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U M M A R Y In the late 1800s and up through the early 1900s, the United States government determined that the best way to solve the so-called “Indian problem” was to simply “reeducate” the Indian youth. The government attempted this by removing, in many cases forcibly, Native American children living with their families and tribes on Indian reservations and transporting them to distant institutions known as Indian Training Schools. These institutions were created to assimilate Indian children by attempting to “civilize” them by teaching “the white man’s way” including learning to speak English, reading, writing and the Christian religion. Once at the school, the youths were forbidden to “be Indian” in any way. Their long hair was cut, they could not speak their Native language, and they were prohibited from celebrating their own tribal religion. Punishment for exhibiting any of these Indian traits could be severe, ranging from being given additional chores to physical beatings to spending time in the school jail. Students at these schools were also forced to follow a strict disciplinarian code, similar to that of the military: being separated by gender, wearing uniforms, and performing marching drills each morning at dawn. While some students prospered under these conditions by learning a skill or trade, others were unable to cope with the separation from their families on the reservations and simply attempted to escape. Most of these so-called runaways were captured by authorities and taken back to the institution. Living conditions at these institutions could also be harsh: from inadequate health care, to scarcity of food, to virtually no heating during frigid winter nights. Many children died as a result of such conditions and were buried in the school’s own graveyard. Despite conditions that made even day-to-day living difficult at times, students did manage to participate in various extracurricular activities such as art, music, drama and most notably athletics. In fact, football athletic programs at two of the institutions, Carlisle Indian School in Carlisle, Pennsylvania and Haskell Indian Boarding School in Lawrence, Kansas became nationally popular and provided students and Native Americans on the reservations with a source of pride and accomplishment. Sports, notably football, were a way for Native American youths to compete on the field directly against members of white society. Native American successes on the football field provided students from diverse tribes an opportunity to come together as one and form, apart from that of their tribe, their own unique Indian identity. |