Not long ago, the U.S. government tried to undermine Native American culture and take away tribal land by forcing children into Indian boarding schools across the country, including 47 in Arizona.
Just a few decades removed from the federal Indian boarding school system, an effort has emerged from the Department of Interior to rebuild and strengthen bonds within Native communities that 20th century-era policies set out to break.
Locally, the realities stemming from federal Indian boarding schools have a bigger impact than in most states. Of the roughly 400 Indian boarding schools around the country, Arizona had the second-highest amount, with 47 schools. Only present-day Oklahoma had more campuses within state boundaries.
