Harold Ironshield was the founder and Director
of the Native American Reburial Restoration
Committee. He fought for many years to educate
the public regarding the Hiawatha Asylum for
Insane Indians.
As a journalist Harold felt it was his duty to
educate the public regarding the asylum. It is true
that many of his articles regarding the asylum were
more from an emotional standpoint than an
objective angle but given Harold had a relative in
the asylum I think it was understandable.
I met Harold through a colleague and was
quickly educated on the asylum. Harold felt
strongly about people knowing, about there being
the appropriate amount of education for people
regarding the asylum and its history, along with
bringing the appropriate amount of attention to
those who remained buried at the site.
He was very intent on people knowing what
really went on within the asylum - the things that
weren't mentioned in the Silk, Meriam and Collier
Reports. Harold carried the knowledge of
survivors, people he'd met, people he'd known,
friends, relatives, people whose lives had been
directly affected by Hiawatha and usually not for
the better. I was honored to have Harold share
these things with me, to have him lead me in the
right direction for interviews, discussions and
research.
I learned a lot from Harold over the years and
while we weren't constantly in contact, there were
moments where I could call and we would pick up
right where we'd left off discussion wise.
Harold was instrumental in having the Asylum
Cemetery designated a National Historic Site. It
was his long term goal to place a historical marker
there, as well as replacing the shattering
monument within the cemetery itself.
Until his health prohibited working on these
projects, Harold held yearly prayer ceremonies and
walks in the city of Canton. These were attended
by people from all over the country and many times
were not exactly peaceful. I was not a part of
those. I had no part in some of Harold's well
publicized arguments with the City of Canton but I
did take part in some of the prayer ceremonies and
met many wonderful people who came to take part.
Harold passed away in February 2008. But he is
far from forgotten and is still very much an integral
part of this project and the education processes
we work so hard to promote. I, having personally
known Harold, would like to think that he would
approve of our continued steps to make the public
aware of the asylum and what went on there.
With the blessing and permission of his family
we build this page in honor of Harold and all of his
hard work. We only hope that we can carry on his
mission with the same intensity and purpose so
that the world may never again forget what
happened at the Hiawatha Asylum.
~Mia Fisher
of the Native American Reburial Restoration
Committee. He fought for many years to educate
the public regarding the Hiawatha Asylum for
Insane Indians.
As a journalist Harold felt it was his duty to
educate the public regarding the asylum. It is true
that many of his articles regarding the asylum were
more from an emotional standpoint than an
objective angle but given Harold had a relative in
the asylum I think it was understandable.
I met Harold through a colleague and was
quickly educated on the asylum. Harold felt
strongly about people knowing, about there being
the appropriate amount of education for people
regarding the asylum and its history, along with
bringing the appropriate amount of attention to
those who remained buried at the site.
He was very intent on people knowing what
really went on within the asylum - the things that
weren't mentioned in the Silk, Meriam and Collier
Reports. Harold carried the knowledge of
survivors, people he'd met, people he'd known,
friends, relatives, people whose lives had been
directly affected by Hiawatha and usually not for
the better. I was honored to have Harold share
these things with me, to have him lead me in the
right direction for interviews, discussions and
research.
I learned a lot from Harold over the years and
while we weren't constantly in contact, there were
moments where I could call and we would pick up
right where we'd left off discussion wise.
Harold was instrumental in having the Asylum
Cemetery designated a National Historic Site. It
was his long term goal to place a historical marker
there, as well as replacing the shattering
monument within the cemetery itself.
Until his health prohibited working on these
projects, Harold held yearly prayer ceremonies and
walks in the city of Canton. These were attended
by people from all over the country and many times
were not exactly peaceful. I was not a part of
those. I had no part in some of Harold's well
publicized arguments with the City of Canton but I
did take part in some of the prayer ceremonies and
met many wonderful people who came to take part.
Harold passed away in February 2008. But he is
far from forgotten and is still very much an integral
part of this project and the education processes
we work so hard to promote. I, having personally
known Harold, would like to think that he would
approve of our continued steps to make the public
aware of the asylum and what went on there.
With the blessing and permission of his family
we build this page in honor of Harold and all of his
hard work. We only hope that we can carry on his
mission with the same intensity and purpose so
that the world may never again forget what
happened at the Hiawatha Asylum.
~Mia Fisher
| Harold Ironshield 1946-2008 |
 |  |