HELENA — The White House has announced that it will designate the site of the former Carlisle federal Indian boarding school as a national monument.
The announcement was made at the fourth and final White House Tribal Nations Summit on Monday.
The Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Pennsylvania operated between 1879 and 1918.
During that period more than 10,000 Native American children were enrolled there, representing some 50 tribal nations, including many from Montana.
The designation aims to help tell the story of how thousands of Indigenous children were separated from their families in an attempt to strip them of their culture.
Monday’s announcement follows a formal apology issued by President Biden for the practice earlier this year.
The remains of three children buried at the Carlisle Indian Industrial School were returned to the Fort Belknap Indian community in September.
