There is a special exhibit area at the museum regarding Indian Boarding Schools.

These tiny handcuffs are impossibly small. They brought me to tears.

I cannot imagine the pain of small children being forcibly removed from their families.

This was an interesting quilt included in the display.

There is much to learn here. It is a part of our history worth delving into.

One of my sons in law is Native American. I love him dearly! One of my favorite things about him, is that I can ask him anything and he is never offended, no matter how dumb or insensitive my questions may seem. I think he knows my heart is to learn. He also has an uncanny ability to look at all sides of an issue and give honest assessments. He seeks to understand.

We had a great discussion about this topic. His grandparents attended a school like this. Amazingly, they found the good in it. Because of the school, they came to know Jesus. It was also an opportunity for the intermingling of diverse tribes. Groups that had previously considered one another as enemies became friends as they learned how much they had in common.

Some of the quotes in the exhibit echoed this sentiment. They also gave credit to the schools for learning trades and understanding how to navigate in this new world they found themselves in.

Does this excuse the horror? Definitely not. Removing children from their parents is fundamentally wrong. Further, the system was the perfect setup for abuse.

Sadly, the stealing of children is not a thing of the past. It happens everywhere. It happens today. To learn more, you can read about the A21 Campaign by clicking here. You can also learn more about child trafficking and the border crisis here.