CARLISLE, Pa. — The remains of 10 children have now been returned to their families in an effort that officials hope will give Alaskan Native and Native American families 'an opportunity for healing.'
Nine of the children were from the Rosebud Sioux. One child was from the Alaskan Aleut. During the disenternment process experts also uncovered one set of unidentified remains. Those unidentified remains were not removed from the site at the Carlisle Barracks Main Post Cemetery.
The effort to remove the remains was conducted jointly with experts from the Office of Army Cemeteries, the US Army Corps of Engineers, and a forensic anthropologist.
The remains of Sophia Tetoff, from the Aleut in Alaska, was returned to family in June. The nine remains from the Rosebud Sioux in South Dakota were returned to families July 14. Those nine children are identified as: Lucy Take the Tail (Pretty Eagle), Rose Long Face (Little Hawk), Ernest Knocks Off (White Thunder), Dennis Strikes First (Blue Tomahawk), Maud Little Girl (Swift Bear), Friend Hollow Horn Bear, Warren Painter (Bear Paints Dirt), Alvan (Kills Seven Horses), Dora Her Pipe (Brave Bull).
The cause of death of the children was not investigated.
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Between 1879 and 1918, 9,000 Native American children were taught to assimilate into White American culture. They came from tribes around the country. Carlisle was the first off-reservation boarding school for Native American students.
A total of 164 children are still buried at the gravesite. Fourteen of those remains are unidentified.
The Office of Army Cemeteries said it will continue to work with families who wish to reclaim remains.