[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 124 (Tuesday, July 24, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Page S5264]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         REMEMBERING GEORGE ELL

 Mr. TESTER. Mr. President, I rise today to honor the life of 
George Ell, a member of the Blackfeet Nation who is being remembered by 
his family, by his community, and by his Tribe.
  George was born and grew up on Livermore Creek near Browning, MT, 
fishing and exploring the mountains surrounding it. In the year 1890, 
not long after Montana was admitted to the Union, the U.S. Government 
forcibly took him from his home at the age of 16.
  George was forced to board a train to Pennsylvania to attend Carlisle 
Indian Industrial School. He was turned away from his cultural 
practices, forced to cut his hair, and discard his traditional 
clothing. He was barred from speaking his language.
  George died under mysterious circumstances a little more than a year 
after he arrived in Pennsylvania--a foreign land for a 16-year-old boy. 
The government buried him in Carlisle. It took 128 years for George to 
rightfully return home to Montana, where he belongs, to be reburied.
  George's ancestors laid him to rest recently on a bluff next to 
Flattop Mountain, where his family can mourn and our Nation can learn 
from this sad chapter of America's history.
  I also want to recognize George's family, including Dale Ell, Leon 
Chief Elk, Rhonda Boggs, and everyone involved, who were relentless in 
their quest to bring George back home. Their efforts are not only 
admirable, but an essential part of the collective healing process.
  The Ell family is just one of many Native American families who were 
torn apart by this Nation's horrendous assimilation policies and the 
boarding school era. It is my hope that, as his family lays George Ell 
to rest, we commit ourselves to a brighter future--a future where we 
celebrate the first people of this Nation, their culture, heritage, 
religion, and strength. It is imperative that we learn from the story 
of Mr. Ell, so the next generation is educated about the suffering, so 
our kids and grandkids are inspired by his fortitude and the resilience 
of so many other Native Americans.
  I rise today to honor those who were tested by cruelty; may their 
stories resonate in our history and spur us toward a stronger 
tomorrow.

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