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Stripped of my spirituality

Mary was four when she was snatched from home and sent to Catholic boarding school. Now she and her friends are seeking healing through their own Native American spirituality.

Aged four, Mary was playing in her parents鈥 front yard, when she was grabbed by 鈥渢he government people鈥 and taken to a Catholic boarding school to be turned into a Christian. She鈥檚 just one of thousands of Native Americans who were forcibly removed from their homes and put into boarding schools from the 1800s right up to the 1970s. According to a US government report, the purpose of these schools was to strip indigenous people of their spiritual beliefs, culture and land. A government investigation also found that physical, emotional and sexual abuse was 鈥渞ampant鈥. Indigenous Americans鈥 spiritual beliefs are now experiencing a renaissance, but is this revival enough to enable Mary and her friends heal from a childhood of trauma in America鈥檚 residential schools?

Presenter: Leana Hosea
Producer: Leana Hosea with Rajeev Gupta
Production co-ordinator: Nancy Bennie
Editor: Helen Grady

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27 minutes

Last on

Mon 20 Feb 2023 00:32GMT

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  • Fri 17 Feb 2023 04:32GMT
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  • Mon 20 Feb 2023 00:32GMT

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