Native American Boarding Schools Analysis

The priority of this monograph is to talk about Native Americans unfair treatment in the United States. The main topics covered range from the initial contact with the European Americans to a more specific example of how the Native Americans have become an extremely oppressed group in the United States. The monograph gave details on the various acts that were passed to control the Native American population. This article also describes the effects on the Native Americans that were created from the discriminatory acts. The authors gave a verity of examples about what the Native Americans lost with all of the discrimination. Examples of the discrimination include loos of their culture, land, language, and most of their customs. The monograph …show more content…
Although the concept of assimilation seemed that it would help the Native American population strive, it ended up doing the opposite. The real intention of the schools was to “provide for the U.S. government a method to educate and civilize Native children away from the influences of their savage lifestyle and unchristian ways” (2000:6). Boarding schools were set up with a military structure, and enforced rigid structure and punitive discipline. The staff of the boarding schools fit right into the model of education. Although many were attracted to the boarding schools, very few had an understanding of the Native American culture. Many of the staff had a military background whose recent past was destroying Native American culture and who possessed a sincere desire to teach Native children that lack appreciation of the Native American culture. Social rejects and people who were labeled as misfits of society were also part of the staff at the boarding schools. These types of people are the ones who implemented and amplified the abusive treatment. Native children were subjected to harsh and cruel punishment for so called inappropriate behavior. Some of the punishments given are being whipped or beaten, denied contact with their family for extended periods of time, denied medical care, used as …show more content…
The Native students never had a chance to learn a traditional family environment, negotiate or compromise with tribe elders, and they were not taught their duties within the tribes. These students missed out on learning their tribe’s culture and were unable to develop into an active tribe member. In addition, alcohol, risk taking, hostility, and limiting coping skills were used as a replacement for being separated for so long. The monograph also talks about Child Welfare/Social Services agencies and how they employed non-Indian standards and lacked and understanding for the family system inside the tribes. This was harmful because they had no understanding for the family and social structures that Native Americans use. By removing the children from their families it increased the parented not wanting to care for their children and drug and alcohol abuse parents. This ultimately led to an increase in the problem with the Child Welfare/Social Services agencies were hoping to