Essay On Native American Boarding Schools

During this time, it was difficult for my grandmother and relatives due to the removal from their homes and families. My maternal grandmother, parents, and relatives had resided in the area for decades and this was home to them. However, the Relocation Act endured so much pain and suffering of the residents. The Navajos had livestock and land, which is part of everyday life on the Navajo Nation. For instance, the sheep are brought down generations to generations and this was part of the Navajo traditional life. My grandmother, also, received a new home in Tuba City, and she was not keen to residing in a town. She was accustomed to living in the open, and having her pets and livestock. She was brought up in this way of life. Throughout my childhood, my siblings and I would go out her place for the summer to assist in any chores, while we spent time with cousins and relatives. We called this place “sheep camp”. To this current day, it is sad to say, many of children will not experience, “sheep camp”. Our families and relatives now reside on ½ acre lots compared to acres and acres of land that was shared among families. The half-acre lots are currently leased to them for 100 years. When this comes to mind, I think about how the 100 years will eventually

When America was discovered and colonized, the indigenous peoples faced real hardships. Americans disliked anything that wasn’t European culture so they tried to eliminate tribal identities and assimilate the Native Americans into their culture. They outlawed certain Indian rituals such as the Ghost Dance and forced Indian children to speak English instead of their native languages. The constitution did not outline specific details for relations with Natives, so as America grew older, the government was left to deal with the Indians however they pleased. As America expanded west in the 1800s, conflict with natives was inevitable. In 1830, Congress passed the Indian Removal Act of 1830, asking the natives to give up their land in exchange for money. Some refused to move off their native land, such as the Cherokees. As a result of this, they were removed and forced to make the journey known as the Trail of Tears.

There has long been significant historiographical and popular controversy about the conditions experienced by students in the residential schools. While day schools for First Nations, Metis and Inuit children always far outnumbered residential schools, a new consensus emerged in the early 21st century that the latter schools did significant harm to Aboriginal children who attended them by removing them from their families, depriving them of their ancestral languages, through sterilization, and by exposing many of them to physicalleading to sexual abuse by staff members, and other students, andenfranchising them forcibly.

For decades in Canada, officially beginning in 1892, children were taken away from their families and put into schools that would change and take away their views and beliefs, initial knowledge, image, and identity. In the earlier stages, these schools were referred to as Industrial Schools for Indians. Today, we call them Residential Schools with Aboriginal survivors who are able to tell their stories. Aboriginal people suffered while there schools were running. This essay will compare the knowledge in a recent article to primary sources that were written while Industrial Schools were in action. The actions of assimilating Aboriginal people through a strict form of education caused a negative butterfly effect upon the public and Aboriginal

Throughout the 19th century Native Americans were treated far less than respectful by the United States’ government. This was the time when the United States wanted to expand and grow rapidly as a land, and to achieve this goal, the Native Americans were “pushed” westward. It was a memorable and tricky time in the Natives’ history, and the US government made many treatments with the Native Americans, making big changes on the Indian nation. Native Americans wanted to live peacefully with the white men, but the result of treatments and agreements was not quite peaceful. This precedent of mistreatment of minorities began with Andrew Jackson’s indian removal policies to the tribes of Oklahoma (specifically the Cherokee indians) in 1829 because of the lack of respect given to the indians during the removal laws.

Indian Boarding schools were created in the 1800s to “Kill the Indian, Save the Man.” They achieved this by transforming the natives looks, culture, language, and teaching them a certain way so they would be able to function in a “european society”. Indian boarding schools taught students both academic and “real world” skills, but they did so while ripping the indians from their culture.

