From its founding in 1888 until 1980, Red Cloud was a boarding school—one of over 350 institutions established in the nineteenth century created to assimilate Native children. We recognize we can never authentically serve our community, or honor our own staff members, students and families, parishioners, and artists with whom we partner, if we do not first openly and humbly address the tragic injustices in our past.
May Updates
Ground Penetrating Radar
On May 18th, Red Cloud's Truth and Healing Initiative began a new phase of its Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) Process. GPR is a technology that has been used, especially in Canada, to locate unmarked or previously marked graves. Red Cloud has committed to investing in ways for the wider community to learn about GPR as well as use this technology to scan any site where there has been eyewitness testimony of where potential unmarked graves would be. 

The GPR process started with prayer and song by Lakota elders. Then experienced GPR technician, Marsha Small (Northern Cheyenne) and her team, hosted a presentation about the various instruments used in the process. After lunch, community members were welcomed to test out the instruments. Marsha and her team carried out an initial scan of the front field of Red Cloud as a way to demonstrate the technology. They also scanned one location where eyewitness testimony had recalled the possibility of an unmarked grave.

Oglala Sioux Tribe (OST) President Kevin Killer and the Department of the Interior, Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs, Bryan Newland, some OST Tribal Council, along with other Interior staff made an unplanned stop during the day. They got to see some of the instruments and learn about the GPR process. Before leaving, President Killer and Assistant Secretary Newland offered prayers and remarks.

The results of this scan will be made public on our website when they are made available to us. This is anticipated to be by mid-July.  

The next phase of our GPR process is to engage community members about scanning our historic cemetery. We are currently reaching out to community members who have ancestors buried in our historic cemetery to seek guidance and permission for scanning the ground there. If you or anyone you know has ancestors buried in the Holy Rosary Mission historic cemetery, please email Maka Black Elk at makablackelk@redcloudschool.org 
Community Advisory Council
The Truth and Healing Advisory Council consists of elders, former boarders, and other community representatives and provides feedback and guidance on Red Cloud's Truth and Healing. The group meets every other month. Click here for the minutes from their May Second gathering.
New Research Coordinator
We have hired a new full time Research Coordinator for Truth and Healing. Gabrielle Guillerm will begin in September of 2022. Her main role will be to work in the Holy Rosary Mission / Red Cloud archives that are held at Marquette University in Milwaukee. She will be in charge of researching the history of the boarding school and coordinating the digitization of documents to ensure greater accessibility.
Gabrielle is a historian specializing in the study of Catholicism and settler colonialism in the United States. Before Red Cloud, she completed her PhD at Northwestern University and worked as a public historian at Chicago's Newberry Library. Her first book, Catholic Supremacy: French Missionaries and Westward Expansion in the Early Republic, examines the role of the Catholic Church, and especially French missionaries, in entrenching white supremacy in the Great Lakes after the American Revolution. She is currently the Acting Assistant Director of the D'Arcy McNickle Center for American Indian and Indigenous Studies at the Newberry Library
Visit to Archives
Some members of our Truth and Healing Advisory Council will be making a trip to the archives in June. Mary Irving and Cecelia Fire Thunder along with Red Cloud Truth and Healing staff, Maka Black Elk, Tashina Rama, and Billy Critchley-Menor, will look through various collections at the archives and receive an orientation to the materials that are held in the archives. Gabrielle Guillerm, the incoming Research Coordinator, will also be present.
Federal Indian Boarding School Report
Earlier this month the U.S. Department of the Interior released its long awaited report on federal boarding schools. This report is part of the Department of the Interior's larger boarding school initiative. Red Cloud Indian School is in full support of this work and continues to advocate for the passage of H.R. 5444 - Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies Act. We encourage people to contact their representatives and advocate for the passage of H.R. 5444. Click here to read Red Cloud's full statement on the report from the Department of the Interior.
KILI Radio Hour
The Red Cloud Truth and Healing Radio Hour seeks to inform people in the community about our work and support the wider process of opening up the history of boarding schools across North America. The show airs through KILI every week on Mondays alternating every week between 9am and 5pm. You can click here to find past episodes.
Community Input
We are open to suggestions and input in this process as we seek to engage the wider community. If you have suggestions, questions, or concerns about this process please fill out this form and we will be in touch with you. Thank you for journeying with us in this important work.
Red Cloud Indian School | Website