- Indian Arts and Crafts Act
- Indian Child Welfare Act
- Native American Boarding Schools
- Representation
Boarding Schools in the U.S. - News
Indian Country Today, July 9, 2022 NBC News, May 11, 2022 Reno News & Review. August 15, 2021. NBC News. July 15, 2021. Smithsoninan Magazine. June 23, 2021.Boarding Schools in Canada
Indian Country Today. June 30, 2021. Washington Post. June 25, 2021. BBC. June 25, 2021.Books in the Catalog
Call Number: E 97 C57 2004 ISBN: 9780872864344 Publication Date: 2004-11-01For five consecutive generations, from roughly 1880 to 1980, Native American children in the United States and Canada were forcibly taken from their families and relocated to residential schools. The stated goal of this government program was to "kill the Indian to save the man." Half of the children did not survive the experience, and those who did were left permanently scarred.
Native American Boarding Schools in the U.S.
Indian Residential Schools, or Native American Boarding Schools, were founded or supported by churches and state and federal governments beginning around the mid-19th century in the United States. The purpose of these institutions was to assimilate Native American children by Christianizing them and immersing them in white American culture. This was done by cutting their hair, giving them new names, cutting them off from relatives, and punishing them for speaking their Indigenous languages.
There is an overwhelming number of reports of physical, mental, sexual abuse, and deaths of students at the hands of boarding school staff. Students were also commonly used as a labor force, working on school farms, in laundries, performing maintenance work, and in construction.
The Meriam Report (linked below) in 1928 stated that "[P]rovisions for the care of the Indian children in boarding schools are grossly inadequate." Overcrowding, malnutrition, disease, and substandard medical care were noted specifically. Furthermore, boarding school graduates had no support for securing apprenticeships or jobs.
In June, 2021, Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland announced that the U.S. government would investigate its oversight of Native American Boarding Schools. Sec. Haaland's announcement came after reports of mass graves found at boarding school sites in Canada. See resources linked in the U.S. Department of the Interior box below.
The Meriam Report, 1928. The report includes a description of the state of Indian Boarding Schools in the U.S., beginning on page 11. Full text available at HathiTrust.
AP News. June 22, 2021. Indian Country Today. June 22, 2021.Legislation
The acts listed below affected the establishment, funding, and practices of the residential school system in the U.S. Some provisions of these laws are now obsolete but are provided here for historical research purposes.
Civilization Fund Act of 1819 (PL 15-85)
The Civilization Fund Act of 1819 authorized funding for organizations to run schools on Native American reservations. The Act was later used to authorize the establishment of boarding schools.
Indian Reorganization Act of 1934 (PL 73-383)
The purpose of the Indian Reorganization Act was to restore asset management to tribes and to end Native American assimilation policies and practices.
Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act of 1975 (PL 93-638)
Authorized the US government to contract with and directly fund federally recognized tribes. The Act gave Native American tribes the authority to administer these funds themselves. This Act has been amended several times over the years. For information about amendments, see Public Law 93-638 linked below.
Regulations authorized by the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act of 1975. Bureau of Indian Affairs.
