Native American Ethnocide

Native American Ethnocide
In the article "Taking the Indian out of the Indian: U.S. Policies of Ethnocide through Education",
Donald Grinde informs us about how white European settlers and early Americans discriminated
against Native Americans through the education system. I learned that the U.S built boarding
schools specifically for Native Americans, tried to erase Native American history and traditions, and
how they later on tried to "civilize" them by having them conform to their Eurocentric standards. A
while back I had read on the internet that the U.S. had built many boarding schools specifically for
Native American children. The things that I read seemed terrible and kind of surreal. Now that I
have read Grinde's article I can now confirm to myself that it was accurate. Like the title of the
article says, Grinde literally and figuratively talks about how the U.S "took the Indian out of the
Indian". In the article, Grinde says that the Americans' policies assumed ... Show more content on
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One detail that really stood out to me was that in the government boarding schools they would give
the children posters with white Christian values like "Let Jesus save you", "Come out of your
blanket, cut your hair, and dress like a white man", and many more ridiculous "values"(Grinde 54) I
found this infuriating because this meant that they saw Native Americans as scum and could only
redeem themselves if they followed their set of rules and standards. This was the way to teach them
to be "civilized" in their eyes. The article even mentions a guy named Alexander H. H. Stuart, who
stated that Native Americans were "encompassed by an unbroken chain of civilization... and the
only alternatives left are, to civilize or exterminate them." They did not really care about Native
American culture and heritage. They just cared about having Native Americans behaving just like
them or they deserve to be dead and I think that's
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Allotment And Assimilation Era
American Indians underwent several different eras of federal policy, each one varying on where the
government stands when dealing with American Indians. One era of federal policy in particular is
referred to as the "Allotment and Assimilation Era", characterized by the policies regarding
allotment of land and the process adapting American Indian children to an Anglo–Saxon society.
While both aspects of the Allotment and Assimilation Era had a tremendous effect on American
Indians, forcibly enrolling American Indian children into boarding schools, in an effort to "civilise"
them, not only had a greater impact on tribal communities at the time, but it also had the most
significant lasting legacy. The Allotment and Assimilation Era was named ... Show more content on
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Since there was always a strong bond between children, parents, and other members of the tribe, the
"loss of the children to school was... like a death in the family and community" (Devens 288).
Because this bond was severed at a young age, children had to grow up without the love and
guidance of their tribe and instead with the harsh punishments that teachers gave out when the
children did not follow instructions. Not only were children torn apart from their tribal community,
but when they graduated from their respective boarding schools and returned home, there was a
language barrier between their tribe and themselves, leaving children unable to communicate with
their families. Since boarding schools were taught in English, there would be punishment if any
teacher found a student speaking their native language. There was an emphasis of not speaking their
native language at school and instead learning English, American Indian children pushed their native
language to the back of their mind and eventually they were unable to speak it at all. These dramatic
effects of boarding schools impacted the American Indian community greatly, much more than the
land allotments, as family and tribe values and the education of their children were more important
to them than the land allotments. American Indian children

Native American Boarding School Essay
selves, basically not allowed to do anything that is not of the Westerner way of life and if they didn't
they would be severely punished. Knowing that native people connect a lot with nature and spirits.
We could see that the boarding school social construction came between them so that they couldn't
continue to connect with those two important aspects of their culture. Especially talking with the
spirits because of what? The spirits couldn't understand English. We can see that the boarding school
really took a toll on these innocent native people. But, yet, Pratt stated that the boarding school was
built and organized to help the natives. But was it really build to help them? Or was it just built to
create an unbalance between whites and natives? ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Which we see plays a lot throughout photos that were taken, Photos play such a vital role in telling a
story that can connect some much dots together to have that essential meaning behind it. Going
through a lot, the photos that compare with the changes of these young Indian children have me
thinking on why diminishing a culture to fit into a next one that for sure will cause conflicts
throughout the Native culture. Examining the visual that have the children kneeling down on the bed
praying the western way vs. the natural way for Indians was more on meditating and connecting a
lot with nature. Another photo was a boy with before and after look; you can see that the boy looks
completely different in the after picture "kill the Indian, save the man" What a phrase to use. Wasn't
the man already inside before getting rid of his real identity? I guess not these westerners believed
that if you cut their hair and get rid of their Indian dressing to mold them in the "American culture,"
they will fit in and look like them. They think they will "get rid of everything." But guess again, it
would be the same way when a baby is in his/her mother ovum they get so connected to their mom.
To the point whenever they hear their mom's voice they would move or kick. And after they are born
and starts to cry, and their mom opens her mouth silences the baby and

Indian Assimilation from early 1800
Marcus Garvey once said, "A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture
is like a tree without roots" (Bro). Here, he proclaims the idea that in order to live a culture must be
passed down from generation to generation, growing its roots. When two cultures were fighting for
dominance in the U.S., the American government developed a plan to eradicate the First Nations'
roots, buying into the philosophy of Captain Richard H. Pratt when he stated that instead of killing
all the Natives it would be of more use to "kill the Indian, and save the man" ("Kill"). Between the
late 1800's and early 1900's, the United States government used boarding schools to try to assimilate
Native Americans into modern American culture; ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Each boarding school had a set of tight rules designed to assimilate the children in such a way that
they forgot or rejected their native culture. The children were forced to leave behind their original
religion and properly observe the Sabbath every Sunday ("Rules" 53). They were strictly forbidden
in speaking in their native dialect and were not allowed to keep their native dress but had to adopt a
uniform style of clothing (Stone). Also the children were taught to enjoy the games of the young
white children rather than being able to play the games of their childhood ("Rules" 54). These
policies assimilated the children of the First Nations by giving them a new Americanized way of
thought based on a Christian Anglo–Saxon view of the world and bestowing upon them an
Americanized outward appearance by teaching them to play, act, and dress like white American
children. However, the new Americanized outward appearance stripped the Indian children of their
individuality and cultural identity. The accounts of Zitkala–Sa Sioux and Lilly Quoetone
Nahwooksy demonstrate this assault on the children's' native identity. While Zitkala–Sa Sioux
attended the Quaker missionary school in Wabash Indiana at age eight, her beautiful long hair was
cut against her will, which was considered an act of great injustice in her culture. She had been
taught that "only unskilled warriors who were captured had their hair shingled by an enemy,"

