Quinault Indian Nation member among five selected for board to study impact of Indian boarding schools

Oct. 4—A member of the Quinault Indian Nation will serve on a state advisory committee tasked with addressing the long-term harm caused by Indian boarding schools.

Rebecca Black of the Quinault Indian Nation will serve on the five-person advisory board announced by Attorney General Bob Ferguson Tuesday. The Truth & Reconciliation Tribal Advisory Committee will map the extent of Indian boarding schools in the state, and the damage caused by their poor treatment of children.

A report by the Department of the Interior has indicated that 15 of these boarding schools operated in Washington, though it could be higher when accounting for asylums and orphanages that targeted American Indian, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian children.

"These schools are not just a shameful part of our history — the trauma they caused reverberates through generations of Indigenous families," Ferguson said in a news release. "This week, we do more than just observe the National Day of Remembrance for Indian Boarding Schools. With this new committee, we start a long but essential journey toward healing."

According to Ferguson, the schools renamed Indian children with English names, cut their hair, prevented children from using their native language and employed corporal punishment to force the children to assimilate.

The Department of the Interior has found that thousands of students died at the schools, with many buried in unmarked or poorly marked graves.

"We are grateful for Washington state's leadership in not only investigating its role during the Indian boarding school era, but also its willingness to promote healing for survivors," said Deborah Parker (Tulalip), CEO of The National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition. "We need other states to follow suit and work with Tribes and Native communities to bring the truth about this dark history to light."

In addition to Black, the other four members of the advisory council are:

—Edward Washines (Yakama)

—Tamika LaMere (Anishinaabe enrolled with the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians of Montana)

—Abriel Johnny (Tlingit and Cowichan First Nations)

—Diana Bob (Lummi)

The council will hold listening sessions around the state in January, part of a two-year effort that will culminate with a report in 2025.