More than 3,100 Native American children died in US boarding schools: Report

At least 3,104 Native American children died in boarding schools in the US between 1828 and 1970 -- a figure three times higher than the government's estimate, The Washington Post reported Sunday.

The Post described the deaths in the schools, which were established to forcibly assimilate Indigenous children into European settler culture, as "a dark chapter in American history that has long been ignored and largely covered up."

"The boarding schools were not schools but prison camps, work camps," said Judi M. Gaiashkibos, executive director of the Nebraska Commission on Indian Affairs.

- 'A sin that stains our souls'

Many of the children faced disease, malnutrition, accidents and even abuse that led to their deaths, according to the American daily.

The Post found that more than 800 of the children were buried on or near school grounds, their bodies never returned to their families or tribes.

US President Joe Biden addressed this tragic legacy in October, calling the atrocities "a sin that stains our souls" and issuing an historic apology to Native American communities.

His administration has since implemented measures to support tribal nations, including expanded autonomy and the protection of sacred sites.

Historians suggest that the true death toll could be even higher as poor record-keeping and deliberate cover-ups have obscured the full scope of the tragedy.

In neighboring Canada, where similar institutions existed, a government commission labeled the practice "cultural genocide," estimating that more than 4,000 Indigenous children died or went missing in residential schools.

The Post's investigation highlighted the enduring impact of these institutions as many Native communities continue to grapple with poverty, high suicide rates and systemic marginalization stemming from this traumatic past.