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What the Ancestors Say: One Journalist's Intimate Investigation into Indian Boarding Schools
Reporting for her local newspaper, Odawa Anishinaabe journalist Sierra BiidaabanNadeau stumbles onto a family's—and a nation's—buried stories. In enrollment records of Michigan boarding schools, she finds the names of ten of her ancestors thrown into the maw of American settler Her great-grandfather and his siblings, along with generations before them, were forced to attend Indian boarding schools.
More than five hundred Indian residential schools operated in the United States and at times enrolled more than eighty percent of Native children. The facilities, often run by churches, aimed to erase Indigenous life. Physical and sexual abuse was rampant. Young children were stripped of their homes, cultures, languages, hair, and dress.
Sifting through archives and the records of five Michigan schools whose names belie what happened there, Nadeau begins publishing articles. And the flood of emails and phone calls from Anishinaabek begins. Elders want to tell her their stories, so she drives around the state and listens. Her uncle Tom, son of a survivor, becomes a gentle guide into the past they are discovering together. Nadeau writes it all down, not to collect traumas but to uncover deeper seams of resistance.
In this personal and communal odyssey through ancestral legacies, intergenerational trauma, and Native resistance and resilience, she calls us to attend to the truths of the past. "I am the sentence my ancestors whispered through wind, through prayers, through dreams," Nadeau writes. Now, in a powerful act of reclamation, she brings forward stories of people the government tried—and failed—to break.
More than five hundred Indian residential schools operated in the United States and at times enrolled more than eighty percent of Native children. The facilities, often run by churches, aimed to erase Indigenous life. Physical and sexual abuse was rampant. Young children were stripped of their homes, cultures, languages, hair, and dress.
Sifting through archives and the records of five Michigan schools whose names belie what happened there, Nadeau begins publishing articles. And the flood of emails and phone calls from Anishinaabek begins. Elders want to tell her their stories, so she drives around the state and listens. Her uncle Tom, son of a survivor, becomes a gentle guide into the past they are discovering together. Nadeau writes it all down, not to collect traumas but to uncover deeper seams of resistance.
In this personal and communal odyssey through ancestral legacies, intergenerational trauma, and Native resistance and resilience, she calls us to attend to the truths of the past. "I am the sentence my ancestors whispered through wind, through prayers, through dreams," Nadeau writes. Now, in a powerful act of reclamation, she brings forward stories of people the government tried—and failed—to break.
213 pages, Hardcover
Published September 29, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
June 24, 2026
It strikes me as strange that Indian boarding schools are always referred to as schools. The focus of these institutions was hardly ever education. That word was just a fancy bow, designed to hide the fact that the US government was eager to exterminate Indigenous people in any way possible. (loc. 158*)
Nadeau was working on a news story—the remains of hundreds of children who attended one such school had just been found—when she stumbled across the last thing she expected: the names of family members, ones who had attended one of those schools. Nadeau knew about the Indian residential schools, of course (more detail on them in a moment, if you're not familiar); surely there is nobody in her community who does not know about them. But she didn't know how close to home that history came.
I must be missing something, I think. No one in my family has ever spoken of Indian boarding schools. No one has mentioned that entire generations of our family attended one of the largest institutions that operated in Michigan. For decades. (loc. 233)
I've been making an effort to read more from Indigenous authors lately, for a number of reasons but not least because these are voices that (still) too often go unheard. As Nadeau notes (loc. 570), the Indian boarding schools are not really about Native history; rather, they're about the history of colonization and colonizers. And yet they're part of a history that had (has) a devastating and ongoing effect across generations. These schools operated across the US and Canada, and the aim was simple: take Native children away from their culture and instruct them in the ways of the White people; teach them to be maids and cleaners and laborers so as to build a servant class while erasing entire civilizations. Some parents sent their children to these schools voluntarily (or more or less voluntarily), hoping they'd get an education, but authorities also forcibly removed many others. Mortality rates at the schools were shockingly high (I read a report recently that referenced one school, in Canada, that had a mortality rate of 47%), and those children who survived were often not allowed to go home for years at a time.
What Nadeau was able to find out about her own family's history with the residential schools is limited. Most of what she finds is then more general; some stories of individuals who survived these schools or whose family did, but much of this is broader history. I cannot fault her or the book for not including more about her family, because erasing stories was one of the things the boarding schools did well, and anyway, even if they hadn't, nobody should be required to trade on their family's pain. Personal stories do tend to resonate best with me, and because I recently did quite a bit of fact-checking on Indian boarding schools for a work project, much of the general history was familiar to me already. So...didn't learn quite as much as I might have hoped, but I'd very much recommend this to those looking to learn more on the subject.
