Fort Hall event recognizes trauma suffered at boarding school

FORT HALL - Many of the social and criminal problems that exist in Native American communities may be due to historical traumas.In Fort Hall Tuesday, hundreds gathered at the Sho-Ban High School to remember some of the difficulties members of the Shoshone-Bannock tribes experienced.In the late 19th century, many Native Americans in Fort Hall were forced to attend boarding schools where abuse and neglect were rampant. Lee Juan Tyler's grandparents were among the students. Tyler, a Fort Hall Business Councilman said, "They were playing and singing, and they got whipped and brutally beaten not understanding what's going on, eight-years-old."The schools were set up by the U.S. Government as a way to assimilate Native Americans into mainstream culture. Tuesday, the Wellbriety Journey of Forgiveness stopped at the Sho-Ban High School to encourage dialogue as a way to help people heal. TaNisha Nevada, Sho-Ban High School Junior said, "I just feel so bad for the people back then-how they were treated and everything."Makyla Sequints, Sho-Ban High School Sophomore added, "It makes me think that it was harder from their life to our life now."Even though the old boarding school is now in ruins, organizers of Tuesday's activities are hoping that it's a reminder of how important it is to remember your past, and help maintain your future. Tyler said, "We were going to lose our language. Be put into the "melting pot" with assimilation/acculturation, and how to forcefully do it."But along with getting people to talk openly about the past, the Wellbriety event is helping students learn what they can do to ensure their culture is not lost in the future. Tyler Bosquez, Sho-Ban High School Junior said, "This will help people realize what being Native American really is about. Why we should be proud of who we are, and what we need to do to help bring back our culture through family, tradition, and being one with each other."The Wellbriety Journey is hosted by a non-profit group called White Bison, Inc., and is in the middle of a 40-day 6,800 mile trek across the country.It will end in Washington D.C. on June 22nd where the group plans to deliver a petition to President Obama asking him to formally apologize for the government's use of boarding schools.