- July 14th is the memorial of St Kateri Tekakwitha, a woman of the Algonquin tribe who became a Catholic. She suffered huge discrimination from whites and natives alike. I thought of her as we literally unearth hundreds of graves of native children who were removed from their parents and placed in govt/religious institutions (many Catholic) for reeducation. Many died of tuberculosis far from family and were forgotten. As we discover the extent of that system in more investigations, we will be shocked and rightly disgusted. But the best response would be more support for Natives. Most aren't funded by a casino and struggle in horrid conditions of alcoholism, drug abuse and inescapable unemployment. We can't undo the past, but we can help them build a future with some dignity.