Guide to Presbyterian-affiliated Native American Schools

As the 225th General Assembly prepares to address the historic injustices toward Indigenous peoples harmed by the Presbyterian Church, PHS has turned to its collections to provide an account of Native American schools with historical ties to the PC(USA) and its predecessor denominations.  

The Guide to Presbyterian-affiliated Native American Schools offers brief histories of each school (including alternative names the institutions have been known by) as well as a list of the society’s collection materials that speak to the history of the school. Categories of schools include early mission schools, on and off-reservation boarding schools, day schools, agricultural and industrial schools, and higher education schools. Click here to access the guide.

While the list is not comprehensive and information about some of the schools is limited, we are committed to continuing the work necessary to bring attention to the stories of these schools and provide access to information that may help the individuals and communities affected. Staff will continue to conduct research, update the histories, and add school names to the list. Please contact us at refdesk@history.pcusa.org if you have additional information about these institutions.  

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Click here to read how the Presbytery of the Northwest Coast is recognizing the racist closure of Memorial Presbyterian Church in Juneau, Alaska.  

Click here to learn more about the 222nd General Assembly’s (2016) call for the church to confess its complicity and repudiate the Doctrine of Discovery.