African Americans And The Native Americans
The history of the Native Americans and the white colonist that would become the United States of
America have always been a disaster for the Native Americans. The land greed of the whites had
driven the tribes of the East west, and destroyed the culture of the Midwestern Plains tribes. Near
constant war with the Native American finally appeared to come to a peaceful solution. The Native
Americans resisted the American way of life because they did not understand it, education was the
key to civilizing the Native Americans. The government's broken promises and the cruelty of the
white settlers were symptoms of the greater Indian problem. The Indians refused to stop being
Indians, despite the efforts of Washington and missionaries to teach ... Show more content on
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Some families resisted the new education program, however, reliance on food rations and supplies
from the government swayed those who resisted. If the Indians could not become Americans, then
there would be no more Indians. The boarding schools were not easily accepted by the Native
Americans and some spoke out against the Americanization of native children, one detractor was
Chief Sitting Bull, a leader of the Lokatas. He resisted any action that would interfere with the old
ways and denounced the work of whites to assimilate the Plains tribes to American ways. In spite of
the resistance of the students the boarding schools were funded and children gathered to attend. The
purpose of Indian boarding schools like Carlisle Indian Industrial School claimed to take young
Native American children and educate them and transform them into proper citizens of the United
States. However, the reality falls far short of the expectations of the wealthy reformers who fought
for the schools to improve the lives of the Native Americans. Filled with good intention the Indian
boarding schools of the 19th century failed more students than it helped. Graduates from boarding
schools suffered prejudice from white Americans and were ill suited for life on the reservations after
years living in a different culture. Lost between two worlds neither, Indian nor American the
students of the Indian boarding schools were victims of the good intentions

Native American Boarding Schools Essay
What if the only thing that brought generations of families together were stripped from children?
Native Indians had this happen to them when they attended boarding schools in the late 1900s. The
language you are born into is the glue that can keep a strong bond within your culture and family.
Language barriers can cause families to be unable to bond and these children may feel as if they
cannot have a relationship with their family members. The Indian boarding schools were a
destructive form of dehumanization since the way it tore culture from students, changed their culture
into the culture they thought was right, and caused many Native Indians family troubles as well as
depression and confusion. To understand what was stripped from these ... Show more content on
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The boarding schools "educators suppressed tribal languages and cultural practices and sought to
replace them with English, Christianity, athletic activities, and a ritual calendar intended to further
patriotic citizenship" (Davis 20). Not only had the boarding schools taken away Native American
culture, they were forcing the Native Americans into a different culture. The language was quite
challenging to learn, especially to the older students. Learning a new language is much harder at an
older age, and while being bilingual is vey helpful, these Native Americans were not allowed to
speak their Native language. A Native American girl stated she, "remembers another little girl
making a mistake in her use of English and being ridiculed for it. ... The English language was
difficult to learn" (Vizenor 102). These Native Americans were learning a brand new language,
being stripped from theirs, and they would be picked on if they did not have perfect English right
away. Many chose to keep quite so they would not make mistakes. Taking away Native American
children's language caused many challenges at home. Many children were confused, homesick, as
well as resentful. Many of the children attending these boarding schools did not understand why
their parents sent them to boarding school. For many it was because family members were, "sick
then. He don't want to take care of a little one so he pushed me to school" (Burich 5). Many children
would not understand why they were being sent to these schools, especially since the schools were
changing their worlds

Native Americans And Native American Children
Imagine sitting in your lounge on day, sipping away your coffee with the people you love the most.
Suddenly, someone smacks open your door and claim it to be his/her house and takes away your
family to teach them to live the 'right away'. How would you feel? Similarly, Native Americans were
victimized when Europeans came to the America. But this is one point of view, and there is another
perspective to understand here as well. This issues needs to be addressed in a way that puts forth the
ideologies of both the Native Americans and the European authorities that took over. Upon the
arrival of the Europeans in the US and their attempt to overtake land from the Native Americans,
various movements took place. One of them was the establishment of boarding schools for Native
American children's. They claimed to offer modern English education for better future, as opposed
to their cultural schools. Children were forcefully taken away from their families to boarding
schools where they were forced to cut their hair, pick an English name and even forced to convert to
Christianity. Since, Native children were not familiar with English language; they had trouble
understanding the norms and what was being taught. Children often showed resistance when they
were asked to give up their local practices and lifestyle. Some practices instilled fear American
Indian children as they had deep meanings in their culture. Like cutting hair was a symbol for death
and mourning. Some

Native American Boarding School
Under the act, allottees would have to farm and cultivate the land for 25 years before owning it and
them and their heirs could become US citizens. They also had to separate themselves from other
Native Americans and tribes and adopt the habits of a true American. If the family did not succeed at
cultivating the land in that 25 years period, it would be taken from them by the US government to
sale again to white settlers. The act also funded boarding schools that designed to replace Native
American culture with American culture within the school system. Family and cultural ties almost
diminished because of the boarding schools. Children were even punished for speaking their native
tongue or practicing anything dealing with Native American rituals

Native American Boarding Schools Research Paper
Native American Boarding Schools
"America remembers what it did to its Black slaves and is sorry. America remembers what happened
to the Jews in Europe and says "never again." America refuses to remember what it has done to
Native people, it wants to forget the lies and the slaughter." ("Reservation Boarding Schools"). From
1878– 1978, Native American children were taken from their families and homes to boarding
schools that stripped them of everything they were raised to believe. Schools today do not teach
much on the topic of Native American boarding schools, so students either know nothing about them
or very little.
The first and most famous boarding school was in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. It opened in 1878 and was
run by Richard Pratt. ("Remembering Our Indian..."). Pratt forced students to live with "good white"
families for at least part of the year to see the type of character they are supposed to have. The
boarding school in Carlisle lasted until voices of opposition finally began to rise and voices of
support wilted. Pratt lived from 1840– 1924 running his school and publicly speaking his thoughts
and viewpoints on the topic. ("Reservation Boarding Schools").
Students in ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
The memories haunt them and will stay with them forever. Some of these people have spoken out
and told their stories to the public, while others have refused to speak of what they encountered. Bill
Wright was sent to a boarding school when he was just six years old. He tells first–hand about the
awful things that the Native children went through. Wright remembers being bathed in kerosene and
having his head shaved when he first arrived at school. ("American Indian Boarding..."). There are
very similar stories from many Native Americans that remember their days there. Although the
numbers of alive people that attended schools are dwindling, many people are still out there sharing
their memories and

