{"id":73217,"date":"2026-02-26T16:47:06","date_gmt":"2026-02-26T21:47:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/?p=73217"},"modified":"2026-02-26T17:05:03","modified_gmt":"2026-02-26T22:05:03","slug":"tears-anger-at-house-hearing-on-bungled-tribal-boarding-school-report","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/michigan-government\/tears-anger-at-house-hearing-on-bungled-tribal-boarding-school-report\/","title":{"rendered":"Tears, anger at Michigan hearing on bungled tribal boarding school report"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>A tear-filled hearing on Michigan\u2019s tribal boarding schools included accounts of physical, sexual abuse\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Some tribal leaders urged additional funding for a new report, after an initial $1.1 million study was shelved<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Tribal leaders recommended state funding for mental health and substance use disorder<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p>A taxpayer-funded report on Michigan\u2019s tribal boarding schools \u2014 and the state\u2019s decision to shelve the report \u2014 drew anger and tears from survivors at a House committee hearing Thursday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While there was no consensus about whether to release the report, many urged the state to budget more money for a second, more thorough investigation chronicling a century of abuse suffered by Native American children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That may be a tough sell. The Republican chairperson who scheduled the hearing told Bridge Michigan that he has doubts about giving more money to the same Democratic-led departments that he believes bungled the initial report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThey already had ($1.1 million) to complete this report,\u201d said Rep. Tom Kuhn, R-Troy, chair of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.house.mi.gov\/hfa\/GeneralGovernmentMinutes.asp\">general government subcommittee.<\/a> \u201cI\u2019m disappointed with how (The Department of) Civil Rights and the Attorney General\u2019s office has handled this.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As <a href=\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/michigan-government\/michigan-spent-1-1m-probing-tribal-boarding-schools-then-buried-the-results\/\">first reported by Bridge<\/a>, a long-awaited study of the state\u2019s Native American boarding schools was not released to the public as planned, with one state administrator calling the report \u201cshoddy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Related:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/michigan-government\/michigan-spent-1-1m-probing-tribal-boarding-schools-then-buried-the-results\/\"><strong>Michigan spent $1.1M probing tribal boarding schools, then buried the results<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/michigan-government\/michigan-tribal-school-survivors-recount-hell-on-earth-rapes-beatings\/\"><strong>Michigan tribal school survivors recount \u2018hell on Earth,\u2019 rapes, beatings<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/michigan-government\/michigan-tribal-boarding-school-report-sought-apology-instead-it-was-shelved\/\"><strong>Michigan tribal boarding school report sought apology. Instead, it was shelved<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Bridge obtained a copy of the 300-page report, which included <a href=\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/michigan-government\/michigan-tribal-school-survivors-recount-hell-on-earth-rapes-beatings\/\">harrowing recollections of physical and sexual abuse<\/a> from survivors and descendants of survivors. The report, written by Washington-based Kauffman and Associates, a Native American consulting firm, recommended Michigan join other states in <a href=\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/michigan-government\/michigan-tribal-boarding-school-report-sought-apology-instead-it-was-shelved\/\">issuing an apology<\/a> for its role in the forcible removal of Native American children from their homes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Michigan was home to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bia.gov\/service\/federal-indian-boarding-school-initiative\">five of the 417 federally operated American Indian boarding schools<\/a> in the 19th and 20th centuries that sought to assimilate tribal children by banning traditional language or attire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tuesday\u2019s hearing included testimony from Holy Childhood School of Jesus in Harbor Springs, which was the last tribal boarding school to close in 1983. Witnesses recounted physical and sexual abuse, as well as punishments for speaking their native language.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.gtbindians.org\/witherspoon.asp\">Sandra Witherspoon<\/a>, chairperson of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, and <a href=\"https:\/\/ltbbodawa-nsn.gov\/government\/executive\/tribal-chairman-tribal-vice-chairperson\/\">Winnay Wemigwase<\/a>, chairperson of the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Ottawa Indians, both spoke haltingly of their own experiences and those of their relatives in Michigan boarding schools. While an accounting of the abuses is important for historical purposes, the recounting of abuses is \u201copening old wounds,\u201d Wemigwase said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.michigan.gov\/mvaa\/underserved-veterans\/i-am-a-veteran-campaign\/rodney-loonsfoot\">Rodney Loonsfoot<\/a>, a council member of the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, acknowledged that \u201cmany of the original files remain inaccessible or (lost),\u201d making documentation difficult. \u201cWe know there are many files we do not have access to,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He urged the state to provide funding for another report that delves deeper into records, to \u201cfinish telling our story.