Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has announced a comprehensive criminal investigation into the state's former Native American boarding schools and orphanages, where Native American children were forced to abandon their tribes and cultures.
The investigation seeks to document the history of the buildings, as well as prosecute where possible. Of the eight state recognized institutions, two of them were open and operating into the 1980's.
U.S. government officials, often in partnership with Christian churches, opened the buildings as a way to take Native American children from their homes and assimilate them into American society as a form of cultural genocide.
There, children would be abused for speaking their language or participating in traditions. To this day, many of these children are still unaccounted for.
It is unknown how many children went through these systems.
Some tribes, such as Mount Pleasant's Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe, now use the buildings as memorials for those they lost. Every year the tribe holds a memorial at the Mount Pleasant Indian Industrial Boarding School to honor those lost during its operation.
The Department of the Attorney General is encouraging anyone with information on the institutions to either email them or call their toll-free number at 517-897-7391. Tips can be anonymous.