The family members were greatly affected when the children lost their sense of the cultures language. At around the age of sixteen, the children went home as their “duties” and “obligations” were done. The families tried to communicate with them but the children were brain washed Europeans. As younger siblings came into residential schools, they attempted to speak their language to the older ones and the older ones had forgotten the language. The parents were also confused how the children believed in such strong European worldviews. This relationship with their parents can be easily broken due to multiple years of constant banter on the children. The miserable ending is that the children do not even know that the brainwashing has even happened. The children are naïve because they were punished if they did not obey the nuns and priests. In their communities, the children became adults after they left the residential school, had trouble adjusting to the indigenous ways of life. Survivors often could not develop bonds or trust their elders. The eldest in the communities were hurt that the adults could not learn the traditional ways of their songs, games, story telling, and dances. The adults have trouble making the peace between their traditions because of the constant trauma in their minds. The survivors also had trouble respecting their elders because

The goal of the United States was to use educations to erase Native American culture and assimilate indigenous students into European-American society (Boarding School). “Kill the Indian, save the man” stated Richard Henry Pratt—key figure in developing the Native American Boarding schools (Carlisle Indian School). The white folk saw the indigenous people as a problem. Therefore, they attempted to solve the problem through assimilation. Many indigenous people were forced to—at times—to attend the boarding schools (Boarding School). During the boarding schools, the children were stripped of their indigenous culture. Their hair was cut short, and they were forced to dress “proper.” The students were forbidden to speak their native tongue (Carlisle Indian School). Students could only speak English. It did not matter if the children were from the same tribe or opposing tribe. All students were expected to follow the strict military style disciplinary

Junípero Serra has been decapitated, defaced, and became a saint all within a month’s time. He is surrounded by controversy. Many celebrated for he was the first Latino to become canonized. Rubén Mendoza of California State University of Monterey Bay explains, “Father Serra was not only a man of his time, he was a man ahead of his time in his advocacy for native people on the frontier.” However, Valentin Lopez who is the chair of the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band explains that “Serra’s and the Church’s failure to learn form the teaching of Christ or from the life of St. Francis resulted in the complete extinction of many, many California tribes and great devastation for many others.”

Over the past few decades, there has been many distinct perspectives and conflicts surrounding the historical context between the Indigenous peoples in Canada and the Canadian Government. In source one, the author P.J Anderson is trying to convey that the absolute goal of the Indian Residential School system in Canada has been to assimilate the Indian nation and provide them with guidance to “ forget their Indian habits”, and become educated of the “ arts of civilized life”, in order to help them integrate into society and “become one” with their “White brethren”. It is clearly evident throughout the source that the author is supportive of the Indian residential school system and strongly believes that the Indian residential School System

Mohawks filed a complaint but were declined due to lack of evidence for “specific legal requirements” (Conflict over)

The Native Americans had endured nearly a century of forced removal westward. By the end of the century, American policy makers thought of ways on how to “civilize” native people undermining traditional settlement and cultural ways. Then For instance including them with American white values. Also the establishment of schools for the youth were gradually getting

Sweetgrass Basket, was a book written by, Marlene Carvel. In this book she tells of a story about two little girls who are sisters that are sent to an off reservation school. Here the sisters encounter harsh treatment and horrible living conditions. Carvel tells about their journey and it is very sad to see how their lives change so drastically.

Residential schools were a boarding school that was set up for the purpose of teaching and assimilating aboriginal children in the 1880s. These schools were an important part of Canada’s history because they treated aboriginals as themselves, as aboriginal people, and their culture was inferior to Canadians, although at the time they thought they were doing the aboriginals good. Some would argue that residential schools were a good thing, that they benefited the aboriginal people and that they didn 't do them wrong while others still believe that residential schools did more harm than good to these students lives and wellbeing. Others believe that even though these students were treated poorly, they benefited from this form of education. Overall,

Imagine being ripped apart from family members, culture, tradition, and labelled a savage that needs to be educated. Imagine constantly facing punishment at school for being one’s self. Unfortunately, these events were faced head on for many First Nations people living in Canada in the late 20th century. These First Nations people were the victims of an extensive school system set up by the government to eradicate Aboriginal culture across Canada and to assimilate them into what was considered a mainstream society.