Healing the Past: Repatriation of Native American Children from Carlisle School

Thu Nov 06 2025 16:11:09 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

After over a century apart, the remains of 17 Native American students from Carlisle Indian School have been repatriated to their families. This significant act highlights the ongoing journey towards healing from historical injustices faced by Indigenous communities in the U.S.

The tragic story of Matavito Horse and Leah Road Traveler symbolizes the painful history of the Carlisle Indian Industrial School, where many Native American children were taken. Recently, their remains, alongside 15 others, were returned to their tribes in Oklahoma in a step toward healing for families impacted by the boarding school era. As part of this ongoing journey, the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes received their children, stressing the importance of closure and remembrance amidst a dark chapter of history. While details often remain scarce, the impact on families and communities continues to resonate deeply today.

CARLISLE, Pa. — The journey of Native American children taken from their families to the Carlisle Indian Industrial School has come full circle with the recent repatriation of 17 of their remains to their home tribes. Among them were Matavito Horse, a Cheyenne boy, and Leah Road Traveler, an Arapaho girl, who arrived at the school in October 1879, unbeknownst to their fate.

Years later, as these children faced tragic ends—many succumbing to diseases like tuberculosis—fierce persistence from tribal communities led to their exhumation and return. In a powerful ceremony, the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes laid to rest their children at a cemetery in Concho, Oklahoma, fostering a long-awaited healing process for the affected families.

At Carlisle, children learned to work, losing their identities in the process. Some were baptized and trained in various trades, but their deaths were often attributed to neglect and harsh living conditions. Historian Preston McBride highlights how record-keeping was poor, often reducing a child's existence to a mere scrap of paper with conflicting details.

However, reported abuses were also rampant—physical and emotional harm at the hands of those responsible for their care. The recent findings and subsequent efforts to repatriate these children align with the U.S. government's acknowledgment of its failures at these institutions.

As the story continues to unfold, the partnership of tribes and advocacy groups is critical in securing the return of more children, with strong community support highlighted during memorial services acknowledging the sacrifices made and lives lost.

Efforts are underway to ensure that the continued exhumation processes are funded and executed with respect to the tribes, resonating with a shared understanding of justice and restoration.