Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

homestead - Re: [Homestead] Who attacked whom? (was: It's almost over)

homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Homestead mailing list

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: "Lynda" <lurine AT softcom.net>
  • To: <homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Homestead] Who attacked whom? (was: It's almost over)
  • Date: Thu, 4 Dec 2008 19:38:40 -0800

One of the ways it worked was to send the kids to boardings schools several states away. So, they took Cherokee and sent them to boarding schools in AZ and So. Cal. Then when the kids finished high school, they lavished them with praise and being kind hearted, got them jobs in Los Angeles, San Diego, Santa Barbara and so forth and so on. They made sure they didn't send tribal members to the same areas. Only about 1 child in 10 managed to return home.

My mother didn't end up at the boarding schools. My grandfather worked for one of the lumber barons and when my uncle died, Old Man Carson pull some strings and got the other two kids returned home. My mother and other uncle were too young. Old Man Carson and his son somehow got exemptions for the four remaining kids for life.

Some culture has been rescued but when 80-90% of the kids have been beaten into forgetting their heritage and beaten into being "good Christians" and then are tossed to the wind, it is hard to keep the culture going.

I know one group locally doesn't need reminding of the help of some white folks. They routinely say prayers for the group that did fundraisers to buy them the land they have and to thank them for all they have done.

Lynda
----- Original Message ----- From: <rayzentz AT aim.com>

You bring up something interesting. While I was living on the Blackfeet Reservation ( in Montana), I learned that the boarding school program you referred to was very successful there. In fact, it was white historians who got together with all of the elders and preserved the stories, songs, and culture in general, and then later taught it back to the younger generation.

'course, they don't like being reminded of that... <G>





Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page