I think of the homesick ones, the traumatized and terrorized ones, the angry ones, and those who longed to burn it all down. (loc. 1826)
*Quotes are from an ARC and may not be final.
Thanks to the author and publisher for providing a review copy through NetGalley.
Nadeau was working on a news story—the remains of hundreds of children who attended one such school had just been found—when she stumbled across the last thing she expected: the names of family members, ones who had attended one of those schools. Nadeau knew about the Indian residential schools, of course (more detail on them in a moment, if you're not familiar); surely there is nobody in her community who does not know about them. But she didn't know how close to home that history came.
I must be missing something, I think. No one in my family has ever spoken of Indian boarding schools. No one has mentioned that entire generations of our family attended one of the largest institutions that operated in Michigan. For decades. (loc. 233)
I've been making an effort to read more from Indigenous authors lately, for a number of reasons but not least because these are voices that (still) too often go unheard. As Nadeau notes (loc. 570), the Indian boarding schools are not really about Native history; rather, they're about the history of colonization and colonizers. And yet they're part of a history that had (has) a devastating and ongoing effect across generations. These schools operated across the US and Canada, and the aim was simple: take Native children away from their culture and instruct them in the ways of the White people; teach them to be maids and cleaners and laborers so as to build a servant class while erasing entire civilizations. Some parents sent their children to these schools voluntarily (or more or less voluntarily), hoping they'd get an education, but authorities also forcibly removed many others. Mortality rates at the schools were shockingly high (I read a report recently that referenced one school, in Canada, that had a mortality rate of 47%), and those children who survived were often not allowed to go home for years at a time.
What Nadeau was able to find out about her own family's history with the residential schools is limited. Most of what she finds is then more general; some stories of individuals who survived these schools or whose family did, but much of this is broader history. I cannot fault her or the book for not including more about her family, because erasing stories was one of the things the boarding schools did well, and anyway, even if they hadn't, nobody should be required to trade on their family's pain. Personal stories do tend to resonate best with me, and because I recently did quite a bit of fact-checking on Indian boarding schools for a work project, much of the general history was familiar to me already. So...didn't learn quite as much as I might have hoped, but I'd very much recommend this to those looking to learn more on the subject.
I think of the homesick ones, the traumatized and terrorized ones, the angry ones, and those who longed to burn it all down. (loc. 1826)
*Quotes are from an ARC and may not be final.
Thanks to the author and publisher for providing a review copy through NetGalley.
October 3, 2026
Disclaimer: I received an ARC via Librarything
There is much history that America does not fully reckon with. If, for instance, we had something like truth and reconciliation, maybe certain members of society would not be attacking museums and historic sites for mentioning and discussing in depth the bad things that happened. Or the bad things that the country or those in charge of the country if you will, declared must be done.
You cannot address America’s history without dealing slavery, you simply can’t. But you also cannot address America’s history without dealing with the various attacks and wars wrought on the Native America/Indigenous population. There is a real reason why in the Museum of the North American Indian there was (is?) an exhibit to the history of broken treaties, and the US government did most of the breaking.
But there are questions that come – how do you learn about past pain and harm to various groups without feeling like you are using their pain and suffering for something – I’m a good person because I know, or even to feel something?
Nadeau’s book, more of a reflection on her family’s history as well as her personal journey in reporting on the Residential Schools, touches on these very real issues while dealing with the inherited trauma that the residential schools inflicted on people. In many ways, it is a memoir of deciding to report and how reporting is done as opposed to a memoir of the family trauma.
Even thought the book is largely meditative and reflective, the reader still learns, at this point more about how the United States is failing in its need to redress the wrongs, but also about what actually happened. If Julian Brave NoiseCat’s We Survive the Night took family trauma and used to open a wider window about reckoning in general, across the different ways that the colonization has impacted the Indigenous population at large, Nadeau, why not losing site of the larger sin, highlights the effect/affect on families. The two books complement each other well.
There is much history that America does not fully reckon with. If, for instance, we had something like truth and reconciliation, maybe certain members of society would not be attacking museums and historic sites for mentioning and discussing in depth the bad things that happened. Or the bad things that the country or those in charge of the country if you will, declared must be done.
You cannot address America’s history without dealing slavery, you simply can’t. But you also cannot address America’s history without dealing with the various attacks and wars wrought on the Native America/Indigenous population. There is a real reason why in the Museum of the North American Indian there was (is?) an exhibit to the history of broken treaties, and the US government did most of the breaking.
But there are questions that come – how do you learn about past pain and harm to various groups without feeling like you are using their pain and suffering for something – I’m a good person because I know, or even to feel something?
