St. Labre Investigating Unmarked Grave Sites

By Pamela Ash

Independent Press

Stories about the presence of more than 200 unmarked graved on the grounds of a Canadian Indian residential school in Kamloops, British Columbia, began surfacing on May 27, 2021.

These stories prompted concerns at St. Labre that there was a possibility something like this could have happened at one of its three locations on Northern Cheyenne and Crow Reservations. Due to this, the St. Labre Board of Directors formed an independent commission to research the history of those three boarding schools.

The independent commission formed by the Board has the goal of investigate the potential for unmarked and/or undocumented graves at any of the schools operated by St. Labre, including the main campus at Ashland, Pretty Eagle Catholic Academy at St. Xavier, and the St. Charles Mission School in Pryor. The unbiased independent commission's goal is to obtain a thorough, fact-based review of the history at those locations.

The Commission is made up of St. Labre Board members Dr. Matthew Redinger and Anda Pretty On Top, and independent members Dr. Janine Pease, Dr. Walter Fleming and Dr. Richard Littlebear.

The five-member commission is independent of the Board and will review available records and provide public listening sessions at various locations throughout the Crow and Northern Cheyenne reservations. Since the sessions will center on what may be sensitive personal and/or family histories, no media will be present. The Commission will report its findings to the St. Labre Board of Directors who will release the findings sometime after the beginning of 2024.

The Commission consists of five members, including two St. Labre Board members who volunteered because of their interest, expertise and/or connection to the community. The other three members of the Commission are independent, meaning that neither they nor any immediate family member is a current or former member of the St. Labre Board or related boards, aren't a current or former employee of St. Labre or any St. Labre affiliate, and have not received direct or indirect compensation from St. Labre or any St. Labre affiliate within the past five years apart from Commission-related expense reimbursement and stipends.

The Commission, with the help of an independent historical research firm, will review a wide variety of archives, records, and local history to determine the possibility of unmarked and/or undocumented graves over the next six months.

This investigation process is currently in the information gathering and research stage. Though the Board of Directors hopes to have this portion of the research completed this fall, timing of access to archives, conflicts in schedules and other unanticipated events may delay completion of the research.

They ask that community members and interested parties be patient as this Commission reviews the many years, stories that encompass St. Labre and its various campuses and its shared history with the Northern Cheyenne and Crow tribes.

The Commission has engaged the services of Historical Research Associates in Missoula, MT, after reviewing proposals from several firms. HRA is currently reviewing government, church, privately held and other relevant records at the national, state, and local level. They will be present at the listening sessions, as will the Commission members. The Commission hopes to have this portion of the research completed this fall.

As part of its investigation, the Commission is seeking the oral histories of those who may have attended or who are descendants of those who attended any of the three St. Labre schools. Community members who have information that may be helpful to the Commission's work are invited to the listening sessions to share information that they believe may directly contribute to the thoroughness of this investigation.

For those who want to share information but aren't able to attend a listening session contact Dr. Pease at Little Big Horn College for a form to submit. They can contact Dr. Pease at Dr. Janine Pease, 8645 Weaver Drive Crow Agency, MT, 59022.

Listening sessions are for community members. The Commission asks that only community members with information to share attend the listening sessions to respect the privacy of those sharing information. Further, outside of the listening sessions, attendees are asked to share only the stories they bring and not the stories that others have shared during the listening sessions.

The first listening sessions were held in Lame Deer, Busby and Ashland on July 10; and on Crow Agency and Lodge Grass July 11. The final sessions will be July 12 at the Pretty Eagle Catholic Academy cafeteria in St. Xavier at 5 p.m. and at the St. Charles Mission School cafeteria in Pryor at 10 a.m. on July 12.

Founded in 1884, St. Labre Indian School was started to care for the Northern Cheyenne People that had been displaced as a result of encroachment of white settlers in the area. George Yoakam, a former soldier and Catholic convert, led the effort to raise awareness of the plight of the Cheyenne People that were homeless and hungry. Through his efforts, Bishop John Baptist Brondel coordinated the purchase of a three-room cabin in 1884 that served as a residence, school and the church.

St. Labre became a boarding school in 1885, but with scarce resources that led to parents often not being able to feed their children, the school was often a last resort. At that time the purpose of the provided education was to help the children assimilate into white American culture and to convert them to Christianity.

Dr. Pease earned her Doctor of Education in Adult and Higher Education from Montana State University-Bozeman and is the founding president of Little Big Horn College in Crow Agency. She presently serves as adjunct faculty at Little Big Horn College. Dr. Pease is active in efforts to preserve and revitalize indigenous languages and has a keen interest in history. She has previously researched federal Indian boarding schools. Dr. Pease has earned many awards including a MacArthur Fellowship; two recognized as a Humanities Hero by Humanities Montana; and received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association of Tribal Archive, Libraries and Museums. She is an enrolled member of the Crow Tribe.

Dr. Fleming is a member of the Kickapoo Tribe of Kansas, although he grew up on the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation. He earned his PhD in American Studies with a Museum Studies minor from the University of Kansas. Dr. Fleming was twice recognized as Educator of the Year by the Montana Indian Education Association and was a recipient of the Montana "Governor's Humanities Award." Dr. Fleming currently serves as Department Head of Native American Studies and as a full professor at Montana State University-Bozeman.

Dr. Redinger is a member of the St. Labre Board and earned his PhD in History from the University of Washington in Seattle, WA. Dr. Redinger is presently researching a book on modernity's confrontation with indigenous populations in the United States and Argentina. He joined the St. Labre Board of Directors in 2021. He currently serves as Provost for the University of Providence in Great Falls, and previously served as Vice-Provost of Academic Affairs at Montana State University-Billings. He was born and raised in Montana.

Dr. Littlebear recently retired as President of Chief Dull Knife College in Lame Deer. He earned his Doctor of Education from Boston University in Boston, MA, and is a tireless advocate for the preservation and revitalization of indigenous languages, especially Cheyenne, his first language. Dr. Littlebear considers learning to read and write the Cheyenne language his greatest academic achievement. He has expressed criticism of the role played by the Catholic Church, St. Labre, and other religious denominations in efforts to eradicate Native languages and cultures. He is a highly sought after consultant for indigenous language restoration efforts. Dr. Littlebear is a member of the Northern Cheyenne Tribe.

Pretty On Top is a St. Labre Board member and is a retired educator having served the children of Northern Cheyenne and Crow tribal members during a career spanning more than 30 years. She earned her Master of Education degree from Montana State University-Billings. She became a member of the St. Labre Board of Directors in 2021 and is a fluent speaker of the Crow Language.