Boarding schools

Definition

Boarding schools were institutions established primarily in the late 19th and early 20th centuries to educate Native American children, often with the intent of assimilating them into Euro-American culture. These schools enforced a strict curriculum that focused on English language proficiency, vocational training, and the abandonment of indigenous customs, often resulting in cultural disconnection and identity loss for students.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. Many boarding schools were run by religious organizations and funded by the federal government, with policies focused on eradicating Native languages and customs.
2. Students at these schools were often punished for speaking their native languages or practicing their cultural traditions, leading to significant language loss.
3. The traumatic experiences faced by many students in boarding schools contributed to long-term psychological impacts and disrupted family structures within Native communities.
4. Some Native American communities have initiated language revitalization programs as a way to reclaim lost languages and strengthen cultural identity, partially in response to the damage caused by boarding schools.
5. Despite their intent to assimilate, boarding schools also unintentionally fostered resilience and a sense of identity among some Native American students, who later became advocates for their communities.

Review Questions

• How did boarding schools contribute to the assimilation policies aimed at Native American populations?
  • Boarding schools were a key tool in the U.S. government's assimilation policies, aiming to transform Native American children into individuals who adhered to Euro-American cultural norms. By enforcing English language education and suppressing indigenous languages and practices, these institutions sought to erase Native identities. This systematic approach not only disrupted individual lives but also had lasting impacts on entire communities as generations grew up disconnected from their cultural heritage.
• Discuss the role of language suppression in boarding schools and its long-term effects on Native American languages.
  • Language suppression was a core component of the curriculum in boarding schools, where speaking native languages was often strictly forbidden. This practice led to a significant decline in fluency among Native speakers and created a generational gap where children did not learn their ancestral languages from parents. The long-term effects are evident today, as many Native languages are critically endangered, prompting revitalization efforts that seek to teach these languages to younger generations.
• Evaluate the complex legacy of boarding schools on Native American identity formation and cultural resilience.
  • The legacy of boarding schools is multifaceted; while they were designed to dismantle Native identities through assimilation, many former students emerged as advocates for their cultures. The trauma experienced in these institutions led to a strong desire for cultural revival among some individuals and communities. Consequently, today's efforts in language revitalization and cultural reclamation can be seen as acts of resilience against the historical erasure facilitated by boarding schools. This highlights how deeply entrenched systems of oppression can inadvertently give rise to stronger community bonds and identity preservation.

Related terms

Assimilation: The process by which individuals or groups from one culture adopt the beliefs and behaviors of another culture, often leading to a loss of their original cultural identity.

Cultural Genocide: The deliberate destruction of a group's culture through various means, including the suppression of language, traditions, and social structures, often seen in the context of boarding schools.

Language Revitalization: Efforts aimed at reversing the decline of a language that is endangered or extinct, often involving community-based initiatives to teach and promote the language among younger generations.