Healing History: Remembering the Children Documentary Screening
RAPID CITY—Anger, disbelief, sadness and relief. These were some of the many feelings felt by a mixed audience at the premiere of “Remembering the Children,” honoring the missing children of the Rapid City Indian Boarding School. The first public screening of the short documentary was held on Saturday, July 30, from 5-7pm at The Journey Museum. Special guests included producer Jim Warne, volunteers from Remembering the Children Wakȟáŋyeža Wičhákiksuyapi, the Children’s Memorial, and many elders; including Beverly Stabber Warne and Faith Spotted Eagle.
“Everything that happened to us was a form of genocide and it’s still happening today with a lack of funding for IHS. That’s what it is. So, people need to educate themselves, know these things, admit it and do something as an individual. Every one of you can do something to help change this whole reality of Indigenous people in this country.” Said Beverly Stabber Warne. “Here we are. Still strong. Still resilient. Still telling our stories.”
“I felt a number of emotions. The first one that I felt was red rage. The next one was probably sadness, but the last feeling I had was relief. A sense of relief that we don’t have to tell these stories alone,” says Faith Spotted Eagle.
The elders were asked by the film crew to help guide and advise them on how to proceed with the documentary. It was a great honor to hear their powerful healing words before the film premiered to a mixed audience of Indian and Non-Indian community members and visitors. The truth of the Indian Boarding School era was hard to see and hear through the voices of our elders in the film, but it is necessary to never forget what happened to help aid us all in the process of healing.
“I think these stories need to be told somehow in a teaching way where there can be some type of result for the people in our communities that are addicted to meth, and the other self-medicating (substances) that they are doing, because that is from this,” Faith Spotted Eagle said. “When we talk about this pain up here, it’s not for nothing.”
As difficult as these stories were to hear, seeing them taken and made into something good, a memorial to remember each child, was uplifting to see. The film ended with a look at the memorial site where the missing children are said to be buried and singing by four Lakota women as the credits rolled by. When the documentary ended, crying and sniffling could be heard in the quiet crowd as the lights came up and respectful applause filled the auditorium. After an honor song was sung to send the people off in a good way, producer Jim Warne said that he hopes to get the film on PBS or a streaming platform soon.
For more information, please visit www.warrior-society.com. For more information on the memorial, please visit the Remembering the Children website at www.rememberingthechildren.org.
(Contact Estella Claymore at estella.claymore@gmail.com)
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August 5, 2022