History Discussion 7

Module Six Summary/Discussion

If you’ve had a sociology class, the discussion of “gender” was most probably a topic of course discussion. What a society views as “male” and “female” are, as I was taught, learned perspectives. In warrior and hunting societies, with few exceptions, the men filled these roles. This type of gender identification, after all, is not new in history, crossing many cultural and generational lines. Certainly those of Western European heritage recognized this warrior/hunter aspect immediately upon first contact, and knew Native Americans would resist territorial encroachments. In the case of the United States of America in the 1800’s, plans were put into place to disarm native warriors, such as those from the Great Plains, and to re-educate them in a new role (farmer) that was contrary to their cultural view of manhood. This “formula”, which has been used more than once in history by different groups, is a very effective way of controlling and demoralizing a potential enemy force, and had a devastating and long lasting impact on many Native American communities.

Assimilation by means of educating the children of a conquered/dominated people by the conquerors is not new to history, either. In regard to the Native Boarding Schools, though, there is a proverbial “grey area”. If you watched the video I recommended about Ishi, the last survivor of the Yahi people of California, you know that many of his small society were attacked and killed by American settlers, and this is only one example. Some of the religious reformers and members of the U.S. government who established these schools sought to save the very lives of native children, knowing full well the outright genocidal views of some of their fellow Americans towards Native Americans.

The forced removal of these children from the bosom of their families, and the treatment they received at some of these institutions was horrendous. If these “reformers” could speak to us today, however, they would most certainly remind us that they were saving these children from certain death, and in some cases, that would be true. As for how these children were treated at these schools, remember the era we’re studying … the latter 19th and early 20th centuries. Many children of the time, both native and non-native, were by today’s standards, beaten as a way to correct what was deemed disobedient, sinful, and in the case of native children, pagan behavior by Christian missionaries and teachers. (I myself was raised with the quote, “Spare not the rod for the weeping”, and yes, my religious parents practiced corporal punishment, as did their parents before them. Do I think that I was beaten? Yes, I do, but the older people in my family would not only disagree, but be deeply shocked and offended that I felt this way. I was, according to their interpretation of biblical writ, “chastised” for sinful actions as a means to save my soul.) Where there acts of extreme violence and cruelty against some of these children? Yes, such things did occur, like strapping terrified children to hot radiators for being “caught” speaking their original language, but be forewarned … I’ve had a few people angrily deny any such abuses ever happened at these “fine Christian schools”, and resented any suggestion that they happened.

As I’m sure you’ve all noticed by now, I don’t sanitize history.

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