The History of the Education of Native Americans in the US
The large decrease of those who identify as Native American or Alaskan Native alone can be directly linked to the colonization and forced removal from their lands that these individuals experienced by European Americans. Before these historical events took place, North America was the home of five hundred Native American, or American Indian, cultures that spoke approximately three hundred language variations (Stout, 2012). The destruction of these cultures began when the European Americans began to arrive and then continued through assimilation, some instances of which were forced, such as the government-funded boarding schools that were existent throughout the late 1800s and into the 1900s (Stout, 2012).
Captain Richard Henry Pratt, founder of the first Native American boarding school.
Mullin, M. H. (2015) |
The First Boarding School for Native Americans Many boarding schools for Native Americans formed in hopes of assimilating them into a dominantly white European culture and were created in the likeness of Carlisle Indian School, the first of its kind. Carlisle Indian School, founded and opened by Richard H. Pratt in 1879, was created in hopes of educating the indigenous people, allowing them more success in the white man’s world (Hale, 2002). As stated by Mary Stout (2012), “in his zealous advocacy for Native American education, Pratt did not think deeply enough to realize the devastating and detrimental effects of the cultural genocide that he was promoting” (p. 29). Cultural genocide is what took place in Carlisle and the boarding schools that followed suit. |
Forced Assimilation Under the guise of trying to better the lives of these individuals, European Americans tried to force their native culture out of them by forcefully American Indian children to these establishments, where they underwent a disrobing of cultural identity. Stout (2012), upon reflection of memoirs of the individuals that lived through this experience, maintains that the arrival process likened the new students to cattle, as “students were lined up, always standing in lines. They lined up for inoculations and health checks. They were issued government regulation clothing and were often required to discard all of their clothing. Their hair was cut immediately and fine combed for lice” (p. 35). The treatment of these students did not get any better from this initial entry into their ‘educational experience.’ According to Lorraine Hale, the children received only a basic reading and writing education that was conducted completely in English, as there was a strict policy that there was to be no Native languages spoken at the boarding school (2002). Most of the day was spent doing manual labor and learning vocational trade work, as “the boarding schools used their students as unpaid labor to keep farms, gardens, and bakeries running in order to supply all of the needs of the students and make the school self-sufficient” (Stout, 2012, p. 49). This harsh ‘education’ lasted approximately three years for each student, after which they were sent back to live with their tribe (Stout, 2012). |
Description: "1886: A group of Chiracahua Apaches on their first day at Carlisle Indian School." (Choate, 1886).
Description: "1886: A group of Chiracahua Apaches after attending Carlisle Indian School for four months" (Choate, 1886).
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Calling Boarding School Practices into Question
It was not until 1928, with the publishing of the Meriam Report, that the effectivity of these boarding schools was publically called into question. The report provided a detailed description of the inadequate services being provided to the Native American population as a whole, especially their education (Hale, 2002). It held criticism for the educational strategies and techniques that were being utilized and “advised Congress and the Bureau of Indian Affairs to abandon assimilation (Americanization) as a primary goal of education” (Hale, 2002, p. 27). This report would lead to many changes being made to government policy in regards to Native American education, such as the Indian New Deal of 1934 and then the Indian Education Act of 1972. These acts were written after the importance of Native American self-determination in their education was recognized as a way to improve the educational outcomes of Indigenous culture students and they help provide this group of people with funds to help create a curriculum that was reflective of tribal goals (Hale, 2002). According to Whipple (2012), this has led to Indian Education today being representational of “both American societies institutional practice of schooling as well as Native communal traditions of indoctrinating American Indian students into knowledge” (p. 6). While it seems as if the national government has tried to make up for mistreatment it imposed on the American Indians, the large achievement gap that is still apparent today proves that they have not been able to undo the harm they began so long ago.
It was not until 1928, with the publishing of the Meriam Report, that the effectivity of these boarding schools was publically called into question. The report provided a detailed description of the inadequate services being provided to the Native American population as a whole, especially their education (Hale, 2002). It held criticism for the educational strategies and techniques that were being utilized and “advised Congress and the Bureau of Indian Affairs to abandon assimilation (Americanization) as a primary goal of education” (Hale, 2002, p. 27). This report would lead to many changes being made to government policy in regards to Native American education, such as the Indian New Deal of 1934 and then the Indian Education Act of 1972. These acts were written after the importance of Native American self-determination in their education was recognized as a way to improve the educational outcomes of Indigenous culture students and they help provide this group of people with funds to help create a curriculum that was reflective of tribal goals (Hale, 2002). According to Whipple (2012), this has led to Indian Education today being representational of “both American societies institutional practice of schooling as well as Native communal traditions of indoctrinating American Indian students into knowledge” (p. 6). While it seems as if the national government has tried to make up for mistreatment it imposed on the American Indians, the large achievement gap that is still apparent today proves that they have not been able to undo the harm they began so long ago.
Our Spirits Don't Speak English
If interested in learning more about the history and practices of the Native American Boarding Schools, please watch Our Spirits Don't Speak English (Richie, 2008). This eye-opening documentary provides valuable insight into the individual experiences of the Native American children who attended these institutions and the lasting effects those experiences had on the Native American culture from their perspective.
If interested in learning more about the history and practices of the Native American Boarding Schools, please watch Our Spirits Don't Speak English (Richie, 2008). This eye-opening documentary provides valuable insight into the individual experiences of the Native American children who attended these institutions and the lasting effects those experiences had on the Native American culture from their perspective.