Nadeau’s book, more of a reflection on her family’s history as well as her personal journey in reporting on the Residential Schools, touches on these very real issues while dealing with the inherited trauma that the residential schools inflicted on people. In many ways, it is a memoir of deciding to report and how reporting is done as opposed to a memoir of the family trauma.
Even thought the book is largely meditative and reflective, the reader still learns, at this point more about how the United States is failing in its need to redress the wrongs, but also about what actually happened. If Julian Brave NoiseCat’s We Survive the Night took family trauma and used to open a wider window about reckoning in general, across the different ways that the colonization has impacted the Indigenous population at large, Nadeau, why not losing site of the larger sin, highlights the effect/affect on families. The two books complement each other well.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
What the Ancestors Say mines the writer’s personal history to explain the details of colonization specifically surrounding Indian Boarding Schools. Like David Treuer’s The Savage Mind, Sierra Biidaaban Nadeau’s story screams out a personal story between the lines of all the colonization tactics, the treaties, the policies, etc; her journalistic prowess makes for an efficient and concentrated account of the information, both personal and generally historical. The occasional poeticisms were heartfelt and beautiful, further drawing the reader into the witnessing.
I think a corollary to be pointed out to readers that further drives home the brutality of the schools is how much the Meriam Report findings sound like the prison conditions in the US: Unsanitary conditions, malnutrition, intense labor extraction.
As the author says, calling them schools even softens what they are. . . It’d be more accurate to call them prisons.
Books like these will be important so that these atrocities of humanity are never forgotten.
I think a corollary to be pointed out to readers that further drives home the brutality of the schools is how much the Meriam Report findings sound like the prison conditions in the US: Unsanitary conditions, malnutrition, intense labor extraction.
As the author says, calling them schools even softens what they are. . . It’d be more accurate to call them prisons.
Books like these will be important so that these atrocities of humanity are never forgotten.
July 17, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley and Broadleaf Books for providing me with an ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.
“What the Ancestors Say” is a deeply personal and well-researched foray into the history of Indian boarding schools and their long-lasting effects. Biidaaban Nadeau traces the history of the literal and cultural genocide enacted upon the indigenous people of Turtle Island intertwined with her family history.
This book is very necessary and important, and I appreciated the authors vulnerability and her willingness to share these intimate details with readers. The book is somehow forced to leave a lot of questions open, and it’s deeply unfortunate that this history has not been better preserved and recorded for us to learn from. Ultimately, the silence is itself an indictment of this dark period, and it’s a silence that reverberates into the present day and the continued genocidal policies of the US government.
“What the Ancestors Say” is a deeply personal and well-researched foray into the history of Indian boarding schools and their long-lasting effects. Biidaaban Nadeau traces the history of the literal and cultural genocide enacted upon the indigenous people of Turtle Island intertwined with her family history.
This book is very necessary and important, and I appreciated the authors vulnerability and her willingness to share these intimate details with readers. The book is somehow forced to leave a lot of questions open, and it’s deeply unfortunate that this history has not been better preserved and recorded for us to learn from. Ultimately, the silence is itself an indictment of this dark period, and it’s a silence that reverberates into the present day and the continued genocidal policies of the US government.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
What The Ancestors Say by Sierra Biidaaban Nadeau presents a detailed history of the Indian boarding schools in Michigan. It documents in detail the government policies, treaties, and the use of religion to dismantle the Indigenous life. The book chronicles the exacting efforts the government took to force assimilation, and enact cultural warfare on a people, to take their children, their culture, and their land.
The style is mostly journalistic, and it is obvious Biidaaban Nadeau has experience writing for news publications. However, the book has smaller sections where she allows her own voice to come through. Sections that describe Indigenous customs, and ceremonies, her relationships with her friends and elders provide more depth to the narrative. This is often a welcome respite from the historical catalogue of facts that provide the underpinnings of the text.
This is a perfect book for those who want a detailed account of the Indian boarding Schools in Michigan. The impetus for creating them, entities that started them, the government actions that supported them is all documented here. The book does not end there, it includes the efforts of family members to remember those who attended the schools, both the victims and the survivors. It discusses the generational trauma that remains and the lasting damage that was done. Finally, it mentions the role the government has taken in trying to smother, once again, the unpalatable history of this country.
The style is mostly journalistic, and it is obvious Biidaaban Nadeau has experience writing for news publications. However, the book has smaller sections where she allows her own voice to come through. Sections that describe Indigenous customs, and ceremonies, her relationships with her friends and elders provide more depth to the narrative. This is often a welcome respite from the historical catalogue of facts that provide the underpinnings of the text.
