Recently, the U.S. Office of Army Cemeteries has recovered the remains of nine Native American children from the former Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Pennsylvania, marking a significant step towards honoring their legacy. This excavation was conducted on October 2 as part of a comprehensive seven-year effort at the site.
Located on the grounds of the Carlisle Barracks and Army War College, the Carlisle Indian Industrial School operated from 1879 to 1918 as the first government-run boarding school for Native American children. Its primary mission was to assimilate Indigenous youth into white culture, a goal that involved erasing their languages, religions, and cultural identities, as described by the U.S. Department of the Interior.
During this year’s excavation, officials unearthed 11 gravesites, discovering nine sets of remains that are believed to belong to children buried there. To date, the project has unearthed a total of 41 sets of remains, with the cemetery holding 135 named children’s graves and 14 unmarked ones.
Renea Yates, director of the Office of Army Cemeteries, shared that tribes have requested the exhumation of another 24 graves, which are expected to be undertaken over the next two years. Interestingly, one set of remains did not match the name on the headstone, leading to it being labeled unknown and reburied.
Christopher Koenig, an archaeologist with the Army, emphasized the emotional significance of this work, stating, “This human experience will stick with me much more than the technical aspects.” The school operated under a troubling motto that sought to “kill the Indian” in order to “save the Man,” and its practices led to the establishment of 24 similar institutions across the country.
Throughout its 39 years of operation, the Carlisle school enrolled over 10,000 students, many of whom were forcibly removed from their families or orphaned. Unfortunately, the harsh environment frequently led to illness, with at least 187 children dying and being interred at the cemetery during the school’s existence, as reported by Military.com.
This excavation and return of remains underscore a commitment to addressing historical injustices and honoring the lives of Indigenous children lost to a system designed to erase their identities.