Native Bidaské: A Journalist Found Her Own Family in Indian Boarding School Records

What happens when a journalist investigating Indian boarding schools discovers her own ancestors in the records?

On this episode of Native Bidaské, host Levi Rickert talks with Odawa Anishinaabe journalist and author Sierra Biidaaban Nadeau about her new book, What the Ancestors Say: One Journalist’s Intimate Investigation into Indian Boarding Schools.

Nadeau’s investigation into Michigan Indian boarding schools took a deeply personal turn when she discovered that 10 of her own ancestors had been forced to attend these institutions. Her reporting became a journey into family history, the lasting effects of forced assimilation, and the stories that had gone unspoken for generations.
In this conversation, Nadeau discusses the history of Michigan’s five Indian boarding schools, the suppression of Native languages and cultures, and what she learned from researching her own family’s connection to the boarding school system.

She also talks about the role of family, elders and community in helping her understand what she uncovered—and why confronting painful history can also be part of healing.
Who is Sierra Biidaaban Nadeau? Nadeau is an Odawa Anishinaabe journalist and author whose new book examines Michigan’s Indian boarding schools through both investigative journalism and her own family history.

What is “What the Ancestors Say” about? The book explores Nadeau’s investigation into Indian boarding schools and the discovery that 10 of her ancestors attended these institutions, while examining the history, trauma, resilience and responsibility connected to that past.

Purchase the book here: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Sierra-Biidaaban-Nadeau/author/B0GX5RGFH6?ref=ap_rdr&shoppingPortalEnabled=true

📺 Watch Native Bidaské Friday, October 2, at 12 p.m. ET.
Watch on Native News Online’s YouTube, Facebook, TikTok and website.

#NativeBidaské #SierraBiidaabanNadeau #WhatTheAncestorsSay #IndianBoardingSchools #MichiganIndianBoardingSchools #NativeAmericanHistory #Anishinaabe #NativeNewsOnline

Subscribe to Native News Online for more conversations about Indigenous issues, culture, sovereignty, and leadership.

Watch past episodes:
https://www.youtube.com/@NativeNewsOnline/streams
📺 Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NativeNewsOnline/streams
📘 Watch on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tribalbusinessnews/events
🌐 Watch on NativeNewsOnline.net: https://nativenewsonline.net/uncategorized/native-bidaske/
🎵 Watch on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nativenews_net
Support Warrior Journalism: ⭕️ https://nativenewsonline.net/donate-today/
Get our FREE newsletter: 🟡https://nativenewsonline.net/subscribe-to-native-news-today
Subscribe for more Native news & analysis: 🔔 https://www.youtube.com/@NativeNewsOnline
Read more at Native News Online: 🌐https://nativenewsonline.net

Written by Native News Online