New York - New York Governor Kathy Hochul on Tuesday issued a formal apology to the Seneca Nation for the state's role in the notorious Thomas Indian School, which sought to strip Indigenous children of their languages, identities, and cultures.

"In order to move forward and avoid repeating the sins of the past, New York must acknowledge its role in the historical atrocities committed at the Thomas Indian School – and the enduring trauma that was inflicted upon the Senecas and all Indigenous peoples across New York," Hochul said in a statement as she visited the Cattaraugus Territory of the Seneca Nation.

"Today, on behalf of the State of New York, I apologize to the Seneca Nation of Indians – and the survivors and descendants from all Nations – who attended the Thomas Indian School," the governor continued.

"We cannot change the horrors of the past, but I recommit to the truth, justice, reconciliation, accountability, and healing that are so essential to move forward together."

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Founded by Presbyterian missionaries in 1855, the Thomas Indian School was owned by the State of New York until its closure in 1957.

At least 2,500 Indigenous children were forced to attend the school – some of whom never made it back out alive.

The Thomas Indian School is one of 523 known boarding schools that were located in 38 states now claimed by the US.

The institutions were created to "kill the Indian, and save the man," in the words of US Army officer Richard H. Pratt, founder of the infamous Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Pennsylvania.

Physical, sexual, and psychological abuse were rampant at the schools, which aimed to forcibly assimilate Indigenous children into the white colonizer society and break Native resistance.

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"Today is an important reckoning with a very dark and tragic period in history. It is a day that many people thought would never happen," said Seneca Nation President J.C. Seneca.

"Healing takes time, but it also requires accountability for the pain that people caused. We still feel the pain. Now, with Governor Hochul’s words of apology, our healing process can continue."