Dehumanization Of Boarding Schools
"Kill the Indian in him, and save the man." That was the motto of government established boarding
schools for Native Americans on the western frontier. These schools were a cruel and dehumanizing
attempt at assimilating native culture with that of the European white man. By enrolling Native
American children in these schools, they were susceptible to new diseases brought from Europe,
such as tuberculosis and the flu, which the natives had never encountered and resulted fatal. Little
Indian boys who prided themselves in their long hair were forced to cut it off and exchanged their
given names for "white" names. Since Indian children were forced to speak only English, some
schools went so far as to punish whomever spoke in their native language. These schools had good
intentions, they offered nursing, education, and more opportunities to grow in the new society than
the Indians would otherwise ever receive, yet that gift was not requested by the native peoples. By
killing off Native Americans, making them resign aspects of their culture, and forcing them to
switch to the European language, government boarding schools completely replaced the culture of
Indians by means of cruel and dehumanizing procedures. The first government boarding school for
Indians was located in Carlisle, Pennsylvania and established in 1879. Founded by Richard Pratt, a
former frontier Indian fighter, the school was an attempt at assimilating their culture to that of the
white man's, rather than killing

Indian Boarding School Research Paper
Mid Term Paper– Native American Studies 2. Indian Boarding Schools, which began in the late
1870's, were started to transition Native Americans from their traditional cultures and transform
them into American citizens. By the 1900's, there were 147 day schools on and off reservations in
the Great Plains. Day schools were first built before the government decided that the children
needed to be removed from their Indian lifestyle in order for total assimilation to occur. The first
off–reservation boarding schools appeared around 1884 in the Great Plains. By 1890, 25 federal off–
reservation and 43 on–reservation boarding schools were operating nationally. Many Indian families
chose to send their children to boarding schools because there were no other schools available. After
$45 million had been spent and 20,000 Indian children had been put into schools, the Commissioner
of Indian Affairs William Jones put emphasis on the importance of utilizing existing boarding and
day schools more effectively. Jones declared that the Indian children had shown little evidence of
assimilation and introduced the idea for a hierarchy of schools in order to "provide the greatest
opportunity for assimilating the best students with the greatest potential for surviving in the white
world" (Encyclopedia of the Great Plains, par.8). While the children attended these ... Show more
content on Helpwriting.net ...
After the Dawes Act was passed, the Government stripped the tribes of their authority and made it
very difficult for each of them to maintain their traditional ways of life. The tribes finally decided
that they needed some type of authority. This authority came with land ownership and the allotment
of land was the closest to land ownership they were going to get. They all agreed to the Dawes Act
by 1902 and forfeited their

Assimilation: The Native American Indian Boarding School
The Native American Indian Boarding School was an institution designed by missionaries to
"assimilate" the Native American children to adopt American culture. Assimilation was intended to
strip young children of everything they knew of their own culture and replace it with what the white
man saw fit ultimately because they were threatened by the native people they had suppressed. As
far as being successful, the schools did separate the children from their parents and tribe therefore
weakening the tribes legacy for the future. The objective was to enfeeble the natives into
submission. Concurrently, the public was told the children were being properly educated. Studies in
English, business economics and etiquette was the publicized curriculum.

The Power Of Boarding Schools
Fulfilling god's plan, America forced Native Americans to attend boarding schools where the ideals
of Christianity were implemented. In Abigail Graham's article, "The Power of Boarding Schools," a
History of Education professor at Indiana University writes that boarding schools is a tool used to
reinforce one's ideas into individuals. Graham writes, "Boarding schools...significantly impact the
social development of their students; for this reason...schools used [this] as tools for reinforcing
power relationships and cultural identities." America's goal was to eliminate any existence of the
Native's culture by constantly embedding the values of being an American and being Christian
inside the school. The boarding school is completely new to the Natives, and having someone tell
them what to do was something unheard of. Within a school's system–the students have the least
authority, the teacher is second in line, and the principal is the highest. The students were of Native
American descent, of course the teachers were white, and this demonstrates the power relationship
with the Native Americans and the Whites; the whites had more power than the other race. Children
were targets because if America were able to change the younger generation's ideals, than as they
get older their offsprings will be what America envisioned, a non–Native American who has no
knowing of their culture. In Mary A. Stout book, Native American Boarding Schools, the author
mentions that boarding schools

The Native Americans also lost their old cultures throughout time. In 1860, Americans created the
first boarding school for Indians. The government forced many families to put their kids into the
school. At the school it was mandatory to learn english, American ways of living, religious training
for Christianity, change names to American names, and wear proper clothing. Americans thought if
they were taught the religious beliefs of Americans everyday, they would soon believe in
Christianity and forget about their old culture. Their end goal was to completely demolish the Indian
culture. One boarding school then turned to sixty schools for 6,200 Indian students all learning the
same things. In order to change the kids from Indian to American,

The Purpose Of Indian Boarding Schools
Topic 1)
What was the intended purpose of Indian boarding schools? According to the Wikipedia page,
Native American boarding schools, " they were established in the United States during the late 19th
and early 20th centuries to educate and [simulate] Native American children and youths according to
European standards". So, the intended purpose of the Indian boarding schools was to educate and
assimilate the children with the idea of the "living the American way". The reformers wanted the
children to understand and have practical knowledge of the American culture , and be kept away
from their traditional Indian relatives. Probably, their Indian relatives were closed minded and did
not want to expose the younger generation to different things. According to the website
nativepartnership.org, "reformers assumed that it was necessary to "civilize" Indian people"(par. 2).
The reformers wanted the children to understand the outside world, not have influences from their
tribal life, be a self sufficient member of society, and not have anything, get in their way.
2).How does Richard Pratt's statement, "Kill the Indian...save the man," relate to these Indian
boarding schools? I think Richard Pratt's statement "Kill the Indian...save the man," relates to these
Indian boarding schools because when Richard Pratt opened the boarding school he had the goal as
a army officer to educate and show the Native American children to be members of America society.
He also prohibited them

