We research archival materials to determine the origins and trajectories of those who remain interred far from their home communities, which allows us to approach communities with basic information about missing children.
We recognize that archives tell partial truths about the fates and origins of Indigenous children. We invest in building relationships with communities by sharing information with them, supporting their internal searches, and participating in ongoing conversations about how to commemorate or repatriate their children.
Without accessibility to financial and human resources, communities may not be able to reconnect with their children right away. We deploy our resources so communities can exert the full extent of their leadership in determining how to proceed to commemorate or welcome their children home.
We have meaningful connections with Tribal Historic Preservation Officers and community representatives in Canada and the United States. We also have access to professionals with legal, archeological and forensic, and archival research expertise. Our goal is to facilitate intra-community networks of support across realms of experience so that Indigenous people can feel supported.
We support the planification of community and family reunions for the first time at cemeteries and burial sites, as well as help realize cultural forms of commemoration for Indigenous children.
For communities who may decide to pursue reburial ceremonies, we support their protocols and processes in the planification of repatriation and ease the logistical and bureaucratic aspects of this work.
We amplify Indigenous stories and histories of boarding and residential school experiences, as well as support communities in recording their processes of family reunion so they can share locally and with other communities.
Please consider supporting the work of Shaking the Clouds, a non-profit organization committed to truth, stories, reconciliation, and healing for Indigenous relatives and communities.
This link will direct you to Preservation Pennsylvania, our fiscal sponsor.