Cultural Assimilation In Residential Schools

Even though she wrote and spoke in English, in her stories, she told how assimilation is wrong and how it is not educating Native Americans. According to Jessica Enoch “While Zitkala was at Carlisle(a missionary school) she perceived that their missionary creed had more to do with self-preservation of white culture than educating Native American students (Zitkala Ša and the Carlisle Indian School).” Zitkala’s The Soft-Hearted Sioux displays the “self-preservation” that is taught to Native Americans instead of giving them a proper education. The boy learns christianity, how to dress “white”, and that the Sioux culture is savage and missionary’s way of teaching is humaine. Zitkala tries to resist by making change. She sent these stories to the east so, they could know what the missionary schools are to the Sioux culture.

Pratt proposes the solution of sending Indians to boarding schools, so they can gradually become civilized. Although Pratt's solution seems logical, it lacks morality, because effacing the Indians’ culture will strip them of their identity, family ties, and security.

I would say that “Cultural genocide” is the correct term to use of the treatment of Aboriginals by the Canadian Government. Residential schools had a big part of this. As First nations children went to these residential schools they would never teach anything in the Aboriginal culture. They were mostly focused on instilling the European culture on Aboriginals. Many aboriginals were mentally and physical harmed in these residential schools if they were not trying to conform to this European way of life.

Van Zandt take opposing sides on the issue. Kevin Kenny asserts that William Penn’s vision for cordial relations with local Native Americans was destined for failure due to European colonists’ demands for privately owned land. On the other hand, Cynthia J. Van Zandt argues that despite military disputes among the two bodies, trade alliances between the groups continued. Van Zandt further claimed that relational failure stemmed from conflict among various Europeans nations advocating for dominance over the New World.

"Identities" and "Totem" are two similar stories that refer to eachother around racisim, jusgemental, and discrimination. Reading both stories there were three things that came to my mind were racisim, judgmental, and discrimination In "Totem" it refers to people trying to get rid of First Nations people and culture. Trying to find a temporary place for the totem pole is like telling First Nations people that they have to leave and move onto a reserve. Asking for "government assistance," people don 't realize that the government had a huge effect on First Nation 's people and their culture as they were discriminated and taken away from their home and land. In "Identities" the story refers to mistaking another person 's identity and who they are.

In 1887 Native Americans were seen as uncivilized in the United States and were prevented from acquiring the benefits of American life. So in an attempt to educate and assimilate the Native American children into the American society, boarding schools were established. However, as time went on these Indian Boarding schools became so much about helping the children adapt to the American culture that they were beaten and punished if they showed any signs of their old tribal life. This idea of abolishing the outward and inward signs of tribal life within the Native American children expresses Pratt’s statement “Kill the Indian…save the man.” The Indian Boarding schools gave Native American children the opportunity to have stronger academics,

When Europeans first encountered Native Americans, they saw them as the exemplification of freedom. Even though colonists desired freedom, they felt that Native Americans had the wrong type of freedom. They thought they were too free and lacked the structure that civilization provided. Because of the multitude of Natives in America they had no choice but to live around them, but the treatment of the Natives between the French and the English were vastly different. The establishment of New France rested on their need of furs rather than agricultural settlements.

All of these techniques continue today, but the importance of these specific characteristics have been significantly reduced due to the effects of residential schools. In the 1800’s, the European people created Residential schools to assimilate First Nations children or in other words, taking the Indian out of the child. As a result, the era of residential schools left a long lasting impact on the Indigenous culture and identity. Several years after the last residential school closed in 1996, the Canadian government formally acknowledged the First Nations traumatic past involving residential schools through an apology. On behalf of the Canadian government, Stephen Harper apologized to all aboriginal people for their role in residential schools (Government of

The historical setting of Jedda, I assume is within the Assimilation Policy (1951 – 196) , absorbing Aboriginal people into white society through the method of taking Aboriginal children from their families. The ultimate intent of this policy was the destruction of Aboriginal society, which makes us think, looking back at the film, I feel as if Sarah McMann did intentionally do this, the act of not allowing Jedda to be with her tribe and giving her a proper European upbringing ultimately enforced the Assimilation policy, in which offered Aboriginal people, as it is shown throughout Jedda, a chance to assimilate and stop being so culturally

The Army fought them at a certain disadvantage,the Army had to learn to become half indian before it could fight the indians on anything like even terms. We seem not so much to have coveted the lands in the trails than for the soil.The Indians themselves had lived there all their lives,had conquered their environment and were happy in it. They made a bitter fight,which they can’t be blamed for.The Indians was protecting what had been theirs for a long time. What was they supposed to, just lay down and let harm be done to their families and friends . wouldn't you defend what was yours from someone trying to unlawfully take something of