This is a perfect book for those who want a detailed account of the Indian boarding Schools in Michigan. The impetus for creating them, entities that started them, the government actions that supported them is all documented here. The book does not end there, it includes the efforts of family members to remember those who attended the schools, both the victims and the survivors. It discusses the generational trauma that remains and the lasting damage that was done. Finally, it mentions the role the government has taken in trying to smother, once again, the unpalatable history of this country.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
What the Ancestors Say is indigenous people’s history that America has spent decades burying – this makes this a necessary read. Nadeau is a journalist reporting on the truth of the atrocities that were named Indian boarding schools. They go into depth on the brutal details of the history, how it affects her family directly, and her ancestors who endured these “schools”. A necessary read for readers with integrity looking for the truth they never give in your history class. A hard read – because it is a lot to take in, but a great read to understand the truth of our history in America. Keeping this brief so that you can pick this up yourself and really take your time with it. Thank you, Sierra Biidaaban Nadeau, Broadleaf Books, and Netgalley for this advanced digital copy.
For more reviews, brujerialibrary.wordpress.com
For more reviews, brujerialibrary.wordpress.com
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
(Note: I received an advanced reader copy of this book courtesy of NetGalley)
I think the simple fact that I somehow managed to learn about Canada’s indigenous boarding schools before I learned that they existed here in the United States - and not through any class, but only my own free reading - says everything about just how much this aspect of US history has tragically managed to remain in the shadows, out of the eyes and minds of the greater public. So suffice to say, What the Ancestors Say, where Nadeau combines general national history, local history, and family history, does a fantastic job of helping to fill in that enormous informational gap for all and any who pick it up and wish to be informed.
I think the simple fact that I somehow managed to learn about Canada’s indigenous boarding schools before I learned that they existed here in the United States - and not through any class, but only my own free reading - says everything about just how much this aspect of US history has tragically managed to remain in the shadows, out of the eyes and minds of the greater public. So suffice to say, What the Ancestors Say, where Nadeau combines general national history, local history, and family history, does a fantastic job of helping to fill in that enormous informational gap for all and any who pick it up and wish to be informed.
September 28, 2026
Thanks Broadleaf Books for the gifted book.
Journalist Sierra Biidaaban Nadeau combines deep research and personal narrative to expose the horrific history of Indian boarding schools including long-standing impacts. Her words are an act of reclamation, bringing together other Indigenous voices that must be heard.
I greatly respect and appreciate Biidaaban Nadeau’s discretion regarding what material was presented in the book. Some people’s stories are shared while others are kept between her and the person. Aspects of Native culture are discussed without revealing sacred information to the general public.
This was an excellent read that reinforces the power of community and necessity of truth-telling.
Journalist Sierra Biidaaban Nadeau combines deep research and personal narrative to expose the horrific history of Indian boarding schools including long-standing impacts. Her words are an act of reclamation, bringing together other Indigenous voices that must be heard.
I greatly respect and appreciate Biidaaban Nadeau’s discretion regarding what material was presented in the book. Some people’s stories are shared while others are kept between her and the person. Aspects of Native culture are discussed without revealing sacred information to the general public.
This was an excellent read that reinforces the power of community and necessity of truth-telling.
September 25, 2026
This book is a solid blend of deeply researched historical accounting, personal stories from the authors investigation and of their family and community, and a reminder that the trauma of Indian Boarding Schools and forced assimilation is a generational trauma.
I appreciated the authors willingness to share their research rooted in such a personal way while also respecting that not all stories encountered were ones they should tell.
My thanks to Broadleaf Books for the e-ARC. This was an enlightening read and a stark reminder of our past.
I appreciated the authors willingness to share their research rooted in such a personal way while also respecting that not all stories encountered were ones they should tell.
My thanks to Broadleaf Books for the e-ARC. This was an enlightening read and a stark reminder of our past.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This is such an important and deeply moving book. Sierra Biidaaban Nadeau combines history with her own family's story in a way that is both heartbreaking and illuminating, and I came away with a much deeper understanding of the devastating legacy of Indian boarding schools and why this history needs to be remembered—an easy 5 stars.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Sierra Nadeau has really crafted something powerful here. She is fantastic writer and the perfect person to tell/channel this story. As I read the book, I could hear the ghosts whispering on every page. The book is haunting, profound, and beautiful all at the same time. Miigwetch Ms. Nadeau for putting so much of your heart and soul into this essential and timely project.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
A heartbreaking, healing, and personal history of Native American boarding schools and their painful legacy of family separation and forced assimilation. Sierra Biidaaban Nadeau writes with such care and gentleness.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
5⭐️
Gut-wrenching but critical history. Awful how these systems were built and still impact systems today. Good mix of factual information and personal reflections
Gut-wrenching but critical history. Awful how these systems were built and still impact systems today. Good mix of factual information and personal reflections
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews