When two Native American boys from Nebraska died after being taken to a notorious boarding school hundreds of miles away in Pennsylvania, they were buried there without notice. Nearly 130 years later, the tribe wants the boys' remains back home. So far, the Army has refused to return the remains of Samuel Gilbert and Edward Hensley. A federal lawsuit says the Army is ignoring a 1990 law aimed at expediting the return of the deceased to Native American lands. Samuel had been at the Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Pennsylvania for just 47 days when he died in 1895. Edward spent four years at the school before dying in 1899. The Carlisle Indian Industrial School was the first government-operated school for Native Americans, founded by a former military officer, Richard Henry Pratt. He believed that Native Americans could be a productive part of society, but only through assimilation.
Tribe Wants Army To Return Bodies Of 19th Century Nebraskans From PA
Courtesy of Stewart Indian School Cultural Center and Museum via AP