BILLINGS, Mont. A new investigation has uncovered that at least 973 Native American children died in the U.S. government’s boarding school system, a report released Tuesday by Interior Department officials reveals. This grim finding highlights the need for a formal apology from the federal government and further action to address the historical trauma inflicted on Native communities.

The investigation, led by Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, identified marked and unmarked graves at 65 of the over 400 boarding schools established for Native American children. The causes of death included disease and abuse over a 150-year period ending in 1969. The report also noted that additional children might have died after falling ill at the schools and being sent home.

Haaland, the first Native American Cabinet secretary and a member of the Laguna Pueblo tribe, stated, “The federal government took deliberate and strategic action through boarding school policies to isolate children from their families, deny them their identities, and steal from them the languages, cultures, and connections that are foundational to Native people.” She added, “This was a concerted attempt to eradicate the quote, ‘Indian problem’ — to either assimilate or destroy native peoples altogether.”

The findings come after two years of listening sessions where former students described severe mistreatment, including punishment for speaking their native languages, solitary confinement, and physical abuse. Many survivors, like Donovan Archambault, 85, recounted their traumatic experiences. Archambault, who was sent to boarding schools at age 11, said, “An apology is needed. They should apologize… But there also needs to be a broader education about what happened to us.”

Haaland expressed her personal sorrow but called for a formal government apology. While she did not specify whether she would urge President Joe Biden to issue an apology, she emphasized the need for a formal acknowledgment of the wrongs committed.

The report also recommended significant investments in programs to help Native American communities recover from the trauma caused by the boarding schools. This includes funding for education, violence prevention, and the revitalization of indigenous languages. The schools were funded by $23.3 billion in inflation-adjusted federal spending, and religious and private institutions that ran many of these schools received federal money.

By the 1920s, around 60,000 Indigenous children were attending boarding schools run by the federal government or religious organizations. “These are stolen generations of children,” said Deborah Parker, CEO of the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition. “It’s about time the federal government speak so honestly and candidly about the impact.”

Haaland shared that her own grandparents were forcibly removed from their families and placed in a Catholic boarding school at age 8. The report highlights that more than 200 government-supported schools had religious affiliations, with over 100 additional schools operated by churches without federal support.

In June, U.S. Catholic bishops apologized for the church’s role in the trauma experienced by these children. Pope Francis also apologized in 2022 for the Catholic Church’s involvement in Canadian boarding schools, acknowledging the destruction of Native cultures and families.

Legislation currently pending in Congress aims to establish a “Truth and Healing Commission” to further investigate boarding school injustices and grant subpoena power to gather evidence. However, some Catholic bishops have opposed this measure, advocating for cooperation without an adversarial approach.