Nat.Am.Week 7.Lomawaima.pptx

Domesticity in the Federal Indian Schools: The Power of Authority Over Mind and Body By K. Tsianina Lomawaima Fall 2011 Week 7 What does this image tell you? Tsianina Lomawaim a Backgroun d on Chilocco Indian School Who is K. Tsianina Lomawaima? Her work earned the North American Indian Prose Award...

Domesticity in the Federal Indian Schools: The Power of Authority Over Mind and Body By K. Tsianina Lomawaima Fall 2011 Week 7 What does this image tell you? Tsianina Lomawaim a Backgroun d on Chilocco Indian School Who is K. Tsianina Lomawaima? Her work earned the North American Indian Prose Award in 1993, and the American Educational Association’s Critic’s Choice Award in 1995. She graduated from Stanford University in 1987 with a doctoral degree in Anthropology. She is now a Professor of American Indian Studies at the University of Arizona. Her first well known piece of work was her book, They Called it Prairie Light: The Story of Chilocco Indian School. PBS Interview with the author She stresses that historically the education of Native Americans has been different from the education received by others. Native American’s education did not stress reading and writing, but focused on assimilation into Euro American culture. This article looks at schools off reservations run by different missionizing groups. Chilocco Indian Agricultural School Indian Boarding School images Background Basics Chilocco opened on January 20, 1884. It was put in place to teach Native American children trades, such as domestic training for girls, and Automotive skills for boys. The school was closed on June 3, 1980. After its doors closed the land was divided between the Kaw Tribe, OtoeMissouri Tribe, Pawnee Tribe, and Tonkawa Tribe. As of 2003 the five tribes were deliberating on what to do with the property. In 1989 the school was leased to the Narcanon Organization. RaceFederal and Culture boarding schools did not allow native children to speak their own languages or practice their native religious practices. Native children were trained to adjust to life as a “civilized” American; however, these children were never regarded as equal to AngloAmericans. They were trained to live as a subservient class. How Were the Indian Children Viewed by Their Teachers? “Allowing for exceptional cases, the Indian child is of lower physical organization than the white child of corresponding age. His forearms are smaller and his fingers and hands less flexible; the very structure of his bones and muscles will not permit so wide a variety of manual movements as are customary among Caucasian children, and his very instincts and modes of thought are adjusted to this imperfect manual development… In short, the Indian instincts and nerves and muscles and bones are adjusted one to another, and all to the habits of the race for uncounted generations, and his offspring cannot be taught like the children of the white man until they are taught to do like them” Women and Education The education for girls at Chilocco was much more intense than for the boys. This was because the girls at Chilocco had to be transformed into the Victorian standard set for women. What is the Victorian standard for women? What is the Victorian Standard? The Cult of Domesticity…. Traditionally, women’s education was deemed “superficial” because it was not a real education in the sense that women were not going to go out and find jobs with their newfound education. Their education trained them to be the “perfect” wife. This meant that women were to be trained to be submissive. They were trained to be the perfect hostess. Indian women were trained to do labor intensive domestic work because white women were too fragile for such work. Even after mastering cooking, sewing, and cleaning, correct posture and correct walking styles, if Indian women did not have the proper attitude of subservience, they might still not graduate. The Deeper Issue of Native American Reform for Women It was a widely held belief that women carried the responsibility of maintaining a household and this included the spiritual well-being of the household. Reform schools felt that if they could get native girls to believe in the Christian faith and the Euro American ideals of family life then they would inevitably win the racewho over. creates and sustains a home, and “Awhole woman under whose hand children grow up to be strong and pure men and women, is a Creator, second only to God” (231). One popular story that depicts this rebellion is the Bloomer Story. Despite the strict guidelines and the inspections, girls at Chilocco found ways to rebel against the authorities. Rebellion at Chilocco: The Bloomers Story Marian’s Bloomer Story I remember, though, we got smart, about the time we were seniors. We had those old black satin bloomers, so we cut the leg off of one, we had elastic up here and we had elastic down there. We had to pull up our dress and show we had them bloomers on. Ok, we go outside, we pulled that leg off, and we put it in the bushes…After lights out, they’d slip down and deliver your leg to you” (235). Conclusion Growing Literature on Indian Boarding Schools…