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Rep. Carrie Rheingans, D-Ann Arbor, told Bridge she would support more money, but that \u201cI don\u2019t know that we\u2019d have a majority.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Rheingans said she will advocate for a different use of state funding related to the harm caused by boarding schools \u2014 state money for tribal mental health and substance use disorder treatment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Several leaders of Michigan tribes recommended funding for those services at Thursday\u2019s hearing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cSome of these things are going to take longer than what politicians are comfortable waiting,\u201d Rheingans said. \u201cIt gook generations for these harms to happen, and it may take generations for the healing. We need to stop delaying and do what the tribes are asking for.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>More than 40 years after Michigan\u2019s last tribal boarding school closed, the state is still struggling to come to grips with the practice that devastated generations of Native American families.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1804,"featured_media":73218,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_popups_has_disabled_popups":false,"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","inline_featured_image":false,"apple_news_api_created_at":"2026-02-26T21:47:11Z","apple_news_api_id":"a9d44188-759f-4709-93a5-87c879206352","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2026-02-26T22:05:08Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQ==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/AqdRBiHWfRwmTpYfIeSBjUg","apple_news_cover_media_provider":"image","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_cover_video_id":0,"apple_news_cover_video_url":"","apple_news_cover_embedwebvideo_url":"","apple_news_is_hidden":"","apple_news_is_paid":"","apple_news_is_preview":"","apple_news_is_sponsored":"","apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":[],"apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"_newspack_byline_active":false,"_newspack_byline":"","newspack_featured_image_position":"","newspack_post_subtitle":"","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_show_updated_date":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false},"categories":[2445],"tags":[59],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"coauthors":[2459],"class_list":["post-73217","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-michigan-government","tag-michigans-spending","entry"],"apple_news_notices":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.0 - 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(Mark Hoover for Bridge Michigan)\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/michigan-government\/tears-anger-at-house-hearing-on-bungled-tribal-boarding-school-report\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Tears, anger at Michigan hearing on bungled tribal boarding school report\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/\",\"name\":\"Bridge Michigan\",\"description\":\"Michigan\u2019s nonpartisan, nonprofit news source\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Bridge Michigan\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/logo-500.svg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/logo-500.svg\",\"width\":500,\"height\":188,\"caption\":\"Bridge Michigan\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/BridgeMichigan\/\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/bridgemichigan\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/bridge.michigan\",\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/bridgemi.com\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@bridge.michigan\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b25b21e38c04f81380abb854d94705ac\",\"name\":\"Ron French\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/d65fa86265cb46613ab58dc133ae5844\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/FRENCH-96x96.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/FRENCH-96x96.jpg\",\"caption\":\"Ron French\"},\"description\":\"Ron reports on a variety of subjects across the state. Ron came to Bridge in 2011 from The Detroit News, where he was a project reporter. Born and raised in Indiana, Ron graduated from Purdue University. He reported for newspapers across Indiana before moving to Michigan in 1995. Ron lives in Okemos, and like the true Michigander he\u2019s become, he now has a family cabin Up North. 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Ron came to Bridge in 2011 from The Detroit News, where he was a project reporter. Born and raised in Indiana, Ron graduated from Purdue University. He reported for newspapers across Indiana before moving to Michigan in 1995. Ron lives in Okemos, and like the true Michigander he\u2019s become, he now has a family cabin Up North. 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