Prompted by the finding of 215 unmarked graves in Canada, the U.S Department of the Interior is launching a comprehensive review of its practices "with an emphasis on cemeteries or potential burial sites."
The Shawnee Indian Mission, in Fairway, Kansas is of particular interest to the Shawnee tribe. Even though it was a Native American boarding school, it may not be part of the federal project since it was not a forced enrollment, government-mandated boarding school.
Nonetheless, the tribe is pushing for an investigation of the mission to determine if there are any burial sites on the grounds. Chief Ben Barnes of the Shawnee Tribe believes that "It's not a question of if there's children that died at Shawnee Indian Mission, it's a known fact."
- Chief Ben Barnes, Shawnee Tribe
- Juliana Garcia, reporter, Shawnee Mission Post
