Here are the words of Kevin Gover, Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs,
United States Department of the Interior, at the Ceremony Acknowledging
the 175th Anniversary of the Establishment of the Bureau of Indian Affairs,
September 8, 2000. I publish his remarks verbatim.
"In March of 1824, President James Monroe established the Office
of Indian Affairs in the Department of War. Its mission was to conduct
the nation's business with regard to Indian affairs. We have come
together today to mark the first 175 years of the institution now
known as the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
"It is appropriate that we do so in the first year of a new century
and a new millennium, a time when our leaders are reflecting on what
lies ahead and preparing for those challenges. Before looking ahead,
though, this institution must first look back and reflect on what
it has wrought and, by doing so, come to know that this is no occasion
for celebration; rather it is time for reflection and contemplation,
a time for sorrowful truths to be spoken, a time for contrition.
"We must first reconcile ourselves to the fact that the works of
this agency have at various times profoundly harmed the communities
it was meant to serve. From the very beginning, the Office of Indian
Affairs was an instrument by which the United States enforced its
ambition against the Indian nations and Indian people who stood in
its path. And so, the first mission of this institution was to execute
the removal of the southeastern tribal nations. By threat, deceit,
and force, these great tribal nations were made to march 1,000 miles
to the west, leaving thousands of their old, their young and their
infirm in hasty graves along the Trail of Tears.
"As the nation looked to the West for more land, this agency participated
in the ethnic cleansing that befell the western tribes. War necessarily
begets tragedy; the war for the West was no exception. Yet in these
more enlightened times, it must be acknowledged that the deliberate
spread of disease, the decimation of the mighty bison herds, the use
of the poison alcohol to destroy mind and body, and the cowardly killing
of women and children made for tragedy on a scale so ghastly that
it cannot be dismissed as merely the inevitable consequence of the
clash of competing ways of life. This agency and the good people in
it failed in the mission to prevent the devastation. And so great
nations of patriot warriors fell. We will never push aside the memory
of unnecessary and violent death at places such as Sand Creek, the
banks of the Washita River, and Wounded Knee.
"Nor did the consequences of war have to include the futile and destructive
efforts to annihilate Indian cultures. After the devastation of tribal
economies and the deliberate creation of tribal dependence on the
services provided by this agency, this agency set out to destroy all
things Indian.
"This agency forbade the speaking of Indian languages, prohibited
the conduct of traditional religious activities, outlawed traditional
government, and made Indian people ashamed of who they were. Worst
of all, the Bureau of Indian Affairs committed these acts against
the children entrusted to its boarding schools, brutalizing them emotionally,
psychologically, physically, and spiritually. Even in this era of
self-determination, when the Bureau of Indian Affairs is at long last
serving as an advocate for Indian people in an atmosphere of mutual
respect, the legacy of these misdeeds haunts us. The trauma of shame,
fear and anger has passed from one generation to the next, and manifests
itself in the rampant alcoholism, drug abuse, and domestic violence
that plague Indian country .Many of our people live lives of unrelenting
tragedy as Indian families suffer the ruin of lives by alcoholism,
suicides made of shame and despair, and violent death at the hands
of one another. So many of the maladies suffered today in Indian country
result from the failures of this agency. Poverty, ignorance, and disease
have been the product of this agency's work.
"And so today I stand before you as the leader of an institution
that in the past has committed acts so terrible that they infect,
diminish, and destroy the lives of Indian people decades later, generations
later. These things occurred despite the efforts of many good people
with good hearts who sought to prevent them. These wrongs must be
acknowledged if the healing is to begin.
"I do not speak today for the United States. That is the province
of the nation's elected leaders, and I would not presume to speak
on their behalf. I am empowered, however, to speak on behalf of this
agency, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and I am quite certain that
the words that follow reflect the hearts of its 10,000 employees.
"Let us begin by expressing our profound sorrow for what this agency
has done in the past. Just like you, when we think of these misdeeds
and their tragic consequences, our hearts break and our grief is as
pure and complete as yours. We desperately wish that we could change
this history, but of course we cannot. On behalf of the Bureau of
Indian Affairs, I extend this formal apology to Indian people for
the historical conduct of this agency.
"And while the BIA employees of today did not commit these wrongs,
we acknowledge that the institution we serve did. We accept this inheritance,
this legacy of racism and inhumanity. And by accepting this legacy,
we accept also the moral responsibility of putting things right.
"We therefore begin this important work anew, and make a new commitment
to the people and communities that we serve, a commitment born of
the dedication we share with you to the cause of renewed hope and
prosperity for Indian country. Never again will this agency stand
silent when hate and violence are committed against Indians. Never
again will we allow policy to proceed from the assumption that Indians
possess less human genius than the other races. Never again will we
be complicit in the theft of Indian property. Never again will we
appoint false leaders who serve purposes other than those of the tribes.
Never again will we allow unflattering and stereotypical images of
Indian people to deface the halls of government or lead the American
people to shallow and ignorant beliefs about Indians. Never again
will we attack your religions, your languages, your rituals, or any
of your tribal ways. Never again will we seize your children, nor
teach them to be ashamed of who they are. Never again.
"We cannot yet ask your forgiveness, not while the burdens of this
agency's history weigh so heavily on tribal communities. What we do
ask is that, together, we allow the healing to begin: As you return
to your homes, and as you talk with your people, please tell them
that time of dying is at its end. Tell your children that the time
of shame and fear is over. Tell your young men and women to replace
their anger with hope and love for their people. Together, we must
wipe the tears of seven generations. Together, we must allow our broken
hearts to mend. Together, we will face a challenging world with confidence
and trust. Together, let us resolve that when our future leaders gather
to discuss the history of this institution, it will be time to celebrate
the rebirth of joy, freedom, and progress for the Indian Nations.
The Bureau of Indian Affairs was born in 1824 in a time of war on
Indian people. May it live in the year 2000 and beyond as an instrument
of their prosperity."
