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Transcript/Script American Indian Schools
HEADLINE: Native Americans Share Memories of Indian Boarding Schools with US Officials
TEASER: ‘Road to Healing’ tour brings US officials to California to hear from former students, families about Indian boarding schools, which once suppressed but now celebrate Native American cultures
PUBLISHED AT: 08/07/2023 at 6:05 pm
BYLINE: Mike O’Sullivan
CONTRIBUTOR:
DATELINE: Riverside, California
VIDEOGRAPHER: Mike O’Sullivan
PRODUCER:
SCRIPT EDITORS: Reifenrath; caw
VIDEO SOURCE (S): VOA
PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV _x_ RADIO __
TRT: 2:43
VID APPROVED BY: mia
TYPE: TV/R
EDITOR NOTES: ))
((INTRO))
[[U.S. Department of the Interior officials are visiting Native American communities to learn about the impact of government-run residential schools on former students and their families. The institutions once suppressed Native cultures, but the few schools that remain now celebrate them. Mike O’Sullivan reports from Riverside, California.]]
((NAT SOUNDS — SHOW NATIVE MUSICIANS PERFORMING, CHANTING))
((NARRATOR))
Through much of the 19th and part of the 20th century, U.S. authorities forced many Indigenous children into
((SHOW HISTORICAL PHOTO OF GIRLS IN COOKING CLASS))
((Mandatory Credit: Frances Benjamin Johnston/Library of Congress))
((SHOW HISTORICAL PHOTO OF STUDENTS IN FARM FIELD))
((Mandatory Credit: NARA [US NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND RECORDS ADMINISTRATION]))
boarding schools, where they learned domestic and farming skills, and were forced to abandon their religions, languages and cultures.
((SHOW MEMBERS IN AUDIENCE, PEOPLE TELLING THEIR STORIES))
In Riverside, California, family members heard the stories of survivors at Sherman Indian High School, one of a handful of remaining government-funded boarding schools, where today native cultures are embraced instead of suppressed.
((SHOW HAALAND, NEWLAND))
U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland and Assistant Secretary Bryan Newland, both Native Americans, came to listen as part of the department's year-long tour called “The Road to Healing.”
((SHOW FAMILY GROUP TALKING))
Curiosity brought one woman.
((For Radio: Mavany Calac Verdugo ((PR: MAH-vah-nee CAH-lahk vehr-DOO-goh)) belongs to the Rincon Band of Luiseño Indians ((PR: rin-KOHN, lu-ee-SAY-nyoh)).
((Mavany Calac Verdugo, Rincon Band of Luiseño Indians))
“I’m here because I wanted to see where my grandparents went to school, where they were taken, and also where my dad was born.”
((SHOW CALAC TALKING WITH FAMILY))
((NARRATOR))
Her grandparents fell in love here, and her family adopted a strategy to fight prejudice.
((Mavany Calac Verdugo, Rincon Band of Luiseño Indians))
“They came out of the situation basically saying, 'Well, the white man won the war, and maybe the only way to end discrimination for our kids would be education.'”
((SHOW SHOT OF CEMETERY))
((NARRATOR))
Some stories ended badly. About 60 former Sherman Indian High School students who died while attending the school are buried in a nearby cemetery, victims through the years of disease or accidents. At some Indian schools, students were the victims of abuse.
((SHOW NAVAJO WOMAN IN AUDIENCE))
But Erica Ben, a Navajo and more recent student here, says her time at the school expanded her horizons. She’s working on a doctorate in the field of Native education.
((Erica Ben, Former Student))
“I never really encountered anybody other than Navajo, so when I came here and the school was open to all students all across the nation, that was my actual first time interacting with other Native tribes, and for me, that was an experience I’m not going to forget.”
((SHOW B ROLL OF GREG CALAC))
((NARRATOR))
Greg Calac of the Luiseño Indians sees renewed interest in the traditions among young people.
((Greg Calac, Rincon Band of Luiseño Indians))
“All four of my children are participating in the cultural things that our tribe is offering, including basket weaving, including language, beading and such.”
((SHOW MEMBERS OF AUDIENCE, NATIVE PERFORMERS))
((NARRATOR))
Like many Native Americans, they're re-embracing their culture and learning about a painful history of forced assimilation.
((Mike O’Sullivan, VOA News, Riverside, California)
NewsML Media TopicsArts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
NetworkVOA
Location (dateline)
in Riverside, California
Embargo DateAugust 7, 2023 16:52 EDT
Byline
Mike O’Sullivan, VOA News
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English
