Indian Boarding Schools in the 4 Great Plains States I visited Summer 2025 Part Four of several likely

South Dakota is not top on the list of states with the most Indian Boarding Schools (surprise, surprise Oklahoma is + yes we drove through the state one teacher summer vacation- see Sojourn of 2021), but at 34, they had quite a few. And there is disparity in that count. Quite a bit of untold, undocumented history is coming to light these days.

I drove about 20 miles South from Crow Tribal School and the small town of Stephan to Chamberlain, S.D.  Situated on the East bank of the Missouri at another dammed spot, this place, despite long and strong Indigenous roots, is also Settler/Euro-American named. In Lakota it is Makȟáthipi, which means earth dwelling.

I was headed to one of the off-reservation boarding schools.

I liked this sign because it felt like that was what I was doing on my journey through the Great Plains states.

I liked the view. I was so enamored with the Big Mighty Missouri, I stopped every opportunity I got to just stare out at it. So much bigger in scale from our New England regional, and much much smaller, Connecticut River.

This next school I was to visit, I'm pretty sure I remember reading, also had problems with water supply issues in its early days. Pipelines and water- a common theme it seems. 

The town has a population of about 2,500 people. There are about 80% white people and 15% Native American. Maybe that is why it felt like a much much bigger place than Fort Thompson (which has half the population). It is a town that grew into being along with the spread of the railroad. 

The Chamberlain Indian Boarding School was an off-reservation school run by the federal government. It ran from 1898 to 1909. After that it was transferred to the Catholic Church and run as a college until 1923. Next came the school I came to visit.

Still in existence, still called St. Joseph's. Still run by the Congregation of the Priests of Sacred Heart.

So the story begins...

St. Joseph and students, St. Joseph Na Wakháŋheža, 2007

Darwin Wolf, American Bronze

Saint Joseph was Mary's betrothed and guardian and protector of Jesus, therefore, he is often depicted with Baby Jesus. In this case baby Jesus is an Indigenous child.

Some of the stuff here was hard to read...or believe...

The words "loosen the bonds of Native culture..." made me want to vomit. BREAKING CULTURAL TRADITIONS- how about thems words??? Stolen and broken children. There is a place in my brain some of the things I saw and read went and it sort of became an echo chamber. You could tell that some group of humans appointed to be the official grapplers of conflicted history put this whole school side of the museum together.

I thought this was another new school building, but it is not. It is the museum that is in the middle of the campus. More on this later.

 

Sitting Bull and Red Cloud were both prominent Lakota Leaders, oddly compelling to see them show up as street signs.

The school now has "homes" vs. dormitories. 

A mix of new and older buildings dot the campus. The campus was totally quiet. Not a soul in sight. It is a rather large + well kept property. The school is not without scandal however:

 St. Joseph's Indian School: 25 Yrs. of No Accountability (2022)

My relatives went to a Catholic school for Native children. It was a place of horrors (2021)

U.S. Indian school’s fundraising letters sent to millions signed by fictitious kids (2014)

But I also met a woman in my travels who actually attended St. Joe's + she sang the school praises. She explained something I kind of already knew- many folks on reservations are extremely poor with little to no prospects for work or good outcomes so they see opportunity in getting their children into schools like St. Joe's. I am still on the fence.

St. Joe's has slick internet presence. A little too slick for me. Especially when they say things like:

"Our mission is to educate Native American children and their families for life — mind, body, heart and spirit. This mission drives our organization to educate and provide housing for approximately 200 Lakota (Sioux) children each year — all at no cost to their families.


Child poverty and abuse are serious issues on Indian reservations. By supporting St. Joseph's Indian School, you are helping Native American children in need reestablish pride in their culture by learning the Lakota language, studying Native American culture and healing the broken family circle from which they come."

