visual of rows upon rows of young faces.
• 🤔 The scale of the display prompts reflection on the unknown experiences and thoughts of these children, a deeply moving experience especially for descendants.