Sierra Biidaaban Nadeau, an Odawa Anishinaabe journalist, discovered 10 ancestors named in Michigan Indian boarding school enrollment records while investigating the institutions. Her reporting into the five Michigan schools revealed forced assimilation and efforts to erase Indigenous languages and cultures, and the research prompted candid family conversations and intergenerational healing. Nadeau discusses her findings with Native Bidaské host Levi Rickert on Oct 2 at 12 p.m. ET; her book What the Ancestors Say was published Sept 29, 2026.
Journalist Uncovers 10 Ancestors in Michigan Boarding School Records — A Personal Reckoning
Upcoming Native Bidaské: A Journalist Found Her Own Family in Indian Boarding School Records
Odawa Anishinaabe journalist Sierra Biidaaban Nadeau began an investigation into the history of Indian boarding schools in Michigan and unexpectedly discovered that 10 of her own ancestors were listed in enrollment records. What started as reporting morphed into a personal journey that uncovered family stories long suppressed across generations.
Research, Family, and Reckoning
While examining archival enrollment lists from the five Indian boarding schools that operated in Michigan, Nadeau documented systematic efforts to force assimilation, suppress Indigenous languages, and erase cultural practices. As she matched names in records to her family tree, the investigation opened painful memories and initiated conversations with elders who helped interpret the records and restore context to long-silenced experiences.
A Conversation On Native Bidaské
On Friday, October 2, at 12 p.m. ET, Native Bidaské host Levi Rickert will speak with Nadeau about her reporting and what she learned. Nadeau is an award-winning Odawa Anishinaabe journalist, a contributing writer for Native News Online, and the author of the new book What the Ancestors Say: One Journalist's Intimate Investigation into Indian Boarding Schools, published September 29, 2026, by Broadleaf Books.
In the interview, Nadeau discusses the history of Michigan’s five Indian boarding schools, the policies and practices that sought to erase Indigenous languages and cultures, and the emotional and restorative impact of discovering her family’s direct ties to that history. She reflects on how archival research prompted hard conversations, collective memory work, and intergenerational healing.
Watch And Learn
Watch the episode live on Friday, October 2, at 12 p.m. ET on Facebook, YouTube, NativeNewsOnline.net, and TikTok. Past episodes of Native Bidaské are also available on the show’s platforms.
What the Ancestors Say was published on September 29, 2026, by Broadleaf Books.
“This reporting turned my family’s silence into a conversation,” Nadeau writes, highlighting both the pain of the past and the possibility of healing through truth-telling.
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