Buildings look harmless, it is what happens inside that can be problematic.

i can not imagine sending a small child off to live elsewhere. However, I can and did experience periods of poverty in my life, and it is not a pleasant way to live. IMHO, I think the trajectory that education took was unfortunate, and in some cases as inhumane as slavery. However, resiliency in humans is a powerful attribute and one that Indigenous people have had baked into their dna for a long time. They have been here through some tough times and they ARE STILL HERE! I admire and honor their journey and feel blessed to coexistence on their ancestral lands. I feel like throughout this pilgrimage I have recommitted to be a decent and kind human as well as a steward to the land. My family history included being brought here as prisoners and slaves, but I will always feel like a guest on this land. A grateful guest.

Good and bad everywhere. It is the bad and the coverups that are the problem, IMHO. Hidden history is now exposed and talked about and legal recourse continues to be a push. However, in this state, the legal path has been made difficult to follow.

From a story done by Reuter's:

'The 2010 South Dakota statute shortening the time period for filing sexual abuse civil lawsuits originated as a "constituent bill" - legislation that is pitched by a citizen who isn't a lawmaker. It was written by South Dakota attorney Steve Smith. He has successfully defended the Congregation of the Priests of the Sacred Heart, a Catholic clerical religious congregation that runs the St. Joseph's Indian School in Chamberlain, South Dakota, in lawsuits filed by Native Americans who claim they were sexually abused there as students. The organization has denied wrongdoing.'

A clean quiet campus on 7/4/25. I wonder what it is like during the school year?

I bet you, like me, are wondering about "Kateri Homes." Can you guess? I tried, and I was right! Well, about the origin of the name, not the building itself. Because this building certainly did not look like a home to me. Apparently it is home to high school students that was retrofitted from former religious staff housing in 2003, who got a new home built in 2001 See below).

The "Kateri" name is from Kateri Tekakwitha, a Mohawk woman from back East (NY) who lived in the 17th century. She was a Mohawk woman who converted to Catholicism in the 17th century, and was known for her piety, suffering (from smallpox scars), and deep faith, becoming the first Native American saint. She was canonized (whatever that means) in 2012 and now that name is a brand in many different places.

Also in 2012, this home was renovated.

When I was in college, I worked at a children's center/orphanage run by the Sister's of Providence and we had "cottages." It was not a pretty scene. This building reminded me of this religiously-affiliated unpleasant place. I learned to question authority, benevolent care and benign neglect and abuse in my tenure. I was a whistle-blower, a "tattler," and I left with some deep feelings of regret and shame that I had naively become a part of and/or colluded with others in keeping quiet about what was really happening there. I wonder if this is what it was like here? Who knew? Who did or didn't do what? Hidden history doesn't go away. Sometimes it gets uncovered. 

If the walls could talk, what would they say? I think what bothers me the most is that this is a christian-run outfit. A large, IMHO, cult-like organization that is as slick as a snake. So what if they have shifted, have PR people to spin what they do. I find it creepy that in the 21st century there is still a sign that says "Indian Boarding School" and is run by Priests of the Sacred Heart and is rooted in the Catholic Church.

Another slick PR visibility gimmick- St. Joseph's Bookmobile travels more than 3,000 miles across South Dakota each summer to distribute free reading materials to children and adults. I also received something free from my visit= mass produced Indian sun catchers that carry the St. Joseph's Indian School name.

So this place is on the grounds of the school. The wiki tell of the place:

"The Aktá Lakota Museum & Cultural Center is a private, non-profit educational and cultural outreach program of St. Joseph's Indian School, Chamberlain, South Dakota, United States. The museum was established in May 1991 to honor and preserve the Lakota culture for the students at St. Joseph’s Indian School and to foster among people who visit an appreciation of the culture."

A human visitor review:

"The Akta Lakota Museum & Cultural Center is a hidden gem that’s absolutely worth a visit. It’s free to enter, and while it’s not a huge museum, it’s the perfect size to really immerse yourself in the experience. The displays are beautiful and authentic, with powerful photographs, artifacts, and personal accounts that tell the history of the Lakota people in a raw and honest way. It’s a moving experience that leaves you with a deeper understanding and a somber reflection on history."

