Boaording Schools

The first time I learned about Indian boarding schools it made me sad.  Sad for the children, the parents and the tribes as a group.  Imagine being a parent of a small child and having that child leave you to go to a school that you can’t even imagine and is different from anything you have ever known.

While sources reveal that there were bad experiences by the children who attended these schools, according to the University of Washington Digital Collections at http://content.lib.washington.edu/aipnw/marr.html there were some positive experiences also.

The main goal for Indian education from the 1880’s through the 1920’s was to assimilate Indian people into the melting pot of America by placing them in institutions where traditional ways could be replaced by those sanctioned by government.  Federal policy called for removal of children from their families and in many cases enrollment in a government run boarding school. The first attempt at a boarding school was the Carlisle Indian School, founded by Captain Richard Henry Pratt in 1819 at that time they believed that Indian ways were inferior to white and Pratt subscribed to the policy of “kill the Indian and save the man.” (Marr)

Later many other schools followed the model of the Carlisle school but in an effort to decrease costs the government established two other types of schools, the reservation boarding schools and day schools. There is a brief history of the evolution of Indian schools from boarding schools to day schools on the site. (Marr)

In particular the site gives some insight into the beliefs of those who created Indian schools and what their goals were for the children and the schools. An example of these beliefs was that young people would be immersed in the values of American Society while also being kept away from familial and tribal influences. Due to the cost involved in keeping these schools operating there was an evolution from boarding schools to reservation based boarding schools and then eventually day schools.  There were also some Mission Schools opened by Missionaries that were funded by the government in some cases. (Marr)

I changed my mind just a little after reviewing the information available at http://content.lib.washington.edu/aipnw/marr.html on University Libraries, university of Washington Digital Collections. The author included some quotes and memories from people who attended some of the schools and I was interested to learn that there were good memories from some.  The boys played baseball, broad jumping and ran foot races and other young boy activities, while the girls learned traditionally female tasks such as sewing, cooking and gardening. (Marr)

Marr, Carolyn J. University Libraries. n.d. <http://content.lib.washington.edu/aipnw/marr.html >.