Copyright © 2000 NLThomas
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On September 8, 2000, at the Ceremony Acknowledging the

Kevin Gover

175th Anniversary of the Establishment of the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), Kevin Gover, the Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs, apologized for the historic conduct of the BIA. Gover specifically expressed sorrow over the agencies past policies that "forbade the speaking of Indian languages, prohibited the conduct of traditional religious activities, outlawed traditional government and made Indian people ashamed of who they were."

After reading the speech, Chad Smith, Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, said, "The first step of healing is the acknowledgment of the truth. The second step of healing is to provide the dignity and respect that all classes and races deserve."

Applauding Gover's comments, Smith said the Cherokee Nation has "always kept the door open with mutual respect to building healthy partnerships” with the BIA. "My own father had his mouth washed out with soap for speaking Cherokee in a BIA boarding school", Smith said. "I'm glad that this is the end of a long history of ethnicidal policies."