From 1819 to the 1970s, hundreds of Indian boarding schools were established across the United States, with the purpose of forcibly assimilating Native children into the culture of European settlers, including forcing them to convert to Christianity.

A Post investigation found 3,104 Indigenous students died in schools between 1828 and 1970, three times the government figure.

In October 2024, Joe Biden issued a historic apology to Native American communities for one of the "most horrific chapters" in American history, when Native American children were separated from their families and abused in boarding schools.

The Post’s investigation revealed a heartbreaking truth: the children were not given proper burials. Their bodies were buried in cemeteries near schools, separated from the loving arms of their families and tribes.

Determining the exact number of children who died in schools, once likened to "prison camps", is extremely difficult due to poor records and the passage of time.

While some cemeteries are clearly marked, many others are neglected, even hidden or have been built over, a Post investigation of hundreds of thousands of government documents found.

Children died from disease, malnutrition and accidents, according to the Post.

Historical discrimination and disenfranchisement have created a deep economic gap between Native Americans and other communities.

The disappearance or deaths of more than 4,000 students at Canadian residential schools has been concluded by a government commission to be an act of "cultural genocide".

Ha Trang (CNA, WP)