Introduction
Indian boarding school experience was one of the most horrifying examples of harmful cultural assimilation. Despite the fact that the primary aim of the schools was to provide ample educational opportunities for Indians, in fact, children and their families were prone to bullying and cultural stigmatization. The use of residential Indian schools served as a tool in the genocide of indigenous culture by forcing children from their homes, forbidding cultural practices, and creating long-term generational trauma amongst families who were victims of forced cultural assimilation attempts.
Cause of Humiliation
The primary aim of creating boarding schools was to help Indians to adapt to the traditional American culture. However, the ideological perspective of the schools was unethical. The elimination of the indigenous culture was one of the main goals which the teachers and school authorities pursued (Lomawaima 23). Moreover, children experience not only mental pressure but also physical. The living conditions in those schools were adverse: the food, clothing, and even facilities conditions were of low quality. Such problems were caused by insufficient governmental financing. Children were forced to reject their roots and culture completely. The cultural assimilation process itself involves no violence, bullying, or stigmatization (Bo 351). However, in the case of Indian boarding schools, assimilation was used as the legal cause justifying humiliation and cultural genocide. Religious disagreements were the primary cause of the humiliation (Lomawaima 20). The schools were predominantly created to impose Christianity on the Indians, being the representatives of the indigenous culture. From the perspective of the authorities, the ingenious population should have been civilized to become decent members of American society.
Children’s Lives in Indian Boarding Schools
Children were forcibly taken away from their families and separated from relatives and friends. In schools, it was forbidden to speak their native language. The traditional beliefs of indigenous peoples were banned. The schools even regulated the games that children could play. For the slightest disobedience, children were often beaten and subjected to bullying. Teachers in boarding schools often had no professional education. Some historians even highlight the culture-conditioned cases of physical abuse. For example, teachers could cut girls’ long hair, which symbolized their loyalty to Indian traditions (Robinson 96). The compulsory character of the boarding school in the United States was approved in 1891 (Robinson 103). Children were transferred to the schools from reservation camps.
First, the schools were supposed to provide only education, and students had to return to reservations daily. However, the Christian missionaries later highlighted that the reservations’ atmosphere could prevent children from assimilating into American culture (Reyhner 62). As a result of such a claim, the schools were restructured into boarding ones. The children were given Anglo names based on the school’s rules (Robinson 99). Such action leaves serious psychological damage to the personality. The name of the person is one of the main characterizing features of cultural identity connecting a child with family and friends. According to the data provided by the investigation of this case, many children ran away, committed suicide, or died because of the health-threatening living conditions (Robinson 97). Thus, the children were prone to violent humiliation from the teachers. The conditions Indians were put in could be considered a direct violation of human rights.
Closing of Indian Boarding Schools
The fight for closing the boarding schools was challenging for indigenous people. The turning point in the history of boarding schools became the passing of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act, approved by Congress in 1975 (Blakemore, 2021). The law allowed Indian tribes to develop study programs based on the national educational standard. Today, the special body called the U.S. Bureau of Indian Education is devoted to regulating the educational process of Indians (Blakemore, 2021). Therefore, the American government managed to overcome the problem of harmful assimilation, granting the indigenous people rights and freedoms.
Long-Term Consequences
The lives of the children from the Indian boarding schools were harmfully affected by their childhood experiences. Based on the current data and research, adults who were former members of Indian boarding schools have difficulties identifying themselves as members of society (Gregg 24). Some even have psychological disorders or try to find relief through drugs and alcohol. The psychology and self-identification as members of society form during childhood, integrating the culture, parents, and friends. Being isolated from their families and initial traditions, children from Indian boarding schools were mentally traumatized. The mental and physical suffering that they experienced caused many problems in their lives (Gregg 27). Moreover, the families of these children were also under tremendous pressure. Realizing that their children are bullied is traumatizing for parents. The heritage of the Indian cultural identity also was significantly damaged. Indian traditions were prohibited, and, under the fear of punishment, people were forced to abandon their own culture and adhere to the total assimilation with an unfamiliar culture.
Conclusion
The Indian boarding schools are an example of violent cultural assimilation and the harmful consequences of this process. The experienced events left deep psychological trauma in children’s minds. The schools affected children’s lives, forcing them to neglect their culture and traditions. Instead of rational and adequate treatment of the different cultures, the authorities of the schools tried to use violence and humiliation as a tool to eliminate the indigenous culture. The Indian boarding school experiences demonstrate that children should never be separated from their families because it is harmful to their future lives.
Works Cited
Blakemore, Erin. “A century of Trauma at U.S. Boarding Schools for Native American Children.” National Geographic, 2021.
Bo, Mengmeng. “Cultural Assimilation and Hegemony: On the Translation of “Human Rights”.” International Journal of Language and Linguistics, vol. 7, no. 6, 2019, pp. 351-357. doi:10.11648/j.ijll.20190706.24
Gregg, Matthew. “The Long-Term Effects of American Indian Boarding Schools.” College Journal of Development Economics, vol. 130, 2018, pp. 17-31. doi:10.1016/j.jdeveco.2017.09.003
Lomawaima, Tsianiana. “Indian Boarding Schools, Before and After A Personal Introduction.” Journal of American Indian Education, vol. 57, no. 1, 2018, pp. 11-21. doi:10.5749/jamerindieduc.57.1.0011
Reyhner, Jon. “American Indian Boarding Schools: What Went Wrong? What Is Going Right?” Journal of American Indian Education, vol. 57, no. 1, 2018, pp. 57-78. doi:10.5749/jamerindieduc.57.1.0058
Robinson, Emily. “Objects, Documentation, and Identification: Materiality and Memory of American Indian Boarding Schools at the Heard Museum.” Rhetoric Society Quarterly, vol. 51, no. 2, 2021, pp. 94-108. doi:10.1080/02773945.2021.1877799