t Subject matter touches deep with Native peoples worldwide.

SUQUAMISH — Three little words incite deep emotion world wide: Residential boarding schools.

For Native Americans in the United States, First Peoples in Canada, Samis in Norway and Sweden and Aboriginal peoples in Australia, the memories of assimilation into Westernized culture via boarding schools are often bitter.

A brief Internet search of ‘Native boarding schools’ results in multitudes of hits relaying stories of physical abuse of children who were forced to attend these schools. Harsh claims state schools beat traditional culture out of the children, eradicating languages, stories, songs and dances.

Fred Saas, director of the Suquamish Theatre Project, is prepared to tackle the tough subject with the play “Sisters,” performed at 7:30 tonight at the United Church of Christ in Suquamish.

Written by Wendy Lill, an elected member of Canada’s Parliament, the play centers around a convent-run boarding school in Canada.

“I’m sure there are many stories within the parameters of this subject,” said Saas, who started the Suquamish Theatre Project back in July to showcase well-written scripts that are Native themed.

“I am no expert on the history but it seems to me the common denominator in the stories I’ve heard was that this wasn’t a good thing and abuse was rampant. The nuns running the school thought what they were doing was a good thing, they were taking (children) out of a bad situation and giving them the opportunity for a better life.”

The play is written from the viewpoint of a nun and her slow realization of the negative impact the school had on washing away the childrens’ heritage and culture, Saas said.

“It shows the life-scarring abuse from something as basic as washing (the children’s) mouth out with soap to whipping, to locking them in closets and humiliation if they wet their beds at night,” he said. “What was casual and day-to-day policy for (the nuns) were horrors to the kids.”

Nightmares of boarding school days are still remembered by some Suquamish tribal members.

Between 1990 and 1920s, the federal government mandated Native children between the ages of 5-18 attend the Tulalip boarding school, said Suquamish Tribal Chairman Leonard Forsman.

“A lot of people were against it, they didn’t want their kids going to boarding school but they couldn’t go to public school because they weren’t paying taxes living on reservations,” Forsman said. “It was a very militaristic boarding school, which was the style of education at that time nationwide. It did have a big impact on the tribe and broke the link from the previous generation.”

At the Suquamish Museum, director Marilyn Jones points to a photo of young boys attending Cushman Trade School lined in military-straight rows, standing tall in uniforms. The photo is part of “The Eyes of Chief Seattle” exhibit.

“Think about being taken away from home to attend school 100 miles or more away. You have to wear a uniform and you’re told you can’t go home to see mom or dad for nine months and you were punished every time you spoke English,” Jones said. “That’s what it was like.”

Punishments ranged from a ruler to the hand or face, solitary confinement and some children were gagged, she said. “No child protection laws existed back then.”

Donna Ahvakana, who performs with the Suquamish Theatre Project, was born an Alaskan Inupiaq native. She was also forced to attend a residential boarding school.

“I missed out on the cultural aspect. I was shunned by my contemporaries because I was raised very white,” she said.

Ahvakana, who is now a grandmother, said she wants her family to know the truth about the boarding schools and their heritage.

“My grandkids look very much white and are integrated but I don’t want them to forget where they came from.”

Following the play tonight, Sass said he’ll invite the audience to discuss the hard-hitting subject matter.

“Some people don’t want to talk about it. There are some Native Americans who feel this story is theirs,” Saas said. “But as someone put it to me, it’s like the Holocaust. It’s a human story. It’s humanity and we should remember it so it won’t happen again.”