Boarding Schools Affected Native American Life
How Boarding Schools Came To Be In American history, many things have affected Native
American life and one of the biggest ones was boarding schools being created. Boarding schools
may not seem like a very big deal but has affected a large part of Native American life. In the time
prior to these schools being created, the American government's main issue was finding a place to
move Native Americans to, since their homelands were now under the control of the government.
Eventually, the tens of thousands of native americans were put onto designated lands called
reservations and attended boarding schools. Many Native Americans remember this time as nothing
but abuse and desecration of their culture. Boarding schools greatly affected and influenced the life
of tens of thousands of native americans during this time period but their lasting effects are still
carried into today (Bear 2008). One man in particular, Floyd Red Crow Westerman, who was an
Indian activist, publicly recalls how he was haunted by his memories of boarding school. He was
forced to leave his reservation in South Dakota and go to the Wahpeton Indian Boarding School in
North Dakota when he was just a child, but he remembers the tears that both he and ... Show more
During this time, the United States government operated over one hundred boarding schools (Akee
2016). The schools were not really about education, whereas most students did not learn basic
concepts of math or english, but sometimes they did teach trades such as carpentry for boys and
housekeeping for girls. Although malnourishment, abuse, and forced labor was prominent in some
schools, not all children had these negative experiences in their schools. Some Native Americans
have good memories of meeting spouses and making lifelong friends (Bear

The Death Of Their Cultures
Amelia D. Marquez Professor Silbernagel NASX 205 2 May 2017 The Death of their Cultures
Americans often picture their historic relationship with the Native Americans as one that involved a
feast on what is known as the first Thanksgiving. Most history books forget to mention the moments
where Native Americans had to fight for their land, rights, and lives. Throughout history, many
scenes are filled with European settlers and early Americans annihilating entire tribes of Natives.
Later, Americans filled their heads with greed and would shed blood from tribe to tribe just to fill
their pockets with gold. For the tribes that were left by the late 1800s, Americans felt the need to
force the Native Americans into boarding schools in order to ... Show more content on
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Everything they had come to know in the first five years of their lives were trampled on. To add
insult to injury, the first efforts of assimilation through boarding schools was headed by Captain
Richard Henry Pratt in 1879 (Marr, n.d.). Pratt is known for saying, "kill the Indian and save the
man" and believing that Native Americans were inferior to white people (Marr, n.d.). Pratt believed
that the only way to add Natives to the American melting pot was by transforming them through
education. The schedule set for the students was harsh and rough. At Cushman Indian School in
Tacoma, Washington, the students were expected to wake up at 5:45 A.M., perform industrial work
at 8:00 A.M., classes from 9 A.M. to 1 P.M., continue drills all afternoon, and end their day at 8:45
P.M. Another harsh reality of the schedule is that the school time hardly focused on subjects like
math or science. They were often filled with rigorous English courses where students were punished
for talking in their native language (Marr, n.d.). If the abuse and malnourishment did not cause a
child to run away or sometimes even commit suicide, then the disease would catch many Native
students. Tuberculosis, trachoma, measles, and small pox would often infect the students at the
boarding schools. In one scenario, it is documented that "In December of 1899, measles broke out at
the Phoenix Indian School, reaching epidemic proportions by January. In its

Native American Racism
Native American racism has long been going on in the United States and is still prevalent to this day.
The actions on the part of the people and government of the United States against the Native
Americans has had a lasting effect on Native Americans. From the beginnings of the the United
States, the U.S. government has pushed Native Americans off of their land to make way for white
settlers and manifest destiny. The reservations that Native Americans were pushed onto have some
of the lowest living conditions in the country and have high rates of poverty and unemployment.
Over a span of just under one hundred years, the U.S. government pushed many Native American
children into boarding schools and assimilation programs. These assimilation programs effectively
slowed down the passing down of generational customs because the children were forced to adopt
the new customs that the government wanted them to adopt. Children's books commonly have
stereotypes against Native Americans that warp young children's perceptions of that particular group
of people. Many sports teams across the country have Native American mascots and team names.
These mascots are insensitive and contain offensive stereotypes that hurt people's perceptions of
Native Americans. For some, these are the only examples of Native Americans that they ever see,
further damaging their outlook on Native American perspectives. It is important for the citizens of
the United States to learn about Native American history

Native American Boarding Schools During the Westward...
Native American Boarding Schools During the Westward Expansion
People know about the conflict between the Indian's cultures and the settler's cultures during the
westward expansion. Many people know the fierce battles and melees between the Indians and the
settlers that were born from this cultural conflict. In spite of this, many people may not know about
the systematic and deliberate means employed by the U.S. government to permanently rid their new
land of the Indians who had lived their own lives peacefully for many years. There are many strong
and chilling reasons and causes as to why the settlers started all of this perplexity in the first place.
There was also a very strong and threatening impact on the Native Americans ... Show more content
on Helpwriting.net ...
These native peoples, first mislabeled as Indians by an explorer named Christopher Columbus,
divided themselves into many different tribes, each with its own government, language, traditions
and religions. Europeans, who slowly poured into the Indian's land, did not respect the Indians
beliefs, interrupted their peaceful life and would do almost anything to get the land to them selves.
The settlers also believed the land that both the Indians and the settlers lived on was theirs to
themselves. They began to push the Native Americans off of their own land. Many of them fought
back to keep their homes, some succeeded, some didn't.
By the 1800's most of the Native Americans signed a treaty with the European American
government. The results left the Native Americans on small pieces of land called reservations in
exchange for their land and peace. The European Americans promised that they would give the
Indians living on the reservations food, water, money and education for the children. Most of these
promises were not kept.
White man's schooling of the Native Americans helped cause the disintegration of the beliefs,
customs and ways of life of the natives residents of "Turtle Island". One of the sources that helped
their culture vanish, not completely, were the Native American boarding schools. The boarding
schools put the Native Americans through so much pain,

