Like many other Native American tribes, the Turtle Mountain Chippewa culture significantly deteriorated due to a government policy that forced children into boarding schools. This policy, enacted in the 1870s, aimed to assimilate Native Americans by separating children from their families and immersing them in a Euro-centric curriculum.
Boarding schools inflicted lasting damage on the Turtle Mountain Chippewa. Traditional practices like storytelling and spiritual ceremonies were lost as children were forbidden to speak their language or wear traditional clothing. Many returned to their communities emotionally scarred and unable to participate fully in their culture.
The Civilization Fund Act of 1819 marked the beginning of this decline. Initially, funding went to religious organizations running day schools on reservations. However, the 1870s shift to boarding schools, often located far away, severed the connection between children and their heritage.