Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians

We are reaching out to extend a warm invitation to Indian Boarding School Survivors to join the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition (NABS) in Harbor Springs, Michigan, September 16-20, 2024 at the Little Traverse Bay Government Center on the Little Traverse Bay of Odawa Indians homelands.

SIGN UP: 

Call: (651) 650-4445

Email: OralHistoryProject@nabshc.org

Link: https://www.tfaforms.com/5092936

As part of the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative, NABS will be visiting Michigan to honor boarding school survivors and to invite them to be interviewed to share their experiences for the creation of a permanent national oral history collection. This historic project aims to shed light on stories that have long gone untold and is a lifeline to preserving the voices and memories of Indian boarding school survivors.

We will begin the week with an opening ceremony and meal on Monday, 9/16, and hold a closing ceremony and meal on Friday, 9/20. We humbly welcome your participation in the ceremonies as well as the encouragement of those that attended boarding school. NABS endeavors to host this week of events in a manner that can bring about healing for our relatives, communities, and Tribal Nations. Boarding school survivors will receive an honorarium, a travel stipend, a hotel room if needed, a care package with items made by Native artisans, receive a copy of their interview, and will have the opportunity to receive ongoing support from our team.

We invite you to join us in encouraging boarding school survivors to share their story, and to contribute to the movement of truth-seeking and truth-telling as we work together to create a first-of-its-kind Oral History Collection. Please see the enclosed attachments that may assist in spreading the word. If you have any questions, we can be reached at (612) 354-7700.

Sincerely,

Deborah Parker (Tulalip)                                                        Samuel Torres (Mexica/Nahua)
Chief Executive Officer                                                         Deputy Chief Executive Officer