Native American Education Essay
Children were taken away from their homes and told everything they knew was wrong. They were
sent to boarding schools to change their culture. These boarding schools were run by the United
States government. The government's goal was to civilize Native Americans. They sent children to
these schools against their will. Native American children were educated like Americans and they
had to change their native ways to be more like whites (Cayton 266). Teachers abused their students
and beat their native ways out of them. They were not allowed to see their families so they would try
to escape, but their attempts were unsuccessful. The United States government's Boarding Schools
of the mid–late 1800s irreparably changed Native American culture. ... Show more content on
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Crazy Horse was brutally murdered and the Sioux surrendered ("Battle"). In 1890 the government
learned that the Native Americans were doing the Ghost Dance (Cayton 265). The Ghost Dance was
a ritual in which people join hands and twirled in a circle (Cayton 265). When the government saw
the Ghost Dance, they thought the Native Americans were crazy and trying to rebel, so they tried to
arrest Sitting Bull (Cayton 265). In this conflict that came to be known as the Battle of Wounded
Knee, soldiers killed Sitting Bull, 120 men, and 230 women and children (Cayton 265). These
battles pushed Native Americans onto reservations and took away their basic human rights. Early
Native American schooling was taught in tribes. Tribes would teach their children healing arts and
specialized crafts like making shell money (Nash 173). Tribes used legends as a form of education a
long time ago (Fixico 41). These stories would teach important lessons like how to live in balance
with nature. Many tribes would make day schools to educate children on tribal sovereignty (Ellis).
In the 1840s, the Cherokees formed a system of public schools (Perdue 64). Education in tribes was
an important right of the Native Americans. The main goal of boarding schools was to civilize
Native Americans. The federal government wanted to solve "The Indian Problem" by assimilating
Native Americans into white culture and felt that education

This week's lesson about the history of the Native Americans has had a heavy impact on me. I don't
know whether I skipped this bit of history growing up or if I just didn't pay any attention about the
vast majority of this information is new to me and I almost feel ignorant for not knowing. I mean, I
have watched movies pertaining to cowboys and Indians, Dances With Wolves and Hell On Wheels,
but they have not evoked these feelings in me quite like this weeks teachings. I feel for them on such
a deep level that all I can think about is what I can do to help. Learning about the boarding schools
really got to me. Could you imagine being torn away from your home, your family, your friends,
your culture all but to be malnourished, abused and stripped ... Show more content on
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Cowboys and Indians. Cowboys and Indians. Here we're getting all our people killed, and that's the
kind of stuff they showed us." It is almost as if they were mocking the very children that they treated
so cruelly. Where is these people's conscience? Only until the American Indian Movement took
place were the Natives allowed to participate in cultural practices. There are still a number of
boarding school open to this day that are trying to reeducate Native American's about their culture.
Many of these boarding school are a retreat for the students that are trying to escape the peer
pressure and poverty that is found on their reservation. Natives are still haunted to this day because
of everything their culture has had to endure. There is still a vast amount of heartbreak. Many
Natives turn to substances such as drugs and alcohol to cope and many also turn to suicide, being
the population with the highest suicide rate. (Longenecker, 2008) While the schools are a great
alternative to their home on the reservation they are struggling to stay open because federal funding
has been cut. In the past few decades, tribes have begun taking over boarding

Essay On Boarding Schools For Native Americans
Gabriella Rodriguez Lan History 21 History 21 Take–Home Midterm 1. Boarding schools for native
americans began in 1860 on the Yakima reservation in the state of Washington. Herbert Welsh and
Henry Pancoast created the boarding school, the goal of the boarding schools were to assimilate
Indian tribes into mainstream of "the american way of life". They thought using education would be
their best tool to succeed this goal. They wanted the indian people to learn the importance of private
property, material wealth and monogamous families. Reformers thought it was necessary to civilize
indian people. They felt boarding schools were the ideal way to assimilate indian youth. The first
lesson from boarding schools would be; reading, writing, speaking and learning english. They also
wanted indian youth to be individualized. The end result would be to eliminate indian culture.
Richard Henry Pratt, owned and operated one of the most well known boarding schools, Carlisle
Indian School. His motto was "Kill the Indian, save the man". He hoped indian children would not
return home to their reservations, but instead become a part of the white community. Pratt and other
off–reservation boarding schools took away any outward signs of tribal life the children brought
with them. Long braids were cut from the children, they were forced to wear uniforms. They were
given "white" names and surnames. Traditional native food was forbidden and they had to eat foods
of the white society along with

Early Education of Native Americans
Native Americans put up a good fight in defending their homelands against foreign invaders.
Unfortunately, they suffered defeat and realized they would have to adapt to a new way of life. The
battle for their lands was over, but the battle for their identities would just begin. However, it would
not be the hardened warriors engaging in this conflict. Instead, the young Native American children
would witness first–hand the American government's solution to the Indian problem. Boarding
schools were established to assimilate Native American children into white society. These boarding
schools had both positive and negative impacts on the children. Education was seen as the key to
saving the Indians and would be forced upon them if necessary (Calloway, 425). The adults of
Native American tribes were the first target for this approach (Calloway, 425). However, the plan
backfired due to many adults resisting the assimilation project (Calloway, 425). The next step was to
go after easier targets; the children (Calloway, 425). It proved to be a haunting experience for the
children as many were pulled out of their own mothers' arms (Calloway, 426). Some children were
already attending schools located on the reservation (Calloway, 426). The education reformers
thought it was best to relocate the children to school off the reservation (Calloway, 426). They
wanted to isolate the children from their Indian ways and that meant taking them away from family
and culture (Calloway, 426). At

American Indian Holocaust: The Native American Boarding...
Prior to this class, I was not aware of the Native American boarding school and it was never
discussed in any of my previous history classes. I think so few people have heard of the American
Indian Holocaust because the U.S government still does not value the existence of Native
Americans. It seems that what we are taught in secondary school are what they want us to know
rather than what is needed to be known. It saddened my heart to know that this group of people had
to undergo this horrible time period simply because of their race. I find it very upsetting that
although the Native Americans ceded the land first, the Europeans came with force, claiming the
land as their own. And felt they had the right to determine how the whole population

