GENOA- Nebraska's State Archeologist is set to begin excavation of the long-closed, but historically significant, Genoa Indian Industrial School, which was part of a national system of more than 400 Native American boarding schools that attempted to violently integrate Indigenous children into white culture by separating them from their parents and heritage, as well as subjecting them to harsh punishments. The yet-undiscovered bodies of around 80 Indigenous children are expected to be found.

The former Genoa Indian Industrial School, which rests just under 90 miles west of Omaha, was opened in 1884 and was home to around 600 students from more than 40 Native American tribes around the country. For decades, researchers and archeologists have attempted to find the remains of the 80 children, who were placed in an unmarked cemetery surrounding the boarding school following their deaths.

Judi Gaiashkibos, the executive director of the Nebraska Commission on Indian Affairs and daughter of a Genoa Indian Industrial School student, is also involved in the search. Gaiashkibos believes finding the bodies will offer healing to the Indigenous community, and will help bring their voices to the surface. "It's an honor to go on behalf of my ancestors and those who lost their lives there" she said, "and I feel entrusted with a huge responsibility."

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