1 00:00:02,333 --> 00:00:04,900 GEOFF BENNETT: For the first time, the U.S. government released a report this month detailing 2 00:00:04,900 --> 00:00:08,233 the abuse and mistreatment of native children who were forcibly sent to boarding schools in the 3 00:00:08,233 --> 00:00:13,233 1800s. Our St. Louis Community reporter, Gabrielle Hays has been reporting on one school in Missouri, 4 00:00:14,766 --> 00:00:17,333 that fits into this painful history. And Gabrielle joins us now. 5 00:00:17,333 --> 00:00:19,033 So tell us more about this boarding school, 6 00:00:19,033 --> 00:00:23,933 the St. Regis Seminary opened in 1824. What did your reporting uncover? 7 00:00:25,933 --> 00:00:28,533 GABRIELLE HAYS: Yeah, so we learned at this school, as you said, opened in 1824. 8 00:00:30,500 --> 00:00:33,900 And it later closed in 1831. So it wasn't open for that long. Well, we do know 9 00:00:36,000 --> 00:00:39,800 is that, you know, what was promised, the idea from the beginning was that these schools were, 10 00:00:41,700 --> 00:00:46,333 "going to provide an education." But the research shows what's reflected in this 11 00:00:48,333 --> 00:00:51,800 report from the Department of Interior, which is that that wasn't that the case that these 12 00:00:53,900 --> 00:00:57,833 children were specifically at St. Regis worked long hours in fields, they did manual labor. 13 00:00:59,766 --> 00:01:03,700 And now also, many of them were also abused physically, violence, there was violence in 14 00:01:05,733 --> 00:01:10,233 these schools, and then one here, Missouri, and so we kind of work to piece together what 15 00:01:10,233 --> 00:01:14,866 happened in those seven years, as much as we could, and for the most part from letters. 16 00:01:14,866 --> 00:01:19,033 GEOFF BENNETT: And this was a Jesuit school. So how have the Jesuits 17 00:01:19,033 --> 00:01:22,000 responded? And how are they reconciling with their past? 18 00:01:22,000 --> 00:01:26,633 GABRIELLE HAYS: Yeah, so it was the Society of Jesus, that open this school, and they actually 19 00:01:26,633 --> 00:01:31,633 opened more than one across the parts of the country. And so we've been in communication with 20 00:01:33,633 --> 00:01:37,600 the Jesuits. And we know that they released a statement, I believe, last year, kind of 21 00:01:37,600 --> 00:01:42,600 acknowledging what happened at these schools. But recently, more recently, I believe in January, 22 00:01:44,666 --> 00:01:48,166 they brought in a researcher that's going to be based here in St. Louis. And that person 23 00:01:48,166 --> 00:01:52,866 is supposed to take a look at the history, the Jesuits involvement and kind of piece together 24 00:01:54,966 --> 00:01:58,600 that story. And so we've worked with them in some of that work, but it will be important to see 25 00:02:00,233 --> 00:02:03,033 what they are able to uncover and sort of release because 26 00:02:04,966 --> 00:02:08,133 we were able to piece together the story through records and things that they kept. 27 00:02:08,133 --> 00:02:12,066 And so we're waiting to kind of see what else they have and what else we can learn. 28 00:02:12,066 --> 00:02:16,800 GEOFF BENNETT: So put this into the larger context for us, because the Department of the Interior, 29 00:02:16,800 --> 00:02:21,800 as you will know, it says Native American children are forced into assimilation at 408 30 00:02:23,800 --> 00:02:26,133 boarding schools, federal boarding schools in the 19th and 20th centuries. 31 00:02:26,133 --> 00:02:29,333 GABRIELLE HAYS: Yeah. And I think it's important also to note, 32 00:02:29,333 --> 00:02:34,300 that report makes it clear that there are 408 that they have included, but that number 33 00:02:34,300 --> 00:02:38,233 could possibly grow. And so I think that that's important. 34 00:02:38,233 --> 00:02:42,133 You know, in reading that report, it was so striking because so many of the things 35 00:02:42,133 --> 00:02:47,133 that we were able to uncover, whether it was assimilation tactics, or the promises that 36 00:02:49,200 --> 00:02:52,733 were made or the experience of the children, or some of the language that that was used in 37 00:02:54,800 --> 00:02:57,866 these letters to justify what happened at the schools. We could see the reading that letter, 38 00:02:59,866 --> 00:03:02,300 reading that report that would happen in St. Louis, would happen in Florissant, 39 00:03:04,233 --> 00:03:06,533 it wasn't just our story, it was a story that happened across several states. 40 00:03:08,100 --> 00:03:12,333 And so it's -- St Louis has a chapter but it's a much bigger story. 41 00:03:13,800 --> 00:03:16,233 GEOFF BENNETT: Our St. Louis Community Reporter Gabrielle 42 00:03:16,233 --> 00:03:18,300 Hays. Gabby, thanks so much for being with us. 43 00:03:18,300 --> 00:03:19,800 GABRIELLE HAYS: Thank you. 44 00:03:19,800 --> 00:03:22,466 GEOFF BENNETT: And you can read Gabrielle's full story, 45 00:03:22,466 --> 00:03:27,100 her brilliant reporting on our website pbs.org/news hour.