Essay On Native American Boarding School
"Indians were mean people – I'm glad I'm not an Indian, I thought." These are the thoughts of Merta
Bercier, she was a young Indian at a boarding school. Native Americans were relentlessly forced to
change through education, so that they may fit into the new culture, and so that they may also
become citizens. Likewise, they had no choice when it came to assimilation, there was no running
away. In fact, they weren't even allowed to speak their native language. The girls at St. Lucy's and
the Native Americans both experienced merciless forced assimilation evidenced by the girls and
Native Americans both had to be reeducated to conform, the girls could run away if they wanted
whereas the Native Americans could not, and they both had to learn a new language. Native
Americans were broken in by whites through rigid education. According to C. Blue Clark, they had
no choice when it came to being educated; in fact, some children were even kidnapped from their
parents to be taken to boarding schools. As importantly, the schools were built far ... Show more
Native Americans could not flee the brutal boarding schools. In fact, Carolyn Marr references the
rigorous military schedule, which contained multiple roll calls to make sure they were always
present (Carolyn Marr). More importantly, children who managed to escape boarding schools would
not get far, and would be quickly returned by the police ("Indian diaries"). Furthermore, there were
over 100 "desertions" at Chimewa, most of which were returned to the school (Marr). Escaped
students who were returned would be punished by the teachers. Marr states, "As a punishment their
hands and feet were tied, and they were forced to stand in the hall, so if they fell asleep, the teachers
would hear them fall, and they would be whipped" (Marr). In short, there was little chance of escape
and even slimmer chances of remaining free of boarding schools if they were to

Native American Women
Native Americans more than any other group in the country fare considerably worse based on social
and economic indicators. They suffer high poverty rates, low life expectancy, and higher than usual
rates of illness. Alcoholism and suicide rates are especially rampant within the reservations. One of
the most devastating programs, with concerns which are still felt today, was the systematic removal
of native lands and children. Native Americans were forced off their lands to undesirable lands,
slowly falling more dependent on federal government assistance and food distributions. Then slowly
children were taken from their kin and placed in government funded church ran boarding schools,
where they were disciplined for speaking their languages or practicing their native traditions. But
let's look at the traditions of the Native American woman. Historically Native American women are
an honorable figure. They cook, clean, weaved and care for their families. Once they were settled in
the land they would work together with their brothers and sisters under the leadership of their head
mother. Although the male and female roles were different for each tribe, most societies were
matrilineal, of or based on kinship with the mother or the female line. The women were responsible
for all of the household duties: regardless of whether they were strenuous or not. The Native
American's lives began to shift with the arrival of the Europeans. In 1607 when the "White Man"
stayed on the Natives

Essay On Native American Boarding School
Native American boarding schools were established in the mid–1800s by mostly Christian
missionaries ("What were boarding schools," 2008). The idea of these boarding schools was to
assimilate and educated indigenous children according to European standards ("What were boarding
schools," 2008). Children attending these boarding schools were required to become more
European–American by changing their appearance and replacing their native names with more
European–American names (Maganini, 2005). These children were also forced to stop speaking
their native languages. This was all done in order to "civilize" and "Christianize" the children
(Maganini, 2005). One boarding school in Maryland stated that their mission was to show the
"ignorant" Native Americans the way ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
In 1930, 39% of Native American youth attended boarding school (Manson, Beals, Dick, and
Duclos, 1989). One alarming piece of evidence, is that there were actually more Native American
boarding schools than reported because not all of them received federal funding. These boarding
schools were often filled with students who had been taken against their will (Russel, Barsh, and
Trosper, 1995). People would often take Native American children out of their homes because they
felt like the children were being abused or neglected because they were not being taught they white
way of living (Yuan, Duran, Walters, Pearson, & Evan–Campbell, 2014). Many of these children
were taken out of their homes without sufficient evidence of abuse or neglect. It was believed that
Native Americans were not as good as parents as white people, therefore it was better if their
children were taken completely out of the home (Yuan et al., 2014). These children would then be
sent to Native American boarding schools against their will and their parent's will and be treated
very poorly (Yuan et al.,

Book Review Of Sherman Alexie's Superman And Me
In his essay, "Superman and Me," Sherman Alexie explains how books allowed him to escape the
societal expectations for Native Americans. Alexie was raised on a Spokane tribe reservation in
Washington state. He portrays his childhood at the reservation as revolving around literature. He
then describes how his father piled literature in every room of his house, from Western action novels
to comics to books about the Vietnam War. Alexie claims that a Superman comic allowed him to
teach himself how to read, by looking at the drawings, dialogue, and the script and making
assumptions. As a result of learning to read at the age of three, he advanced quickly in school.
Alexie then compares his advancement with a non–Indian child's, explaining how he received little
recognition due to his race and society's expectation for Native American children. He believes that
he was too smart, too arrogant, and too determined to fail. In order to save his future, Alexie read
anything from cereal boxes to auto repair manuals. He also stayed up late into the night reading
books to gain additional knowledge. As a result of all of this reading, dedication, and perseverance,
Alexie was able to go to college. Earning a college degree prepared him for his future career: a
successful writer. He writes novels, short stories and poems. Along with writing, he visits many
Native American schools. At the schools, he interacts with students and encourages them to read and
write. He also notices that the

Crime And Poverty And Struggles Of The Sioux Tribe
A history of struggle and isolation from the rest of society has led to the deterioration of Native
American cultures and customs and to their rising levels of unemployment, poverty, and crime on
reservations. The United States government has had a major role in the coming about of the
struggles that persist for Native Americans to this day. As crime and poverty grip the Sioux tribe,
they will continue to lose their traditional culture and move farther from who they once were as a
people. I will first review how European explorers introduced alcohol to Native American tribes and
how this lead to a strong prevalence of alcoholism in the Sioux tribe. Next I will discuss the U.S.
government's use of forced assimilation and boarding schools led to the loss of Native American
culture and customs. This led to more anger of the Sioux tribe towards the U.S. government and to
outer society as a whole. Third I will analyze the living conditions and complacency felt by the
Sioux tribe as seen through the photographs and interviews conducted by journalist Aaron Huey.
Lastly, I will assess the efforts taken by the elders and leaders of the Sioux tribe to combat the
prevalence of crime on their reservation. The people of the United States and their government have
caused many struggles for the Sioux tribe since their existence in America. For these problems to be
resolved, the United States needs to take an active role in acknknwoldeging the problem and
allocating the necessary resources