Aktá in Lakota means "to honor," and honestly I walked away with ambiguous feelings because I am not so sure I felt that the human experiment run by white clergy folk was just and humane, nor did I feel a deep connection to anything as I walked away. I felt hollow. I can say that I also felt hopeful that the Indigenous people that come through in the future get what they need- both culturally and educationally.

I spent less time on what felt to me to be a generic Native American history museum, of which there are many + in fact we have an excellent one in New England: Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center (https://www.pequotmuseum.org). 

I disliked the wording on many things I found in this museum. "The Warriors Best Friend," come on. I often felt as I wandered this space that I was being sold a story and I was so glad it was a FREE museum because I didn't buy any of it (excepting books that I combed through carefully prior to purchase). 

One of my favorite learnings of this trip- Lakota Winter Counts. Learn more here:

Lakota Winter Counts

This was one brick I had no desire to go home with. I feel like there is bad juju attached to these objects.

Half the museum is about the history of the school. The story is spun through the photos, exhibits, and lots of videos. I had all day and no crowds, so I took it all in.

Including trying to imagine myself as a student there. The closest I could come was comparing it to my overnight camp experiences, which included resistance to unjust authority, running away, and many happy times as well. 

LOTS of historical pictures, which I like to peruse.

Old School

And newish school. I am unsure of the date

Christian bragging rights; in the beginning. Not true anymore. They get some government funding.

The museum/school side did a lot of talking about the infamous Pratt and Carlisle Indian Boarding School. Like, by talking about Carlisle, which is very well known now for it's brutal history and dead children, was somehow going to make this school look better. To me, they share so many characteristics (same era, same practices, etc.) that I lump them together.

Kid labor

And Indian agents to assure compliance! Yikes!

And even more on the new life that students got at the school:

And then there were these "video's" that had little to do with either the museum or the school. In my mind they are exploitive and do not tell a complete story of the Indigenous people's plight on the reservations or what role our federal government played in aiding and abetting the misery that exists/existed on reservations. 

I was kind of glad when the photo's and exhibits went from black and white to color.

I didn't care that they felt propogandasized.

I liked the art work the most.

Of less favor, yet interesting in an oddly compelling way, were the videotaped story-telling humans.

I was cheering by the time we got to the 70's in the timeline and so pleased to see AIM photo (even if it was black and white).

And this was how they wrapped up the transition to today:

This school's administration became tribal led

The next eye-catching photo shows the "new" blended look of a modern priest.

If you stayed for hours like I did, and read through almost everything they threw at a visitor in their polished approach, you start to recognize common theme's like "they" are the saviors, change agents, and it's all good. This next photo was another "make me want to vomit" one.

"Education offers renewed hope for overcoming the poverty"

YUK!

Then they went back to black + white for a few (some I thought would be great for writing prompts):

Then it got a bit weird:

Hmmm... wonder who they are:

But I was shocked when the writing stayed on the screen for the next photo:

Then back to color, but still with children in the photo

Like somehow the sweet innocence of the anonymous child will lead you to doubt any of the "other" stories you've heard.

For me this was the take-away hope:

And yet...I somehow am dubious just b/c I thought it so odd that this picture and the caption with it needed to be made + included in this presentation. Especially as I had already visited contemporary boarding schools that still had issues that made the press.

I was glad for the journey, grateful for the lack of visitors (this museum in the middle of a school campus would not be a likely 4th of July stop), but after several hours of ingesting it all, I felt emotionally spent. Complex and conflicted history just tears at your soul. But I came here to bear witness, and bear witness I did. I even met an alumna later in my pilgrimage and had the opportunity for oral story-telling and discourse. Her story was positive, so my skeptic's meter shifted a bit to the left again.

...and if you think I am done learning...

you.are.wrong.