SALT LAKE CITY — Maybe the era of Native American boarding schools is past.
But that doesn’t mean the lingering effects and trauma caused by the system have faded away, says Dena Ned, an associate University of Utah professor and director of the U.’s Indigenous Social Work Scholars Program. “Those traumatic events changed behavior, changed culture and were passed on to the next generation. That’s what’s most difficult, because of the ripple effect on families and communities now today,” she said.
The Natural History Museum of Utah at the U. is hosting an event Saturday at the museum to raise awareness about the impact the boarding school system has had and commemorate those victimized by it. Ned, a citizen of the Chickasaw Nation of Oklahoma, will moderate a panel discussion on the issue as part of the varied activities, which go from 11 a.m. to around 2 p.m…