10/06/2026
DSES Drum Group Honors Boarding School Children
On September 30, 2026, the Duckwater Tribal Health Department held an Every Child Matters gathering in recognition of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. The gathering provided an opportunity for our community to remember the Native children and families who suffered during the Indian boarding school era and to recognize the continued importance of healing, remembrance, and honoring those who never returned home.
For generations, the federal government supported policies intended to assimilate Native American children by removing them from their families, communities, languages, and cultures and placing them in boarding schools. Many children were taken far from their homelands, where they were often prohibited from speaking their Native languages or practicing their cultures and traditions. Tragically, many children died while attending these schools and were buried at or near the school grounds, never returning home to their families.
September 30 is a time to remember and honor these children, their families, and all those affected by the boarding school era. It is also a time for healing. Across Indian Country, Native communities come together through walks, ceremonies, songs, prayers, and other cultural activities to remember those who came before us and to strengthen future generations.
As part of the Duckwater gathering, the Duckwater Shoshone Elementary School (DSES) Drum Group sang three songs in honor of the children.
The Drum Group began with a Flag Song to open the gathering. The students then sang an Honor Song dedicated to the children who never made it home from the boarding schools.
For their final song, the students sang “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” as another special tribute to the children who did not return home.
The song was chosen because of the cultural teachings shared with our students about the stars, the Milky Way, and the journey of the spirit. According to teachings shared within our Native traditions, before an infant enters this world, the spirit travels from the spirit world along the Milky Way to Earth. When a person passes from this life, the spirit makes its journey back along the Milky Way to the spirit world. The bright stars along the Milky Way can be understood as the footprints of those who have traveled before us.
With this teaching in mind, the DSES Drum Group chose “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” as a meaningful way to remember the children who never made it home from the boarding schools and to honor their journey back to the spirit world.
Through their songs, the students helped our community remember a difficult part of Native history while also demonstrating that our cultures, traditions, songs, and teachings continue with the next generation.
Every Child Matters. We remember the children. We honor those who never made it home.
-Geoffrey Bryan, DSES Administrator
