From those who first attended boarding schools in the 19th century to their descendants over a century later, the boarding school experiment has left an indelible mark on the welfare, identity, and future of Native peoples. The Carlisle Project is a healing ritual for Native peoples experiencing intergenerational trauma and a critically needed re-storying for non-Native Americans today. Led by Ronee Penoi (Laguna Pueblo, Cherokee, and a Carlisle descendant) as composer/lyricist and Annalisa Dias as lyricist/book-writer, The Carlisle Project is a song cycle, ceremony, and ritual centering the experience of Native peoples who attended or descended from students of the Carlisle Indian Industrial School. We see The Carlisle Project as an important advocacy tool for healing and repair among Native and non-Native peoples, and part of the broader arc of Indigenous-led repair work for survivors and descendants of residential boarding schools.
Land Acknowledgement: Due to the nature of Indian residential boarding schools, this project touches every tribal nation across Turtle Island. The land in Carlisle, PA is Susquehannock. We are in community with Susquehannock descendants, seeking guidance and permissions.
