We took the train to Santa Fe yesterday, a Friday, just to walk around and get some lunch.  We pick up the Railrunner here in Placitas / Bernalillo and make the hour ride to the Railyard, pretty much in the center of Santa Fe.  Easier than driving and cheaper than parking.  It’s also very scenic, mostly through Pueblo land.

On the ride home, just as the train was about to leave, dozens of young students piled on.  They seemed to be all Native American.  A bit unusual.  I went into cranky old man mode and thought: great, gonna be sharing the train with a bunch of teenagers on a Friday afternoon.  But, again, in cranky old man mode, they were more than well behaved.  I noticed their backpacks and gear had Santa Fe Indian School on them.  I had never heard of this and found the words “Indian School” a bit odd in this day and age.

It turns out this school pre-dates the US Civil War and has a history.  It was and still is a boarding school.  The original intent was to “civilize” the Native American children by taking them away from their families and homes.  I’ll leave it at that.  The Wiki page gives a brief history if anyone is interested in the details of this bit of US history.

Santa Fe Indian School

Update:  I guess the Wiki page is a bit sanitized.  A quick Google turns up this from PBS.  Need I add they were run by the Catholic Church?

Sexual abuse of Native American children at boarding schools exposed in new report