Heart and Soul

Stripped of my spirituality


Listen Later

Aged four, Mary was playing in her parents’ front yard, when she was grabbed by “the government people” and taken to a Catholic boarding school to be turned into a Christian. She’s just one of thousands of Native Americans who were forcibly removed from their homes and put into boarding schools from the 1800s right up to the 1970s. According to a US government report, the purpose of these schools was to strip indigenous people of their spiritual beliefs, culture and land. A government investigation also found that physical, emotional and sexual abuse was “rampant”. Indigenous Americans’ spiritual beliefs are now experiencing a renaissance, but is this revival enough to enable Mary and her friends heal from a childhood of trauma in America’s residential schools?

Presenter: Leana Hosea

Producer: Leana Hosea with Rajeev Gupta
Production co-ordinator: Nancy Bennie
Editor: Helen Grady

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Heart and SoulBy BBC World Service

  • 4.7
  • 4.7
  • 4.7
  • 4.7
  • 4.7

4.7

57 ratings


More shows like Heart and Soul

View all
In Our Time by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time

5,455 Listeners

The Documentary Podcast by BBC World Service

The Documentary Podcast

1,808 Listeners

Global News Podcast by BBC World Service

Global News Podcast

7,654 Listeners

Fresh Air by NPR

Fresh Air

38,049 Listeners

6 Minute English by BBC Radio

6 Minute English

1,761 Listeners

Learning English Conversations by BBC Radio

Learning English Conversations

1,122 Listeners

Discovery by BBC World Service

Discovery

959 Listeners

Desert Island Discs by BBC Radio 4

Desert Island Discs

2,011 Listeners

The Infinite Monkey Cage by BBC Radio 4

The Infinite Monkey Cage

2,078 Listeners

Newshour by BBC World Service

Newshour

1,055 Listeners

In Our Time: History by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time: History

1,870 Listeners

The History Hour by BBC World Service

The History Hour

589 Listeners

The Inquiry by BBC World Service

The Inquiry

754 Listeners

The Real Story by BBC World Service

The Real Story

274 Listeners

Foreign Policy Live by Foreign Policy

Foreign Policy Live

604 Listeners

Curious Cases by BBC Radio 4

Curious Cases

758 Listeners

CrowdScience by BBC World Service

CrowdScience

479 Listeners

Americast by BBC News

Americast

729 Listeners

You're Dead to Me by BBC Radio 4

You're Dead to Me

3,054 Listeners

The Rest Is History by Goalhanger

The Rest Is History

13,535 Listeners

ZOE Science & Nutrition by ZOE

ZOE Science & Nutrition

2,056 Listeners

The Rest Is Politics by Goalhanger

The Rest Is Politics

3,116 Listeners

The Foreign Affairs Interview by Foreign Affairs Magazine

The Foreign Affairs Interview

417 Listeners

The Rest Is Politics: US by Goalhanger

The Rest Is Politics: US

2,194 Listeners