Native American Boarding Schools Past and Future

Rez Life Weekly Staff

Native kids in a large group in front of a boarding school.

Most typically, mission schools established by various religious organizations in the United States, Mexico, and Canada served as the first educational institutions for Native Americans. The Indian Civilization Act was passed by Congress in 1819, and it provided funding for missionaries to educate Native Americans and advance the "civilization process."

Native American children have occasionally been forcibly transported and sent to these schools, where the US started assimilating them into the Western way of life, depending on the religious order and the time period. In other instances, organizations made an effort to "help" Native Americans in well-intentioned but mistaken attempts to address their predicament.

The history of Native American boarding schools began with this, beginning a long and traumatic journey that continues to traumatize Native Americans today.

HISTORY OF NATIVE AMERICAN EDUCATION

Mission schools were replaced by federally financed schools, where the government played a more direct role, in the late 19th century. These schools were frequently run by religious orders, while not all of these institutions received federal financing. The most well-known Native American boarding school in the US was the Carlisle Indian School, which was founded in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, in 1879.

The phrase "Kill the Indian to save the man" was first used to describe the tenets of these schools, which were established by Colonel Richard Henry Pratt. Assimilation was intended to eradicate Native culture.

Students were robbed of their culture and instructed in the "white man's" manner of doing things at boarding schools like the Carlisle School. Students were frequently required to don uniforms rather than their traditional clothing, had their hair styled in accordance with current Western fashion, were given new names, were prevented from using their original tongues, and were forced to convert to Christianity.

At these schools, corporal punishment, hunger, and isolation were frequently used as forms of disciplinary punishment. As more information about what transpired at these schools comes to light, this has sparked criticism.

The Carlisle School format was adopted by numerous other institutions and eventually became the norm in the nation. Native Americans had a loss of identity since they were not permitted to exercise their religion, speak their language, or live according to their culture. This loss of identity persists today.

FACTS ABOUT NATIVE AMERICAN BOARDING SCHOOL

Thousands of Native American children were taken from their homes and families between 1869 and the 1960s and put in boarding schools.

20,000 kids attended native boarding schools in 1900.

In only 25 years, that number increased to 60,889.

By 1926, boarding schools on and off reserve were attended by over 83% of Indian students of school age.

523 residential schools were running in 29 states.

Boarding schools were founded by 14 different denominations, with Catholics, Presbyterians, and Quakers being the most prevalent. 125 institutions are still in existence today.

The lowest graduation rate among American students is currently seen among Native students, who make up 75% of the student population.

The Meriam Report made the public aware of the numerous shortcomings of boarding school living.

The lengthy and frequently cited report, which was published in 1928 by the Institute for Government Research, presented the findings of an extensive study of Indian tribes, highlighting the widespread poverty on reservations, the subpar conditions in Indian schools, and the U.S. government's failure to improve the living conditions at Indian Schools.

Over the following few years, the report served as the catalyst for significant change and the closure of numerous government-run schools.

The federal government felt pressure as the public's awareness of the problems at the boarding schools increased. In the 1930s, a deliberate attempt to integrate Native American pupils into public schools got underway.

Still, during the challenging times of the Great Depression, the schools that remained open served as a tool for family preservation.

There is not a strong historical memory of the idea that some Native Americans themselves frequently sought out the schools for their children as a strategy of family preservation, even though the boarding school system is to blame for the ongoing societal problems among Native Americans today. Even during the Great Depression, boarding school history shows significant Native American activity and the manner in which families and students constrained the institution's (now waning) assimilative aims.

Native Americans did a good job of preventing assimilation and redesigning the boarding schools that were still in operation.

To improve the comparatively low academic attainment of minority pupils, especially Native Americans, Congress established the No Child Left Behind Act in 2001. Except for Native Americans, every student group's achievement has increased after the law's enactment. However, there are still problems with Native American youth's education, including the lowest graduation rates of any group in the US.

Fortunately, assimilation, discipline, and "civilizing" tactics are no longer used in many boarding schools, even though some of them are still operating. Instead, these institutions focus heavily on teaching language and culture.

Native American Brenda Child, a member of the Red Lake Band of the Chippewa, and Northrop Professor of American Studies at the University of Minnesota, thinks many Native Americans hold boarding schools responsible for all of the negative things that have ever occurred to them as a result of colonialism. She claims, "The narrative doesn't reflect the contradictions and complexities of the boarding school system, which was different for each generation."

CURRENT NATIVE AMERICAN SCHOOLS

Even though Native American schools have a problematic history and there is still much to be done, some of them are thriving today. By offering a comprehensive education in a secure setting, these schools are attempting to buck the trend with the aid of federal money and charitable organizations.

Indian School of Red Cloud

Red Cloud Indian School was founded by Franciscan sisters and Jesuit priests in Pine Ridge, South Dakota, in 1888. The Holy Rosary School was renamed in 1969 as a mark of respect for the man whose work had made it possible to found the school as well as as part of a program of re-identification intended to show the world that Red Cloud was not intended to be an organization of cultural imperialism but rather the result of an enduring bond between different cultures who wanted to enhance the best aspects of both worlds to serve the Pine Ridge Indian Community.

Red Cloud Indian School has emerged as a pioneer in the Truth and Healing movement for residential schools in reaction to the mass graves that have been found in Canada and the US.

Sacred Heart Indian School

More than 200 Native American children receive a top-notch education each year at St. Joseph's, which is situated near Chamberlain, South Dakota. Father Henry Hogebach SCJ founded the school in 1927, admitting 53 students in its inaugural term. Its intriguing past has contributed to it being one of the best schools in the country for Native American kids today.

Its goal is to work alongside Native American families and their children to provide them with a holistic education that prepares them for life. Alongside the Catholic tradition, classes on culture, language, and Native American rituals are offered. Each kid receives wrap-around services that take into account their unique needs.

St. Joseph's

Indian School relies on members of a Parent Advisory Committee to offer insight and input on programs, services, and issues because families are such a crucial part of a child's education, health, and progress. About a dozen people who are either parents, grandparents, or guardians of pupils make up the organization. St. Joseph's participates in the Truth and Healing program of the American Indian Catholic Schools Network, just like Red Cloud does.

The care and formation of pupils at St. Joseph is based on the following principles:

-acknowledging the worth of every person as a creation of God

-believing that the student can improve and progress through strengths-based practice

-discipline or behavior management based on essential principles like respect, compassion, teamwork, resilience, and possibility

-mutual respect based on the roles of the staff and students

-the Circle of Courage's core principles of Belonging, Mastery, Independence, and Generosity; and flexibility dependent on a child's stage of development

-The change in consequence levels from the least restrictive to the most stringent

-Relationships with people that increase growth potential

-An atmosphere that promotes students' and staff members' wellbeing since assistance is expected and harm of any kind is undesirable

IAIA, or Institute of American Indian Arts

The IAIA's stated purpose is "to empower creativity and leadership in Native Arts and cultures through higher education, life-long learning, and outreach."

The Institute was founded in 1962 in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and has grown to be a hub for Native American art, music, culture, history, and scholarship. The IAIA is unique and a vital component of the effort to give Native Americans a modern, high-quality education for future generations. It has a premier museum and approved higher education programs.