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Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Response to "Domesiticty in the federal Indian Schools..." article

In schools, students are taught about the civil rights movement, slavery and how blacks were treated. Rarely do students learn about Native Americans and their history with white folks. Maybe that is why I found this article jaw dropping. Once again I learned about how whites treated another group of human beings, this time through federal boarding schools.

I found it horrible that federal boarding schools forbade native language use and religious practice, while also separating families. How horrible would it be to go to a school that did not let you speak your native language, turn to the religion that you grew up with, and not be with your family? Along with being in an entirely new surrounding, that would be horrible. Along with this, in the actual classrooms a "rigid and detailed military discipline that scheduled every waking moment, organized classrooms and work details, and even mandated a "correct" physical posture, "correct" ways of moving and exercising, and "correct details of dress." I would never want to be apart of a school like that, and i think its horrible what these reservation teachers thought would mold the students mind and make them better people.

Through all the horrible facts of this article, I did find it funny that the students were able to somehow maintain control over some aspect of their lives. I really enjoyed reading the bloomer stories. I liked how they tricked the inspectors during inspection, and then hide their bloomers in bushes. I was glad that the students had enough courage to not conform to everything the school tried to implement.

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