The Thick Dark Fog

I happened upon this one hour documentary on my local PBS CH-12 in Denver and was completely absorbed. Half of my family were either in Indian boarding schools or lived on reservations, mostly in Oklahoma. I've heard many of my Uncles telling of their treatment at these places but they always told their stories haltingly. Now I see why. I don't want to go into much detail, especially as my amateur writing would not do justice to the film-makers. I can mention that it tells the story of one man's redemption from his painful experiences away from his family at an Indian boarding school. At such a place, the children are subjected to strict disciplinary actions including mental and physical abuse. One comment from one interview said it all: We were told not to be an Indian. Be White. My relatives did mention this when we spoke of these things. I recommend this film highly for its content and storytelling.