Search for Native Children's Remains at Former Nebraska Indian School Location Begins

Archaeological experts have commenced excavations in search of the remains of children who passed away at a Nebraska-based Native American boarding school. For many years, the exact locations of the burial sites of numerous children who met their end at the Genoa Indian Industrial School have remained unknown. Now, archaeologists hope to shed light on this mystery as they conduct their work on a plot of land which was, a hundred years ago, an integral part of the vast school grounds.

The Genoa institution was one among over 400 boarding schools across the nation that served Native American children. These schools were part of a system that disconnected Indigenous children from their families and sought to eradicate their cultural roots.

Evidence from newspaper articles, historical documents, and a letter from a student suggest that a minimum of 86 students lost their lives at the school, predominantly due to diseases such as tuberculosis and typhoid. At least one fatality is attributed to an unintended shooting.

The small community of Genoa, along with assistance from Native Americans, researchers, and state officials, has been searching for several decades for the neglected cemetery where it is believed that the remains of nearly 80 students might be buried.

Out of these, researchers have managed to determine the names of 49 children, but the identities of 37 children remain unknown. Some of these deceased children were transported back to their home communities after their death, while others are thought to have been interred within the school premises at a location that has been forgotten over the years.

Situated approximately 90 miles west of Omaha, the school was established in 1884. At its peak, it provided residence to close to 600 students originating from over 40 tribes across the nation. The school was closed down in 1931, and most of its buildings have since been razed.

In an attempt to locate the cemetery, the previous summer involved utilizing dogs specifically trained to pick up the subtle scent of decomposing remains. These dogs conducted a search of the area, and indicated the presence of a burial site situated on a slender parcel of land that is enclosed by a farm field, railway tracks, and a canal.

According to Dave Williams, the state archeologist of Nebraska, ground-penetrating radar in November also revealed a region that was likely the location of tombs, although there could still be uncertainties until the area could be dug up.

It’s anticipated that the process would take a few days.

“We’re going to take the soil down and first see if what’s showing up in the ground-penetrating radar are in fact grave-like features,” Williams said. “And once we get that figured out, taking the feature down and determining if there are any human remains still contained within that area.”

Should the excavation uncover human remains, the state archaeology office plans to collaborate with the Nebraska Commission on Indian Affairs to determine the subsequent steps. According to Williams, the discovered remains might either be reinterred in the field followed by the construction of a memorial, or exhumed and sent back to their respective tribes.

While DNA analysis could potentially identify the geographical region each child originated from, pinpointing their specific tribes could prove to be a difficult task, added Williams.

The federal government is taking a more in-depth look into the boarding school system. Under the leadership of Secretary Deb Haaland, who is a member of the Laguna Pueblo in New Mexico and the first Native American cabinet secretary, the US Interior Department released an introductory report in 2022 and is currently working on a second, more detailed report.

It is estimated that a minimum of 500 children lost their lives at these schools, but ongoing research is anticipated to raise this count into the thousands, or potentially tens of thousands.

Sunshine Thomas-Bear, belonging to the Winnebago Tribe and serving as its cultural preservation director, paid a visit to the archaeological site on Tuesday. She shared that her father was a survivor of the Native American boarding school system, and that the trauma inflicted by these institutions has had a lasting impact across generations.

“I want to help heal my people, let them know I’m watching. If anything’s found, then I will report back,” Thomas-Bear said. “It’s all a work in progress. This is one single step.”