<
https://www.post-gazette.com/news/state/2023/11/24/carlisle-indian-industrial-school-beaded-moccasins-sisseton-wahpeyton-oyate/stories/202311220102>
"LAKE TRAVERSE RESERVATION, S.D. — The moccasins sat for decades in the corner
of a glass-enclosed bookcase in Pennsylvania, nestled on a shelf with a Davy
Crockett trading card and Canadian Mountie knick-knack.
They had long been separated from the unknown Native boy who had worn them into
the notorious Carlisle Indian Industrial School more than 100 years ago, where
they were taken from him along with his Native connections to family, language
and traditions.
By the time they returned quietly home to Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate lands in late
September, however, their anonymity had made them universal, a reminder of the
forced assimilation that had formed the mission of the Pennsylvania school.
“It's all about those moccasins,” said Tamara St. John, a Sisseton Wahpeton
Oyate historian and South Dakota state representative. “They are the symbol of
everything that happened there.”
Their journey home — accompanying the remains of two Sisseton and Spirit Lake
boys repatriated to their tribes and families — brought not only another step
toward reconciliation and healing for those involved but also inner peace and a
sense of purpose to others along the way."
Via Esther Schindler.
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
