CARLISLE, Pa. — The Carlisle Indian Industrial School intended to erase Native American tribes by forcibly assimilating their children. Matavito Horse and Leah Road Traveler were among its first students. Their tragic deaths at the school lead to a recent effort for repatriation, culminating in their remains and those of 15 others being returned to their tribes.
The repatriated remains of these 17 students were received by the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma, who buried the small wooden coffins in a cemetery in Concho last month. Wallace Perryman, a 17th student, was returned to the Seminole Nation. This repatriation is viewed as a significant stride towards justice and a healing process for the families impacted by the brutal boarding school history.
Between 1879 and 1918, almost 8,000 students were admitted to Carlisle from over 100 tribes. Many died from diseases like tuberculosis and typhoid fever, compounded by harsh conditions. Details about their lives remain scant due to poor documentation, leaving their families with mere scraps of information about their children.
The legacy of Carlisle remains complex—while some students had positive experiences, many endured suffering, contributing profound intergenerational trauma. Recent documents underline the urgency for ongoing repatriation efforts for the sake of justice.
Discussions persist around federally funded initiatives to assist tribes in identifying children buried across various former residential schools. The U.S. Army's stipulations regarding exhumation complicate these processes, challenging many tribes in their pursuit for closure.
