US: Biden makes historic apology to Native Americans

US President Joe Biden traveled to Arizona on Friday where he spoke with members of the Gila River Indian Community, offering a historical apology to Native peoples who suffered a century-and-a-half of unjust federal policies.

Biden, who has sought to invest in long neglected Tribal communities, as well as expanding Tribal autonomy and protections, was accompanied by US Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, the first Native American ever to serve in a Cabinet position.

Stephen Roe Lewis, governor of the Gila River Indian Community, introduced Biden, praising his "compassion, character and empathy," saying "no other president or vice president has done more for Native Americans."

Speaking to those gathered, Biden called the opportunity to offer an official apology, "one of the most consequential things I've ever been able to do."

Biden's apology was offered for decades of abuse suffered by Indian Nations at the hands of the US government and its policy of forced assimilation among Indian children.

Biden told those gathered, "The Federal Indian Board Era is one of the darkest chapters of American history. The trauma experienced in those institutions haunts our conscience to this very day."

He spoke passionately about the need "to right a wrong... to chart a new path forward," before praising "thousands of years of [Native American] culture" in government, culture and agriculture.

Addressing the "trauma and shame" of "generations of children stolen," Biden slammed his fist on his podium, bellowing "I formally apologize!"

Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, the first Native American to ever serve in a Cabinet position, was instrumental in bringing the horrors of the boarding school system to lightImage: Carloyn Kaster/AP Photo/picture alliance

A perfidious scheme to 'civilize Indians'

The boarding school system, which began as part of the Indian Civilization Act of 1819, remained in place until 1970 and at one point comprised some 400 schools, many of them church-operated, across the breadth of the continent.

Over the course of 150 years, records show that more than 18,000 Native American children, some as young as four, were taken from their parents and put into abusive boarding schools aimed at eradicating Tribal cultures. In his remarks, Biden acknowledged that the true number of children taken was likely far greater.

Boys at the school, for instance, had their braids cut off and children were forbidden from speaking in their native tongue. Catholic educators condemned traditional Tribal religion as "evil," pushing forced conversions under the motto, "kill the Indian, save the man."

At least 973 children died in the schools.

First Native American Cabinet member instrumental in acknowledging historical injustices

After Haaland took over at the Department of Interior, she ordered a comprehensive review of federal boarding school policies. It was that report that motivated Biden to offer an official presidential apology.

"He made commitments to Indian country," said Haaland, "and he has followed through on every single one."

Biden, whom Haaland called "courageous," put federal protections on a number of sacred Tribal sites in the Southwest, including restoring protections for the Bears Ears National Monument in Utah, which his predecessor Donald Trump had opened to drilling and mining under Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke.

Biden on Friday, listed the many initiatives his administration had undertaken to assist Tribal communities, such as investment in infrastructure, health and education. 

Political observers point out that the move by Biden during his last days in office also seeks to highlight the administration's work while attracting a very specific group of voters in a critical swing state as Vice President Kamala Harris and Trump remain in a dead heat just days before the US presidential election.

In his remarks, President Biden labeled the Federal Boarding School Era "a sin on our soul" and called for history books to be rewritten, "just because history is silent doesn't mean it didn't happen," he said, adding, "we must know who we are as a nation."

In closing, Biden spoke of hopefulness and the strengthening of ties between the federal government and Tribal Nations. While acknowledging that it was impossible to change the past, he said saying his apology was about "finally moving forward, into the light."

js/lo (AFP, Reuters)