The Absolutely True Diary Of A Part Time Indian And The...
School: An institution for educating children, Cultural Assimilation: The process by which a person
or a group's language and/or culture come to resemble those of another group. In Sherman Alexie's
The absolutely true diary of a part–time Indian and the movie Crooked Arrows directed by Steve
Rash, both touch on the topic of school and cultural assimilation. Based off these sources we are
able to see how Native American culture is looked at while trying to appeal to the Euro– American
standards of what's acceptable. The history of Native Americans and school is not a good one, with
most Native Americans being placed in boarding schools which left a lasting effect on them and
their culture. And through these two sources by Sherman Alexie and Steve Rash we are able to see
how their work connects to the historical allusions of American Indian boarding schools. American
Indian Boarding schools were established to assimilate Indian tribes into mainstream American
ways. According to "Native American History and Culture: Boarding Schools – American Indian
Relief Council." Native American History and Culture: Boarding Schools – American Indian Relief
Council. Web. Boarding schools were the ideal instrument for absorbing people and ideologies that
stood in the way of manifest destiny. And by the 1880s the U.S. operated sixty schools for 6,200
students; the Indian boarding schools taught history with a definite white bias. Stating "Columbus
Day was heralded as a banner day in

Native American And The American Of Native Americans
The Native American population has suffered many tragedies at the hands of the United States
government, from their first interactions through the mid–twentieth century. Government policies
concerning American Indians worked in conjunction with the prejudices harbored by the majority of
the white population in the United States to suppress Native American liberties and strip them of
their cultural identity. These policies gave little to no regard for Native American customs, personal
expression, or the future of Native American traditions, and had profound effects on the Native
American individuals and families who encountered them. The boarding school policies enacted by
the United States government regarding Native Americans that were formulated to encourage the
destruction of native customs and force an entire race to assimilate into white American culture
ultimately led to the alienation of Native Americans from their native heritage and a loss of their
personal sense of self. Several government policies were created to control the attire and language of
Native Americans. Among these were targeted regulations regarding how Native American students
in boarding schools were to dress, act, and speak, oftentimes against their will or traditions. It was
common for students to be prohibited from speaking their native language, encouraged instead to
read, write, and speak in English only. One of the "General Rules" in "Rules for Indian Schools"
explicitly states that "all

Essay On Native American Indian Boarding School
Starting off as a plan to assimilate and educate Native American Children, the boarding school
program resulted in the stripping of culture and native identity. The cultural deprivation process
began in 1860 when the Bureau of Indian Affairs established the first on–reservation Indian
boarding school in Washington state. The main goal of both the boarding and day schools was to
assimilate Indian children into the "American way of life" (American Indian Council).
At the start, the schools were all on–reservation, designed to make education affordable and
accessible to as many tribes as possible. This method held hopes of the children spreading American
culture to parents; however, it allowed for Indian culture to seep into the children's' lives. ... Show
more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Attending school was required by law; therefore, the Bureau would send police to physically
confiscate children from their homes on reservations. By making attendance mandatory, the number
of "savage" Indians exponentially decreased. Richard H Pratt said, "Kill the Indian, save the man."
This motto led to the hair of Indian boys getting cut, the banning of all tribal food, children were no
allowed to return home and any relics from home were destroyed. Lone Wolf of the Blackfoot tribe
said, "Long hair was the pride of all Indians. The boys, one by one, would break down and cry when
they saw their braids thrown on the floor. All of the buckskin clothes had to go and we had to put on
the clothes of the White Man. If we thought the days were bad, the nights were much worse. This is
when the loneliness set in, for it was when we knew that we were all alone. Many boys ran away
from the school because the treatment was so bad, but most of them were caught and brought back
by the police" (PBS Telecommunications). If any of the students were non–compliant with the
policies, punishment consisted confinement, deprivation of privileges, a threat of corporal
punishment or a restriction of diet (PBS

Assimilation Of Native Americans
Reformers, unlike many Americans, thought Native Americans can be assimilated into the American
culture. They believed assimilation would lead to Indians settle down in their reservations and stop
resisting and fighting. One way of assimilation was the Indian boarding school programs. Reformers
believed assimilating Native American youths into the American culture would lead to peace in the
future when they grew up and this was the only way to get them "civilized". Reformers also thought
this was required for Native American population to survive from annihilation by the army and
settlers. They thought Indian boarding school programs was a good way to achieve this as they were
taught to be "civilized". They had a negative impact due to the

The “rightness” of Native American boarding school Essay
In the 1870s, the U.S. government enacted a policy of assimilation of Native Americans, to
Americanize them. Their goal was to turn them into white men. Schools were an important part of
facilitating their goal. In 1879, Richard Henry Pratt founded the Carlisle Indian School. It was the
first school in which Native American children were culturally exposed to American ideology. The
idea for the boarding school first came through treatment of Cheyenne warriors. In the 1860s,
Americans were in the midst of a major western migration. Settlers were moving into the western
region, pushing natives off lands, and in some cases, killing livestock. Warriors then took revenge
on settlers and soldiers. General Sherman called for "the ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net
...
Pratt then turned his attention to native children. He saw the example of the Hampton Institute for
Negroes, which taught children industrial skills. He concluded that to transform natives, one had to
start with the children. In 1879, the government consented to Pratt's request. He went to Dakota
Territory to find students for his new Carlisle Indian School in Pennsylvania. Pratt determined the
only way to change them was "assimilation through total immersion." The school was established in
an abandoned army post. The children wore military uniforms and cut their hair. In the first few
years, the children suffered epidemics of cholera, influenza, and tuberculosis. As a result, they made
a cemetery on the school.
Lack of cultural diversity
Ethnocentrism
Social workers strive to keep the uniqueness of individuals and communities. The preservation of
diversity honors the distinctiveness of individuals and communities. Boarding schools were
genocidal to the cultural structure of Native Americans. They were forced to assimilate to the image
of the white man: It disjointed family structure, dishonored their cultural differences and language.
Children placed in these schools were deprived of learning their heritage. Pratt's goal of humanizing
Native Americans is the basis of ethnocentrism. Pratt like many Americans during this time believed
American culture was the only and right way of life. Although most cultures have, tendencies of

