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don coyhis
November 2009 
Journey to Heal Historic Indian Boarding School Abuses
Posted on May 23rd, 2009
by 
Jayne
Jayne
Don Coyhis, 2009 Wellbriety Journey for Forgiveness, Healing from
I am a volunteer for Wellbriety for Prisons in Idaho, an organization founded through White Bison (www.whitebison.org). Please take a moment and read this and watch the video by Don Coyhis. If you are moved, please sign the petition - it will be presented to Pres. Obama on June 24th.
Journey to Heal Historic Indian Boarding School Abuses, Including Request for U.S. Government Apology
The Wellbriety Journey for Forgiveness began on Saturday, May 16 at the Chemawa Indian School in Salem, Oregon and will conclude a continent away on June 24, 2009 in Washington, DC. The 40 day, 6800 mile transcontinental event will visit 24 historic Indian Boarding School sites to promote learning, emotional healing, and forgiveness of the harm done to American Indians during the almost 100 year boarding school era that began in North America in 1879. A petition will be presented in Washington to President Barack Obama on June 24, 2009 requesting an apology on behalf of the U.S. government for the abuses of Indian children during the American boarding school era.
From the Petition Site:
The White Buffalo Prophecy tells of a time when a white buffalo calf would be born, and that birth would signal a time of Great Healing for All Nations. That white buffalo calf - the first of many - was born in Janesville, Wisconsin in 1994. Her name was Miracle.
It is in the spirit of the White Bison Prophecy, that we call upon all peoples to join us in signing this petition supporting a US apology and healing for the widespread abuse of Native American children at the nearly 500 schools funded by the US government to assimilate Native American people.
There is a growing body of evidence that the trauma Native American children carried home with them from the schools is an underlying cause of the suicides and substance abuse-related deaths that are killing young Native people today in alarming numbers.
This petition will be hand delivered to Washington, D.C., following a 6,800-mile, cross-country journey by White Bison to 23 present and former Indian school sites (http://www.wellbrietyjourney.org/). The vision is to promote awareness, dialogue and forgiveness for what happened at the schools so that we can collectively heal from this tragic chapter in United States history.
This petition calls upon the President of the United States to issue a formal apology for what the US government allowed to happen to Native American children at the schools and for the intergenerational trauma that is still negatively affecting Native individuals, families & communities to this day.
White Bison, Inc., is a non-profit organization that for the last 20 years has provided culturally-relevant assistance and resources to Native American communities in healing (http://www.whitebison.org/)
Petition Site: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/Apology-For-Indian-School-Abuses
Please help by circulating this information through your networks.
Access: Public
O, Jayne.. that ripped me apart. My father is a Cherokee Indian and I was born given the name 'Cheyenne.' But because my father was determined no one would know I was Indian, he insisted to call me “Shirley”, after Shirley Temple. This way no one would know I was Indian.
Drinking, suicide and sexual abuse, beatings….it was sad what effects the low esteem had. And your life was known not to be worth much because you were Indian.
Listening to this I didn't know how many deep tears would fall from my face, feeling the people who were hurt so much would receive an apology, a recognition for their worth as people. And calling them home. Even when he said that, I felt a part of my spirit return.
I've gone to the site, and thank you for posting this. It touched me very deeply. I felt happy for this movement and even for my own family.
Thank you.
Sincerely and with love,
Cheyenne
Thanks Cheyenne - my heart is open to you. I have a deep friend of the heart that has been part of my life for the past 2.5 years who is from the Colville Confederated Tribes in WA. He went to Chemawa Indian School in OR. This is what initially opened my eyes and heart to the boarding school issues - and what led me to volunteer with Wellbriety for Prisons. It is very interesting that I am accompanying him on his own journey of healing and forgiveness now as well that is rooted in this intergenerational trauma.
Many blessings to you.
My heart went out to your post, and hold great strength to these upcoming awakenings to such outbursts from.
One of my grandmother's are a full breed Ojibwa, and these many ways of teaching have been a great concern of years past. It has been to my understanding - that it's shift has been working towards a better movement.
A lift to a better way of learning is making changes, but the delivery from such harmful rays are yet to be healed from those of such an ignorant-anus way of teachings, and the ability's of yet a learned way that it has yet to be recognized.
Me thinks that such teachings of a lingering movement will not suffice, and that such a quest towards love, Will conquer all towards this bear of a movement.
God speed, and may it's intricate measures all hold a fortitude to, even yet.
Bless
I am from Canada, and where my many Indian friends are situated. Many do not have ownership to a pass port to the U.S of A….guess their happy enough here:)
Please send out your prayers when your “Indian Tribal Ceremony's” go on. Such prayers move on here in the Canadian territory's as well when praying for forgiveness, and to it's many touching's of peace, Love and tribal rights, and towards the “no name grave site” that one is all a part of<B
Amen ()