The Decline Of Native American And Inupiat Culture
The American government and society has played a substantial role in the decline of both the Native
American and Inupiat culture. They created inhumane boarding schools and oppressing laws that
inhibited those of a different culture from being themselves and partook in the urbanization of
cultured communities. The following practices need to be stopped and never forgotten so that such
ethnocide doesn't happen again. Boarding schools were an issue that plagued both Native Americans
and Inupiats. As conveyed by the writings of Mary Crow Dog and other Native American figures,
we see how the effects of such schools were devastating to the native population. Boarding schools
wiped Natives of their language and culture, teaching young children to be ashamed of what makes
them unique. Pupils would return from their long stays at boarding schools, unable to speak to their
own family, resulting in an isolation between themselves and their community. Over the years,
generations would eventually lose most of what makes them native and, for the most part, their
culture slowly faded away. It seems that the Inupiat people faced a similar fate. Inupiat children
were forced to learn by Western standards, eventually forgetting their crucial survival skills,
language, religion and other unique aspects of their culture. However, we are exposed to a more
positive outlook towards boarding schools in the book, Fifty Miles from Tomorrow, where William
Hensley says he enjoyed his boarding school

American Indian Liberation : American Indians And The...
I have always had a curiosity in the Native American culture, yet my previous studies led me away
from any cultural academics over the years. I am pleased that I am now delving into these resources
after attending a pow wow on the White Earth Reservation to increase my understanding of the
Native American culture. There are four books in particular that have sparked my curiosity:
American Indian Liberation: A Theology of Sovereignty by George E. Tinker; Education for
Extinction: American Indians and the Boarding School Experience, 1875–1928 by David Wallace
Adams; Boarding School Seasons: American Indian Families, 1900–1940 by Brenda J. Child; and
The White Earth Tragedy: Ethnicity and Dispossession at a Minnesota Anishinaabe Reservation,
1889–1920 by Melissa L. Meyer. At first glance, Tinker's book, American Indian Liberation: A
Theology of Sovereignty, appears to be a suitable parallel to my pow wow experience. His
collection of published and unpublished essays explains how the actions of the United States
government led to the start of a new liberation theology . His understanding between the indigenous
concerns and the marginalized in general in this book are seen as uniquely important. The
psychological damage of white supremacy and the image of an angry Christian God are also
unveiled to show the lasting effects on the Native American groups which directly resulted in their
particular liberation theology. However, Tinker is criticized for completely ignoring the

Tribal Sovereignty Controversy
Tribal sovereignty is a highly debated concept and an important aspect of Native American society.
It refers to a tribe's power to govern itself, manage its membership, and regulate tribal relations. As
Joanna Barker stated, "Sovereignty carries the awful stench of colonization." Tribal sovereignty
must be traced to the beginning of colonization in North America. Colonizing nations asserted
sovereignty over indigenous people and took away their independent status. The term "tribal
sovereignty" carries with it multiples meanings and implications for tribal nations (Cobb, 2005).
Amanda Cobb (2005) defines sovereignty as "a nation's power to self–govern, to determine its own
way of life, and to live that life–––to whatever extent possible–––free from interference." If tribal
sovereignty falls under Cobb's definition, Native American tribes in the United States are not
completely sovereign, for some aspects of their lives are still under the control of the federal
government. Tribal councils are still regarded as having tribal sovereignty, but they are limited by
federal funding and authority. Sovereignty is a nation's "relative independence from and among
other states" (Cobb, 2005). In this case, tribal sovereignty of Native nations depends upon
recognition by the United States. This is ironic; their tribal sovereignty has been "granted" to them
by the Unites States federal government. No single nation is completely independent of foreign
influence. Tribal nations more so

Essay On Native American Boarding Schools
Our Spirits Don't Speak English provides insight into Indian boarding schools in the United States.
Children of Indian tribes were mandated by the U.S. government to attend boarding schools. The
purpose of these schools were to educate Indians in Western ways and language; thus, making these
children "civilized." From a trauma lens, children of these boarding schools could be viewed as
victims. Indian children were forcibly removed from their homes and stripped of their Native
American identity. Upon arrival, Indian children were forced to cut their hair in the Western fashion
and were only allowed to wear European–style clothing. Although the government felt they were
giving Indians education and introducing them to modern–day society, it was still traumatizing
Indian families. Headmasters and nuns further perpetrated violence against the children. In the
video, the prevalence of sexual abuse was discussed. Teachers would sexually assault the young
children. Abused children kept this hidden and felt helpless due to their inability to leave. Older
children, who had previously been assaulted, continued the cycle of abuse onto their younger
schoolmates. The sexual abuse became normalized in that environment. ... Show more content on
Helpwriting.net ...
Americans were far more advanced in medicine and technology, in comparison to Native
Americans. Based on historical knowledge, Native Americans did not have guns, wheels, or a
written language (citation). The Europeans perceived these differences as signs of inferiority; they
felt justified in imposing their beliefs and systems on the Indians. If Americans had found merits
within Native American culture (such as harmony and environment consciousness) or attempted a
more peaceful assimilation, then crusade to enlighten Native Americans to Western ways would
either not have existed, or been a more voluntary process for the

The Indian Civilization Fund Act Of 1819 And Indian Education
The Indian Civilization Fund Act of 1819 and the Indian Education Act of 1972 were instrumental in
the government's involvement in the education of American Indians. The Indian Civilization Fund
Act was negatively viewed at the time, but led to positive things in the future, such as the Indian
Education Act of 1972. Both policies had effects at that time and in the future on both Native
societies and the United States as a whole. Without these policies, American Indian education would
not exist in the way that it does today. The Indian Civilization Fund Act of 1819 was the policy that
sparked the idea of a Native American boarding school in the mind of General Pratt in 1875. These
boarding schools had negative effects and positive ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
The benefits of the boarding school directly impacted United States society and indirectly impacted
future Native communities. The goal of the boarding schools was assimilation of American Indians.
While this didn't happen, the United States government was able to gain some control over the
Native tribes. The United States government essentially used the children that they were holding in
the boarding schools as bartering chips with the Native leaders.
Native societies and U.S. society, both benefitted from the Native's changed opinion of education.
American Indians did not see the importance in the formal, European American style of education.
They viewed the learning of life skills to be more important than learning reading, writing, or
arithmetic. However, after children returned to the reservations with skills that could be transferred
to make reservation life easier and more productive, the Native opinion of education changed. They
saw the benefit of education. Former students of boarding schools were more likely to want an
education for their children. This spread throughout the tribes, until education became a normal part
of reservation life.
Despite all of the heart and heartache caused by the boarding schools, American Indians, as a whole,
gained some things. The Pan–Indianism movement is the greatest thing that came out of the
boarding school. At the boarding schools, students were not allowed to speak their native languages;
they were

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