EDUCATION FOR INDIGENOUS PEOPLES

GWI Resolution No. 9, 2013 The 31 st GWI Conference resolves that: 1.NFAs urge their respective governments to collaborate with indigenous leaders to provide designated educational funding that includes resources for Early Childhood Education, school infrastructure, equipment, books, information technology, skills development and a core approved curriculum which is culturally sensitive; 2.NFAs urge their respective governments to index such funding to inflation and adjust it annually for population increase; and 3.NFAs urge national, provincial, state, territorial and indigenous governments to work together to create a system of accountable funded and quality education.

Resolution (continued) Suggested Action: 1.NFAs become familiar with the educational situation of indigenous people in their country; 2.NFAs become familiar with the terms of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, monitor and report on its implementation; 3.NFAs urge their national governments to develop and share best practices in indigenous education in collaboration with indigenous peoples; 4.NFAs urge their governments to include reports on the implementation of the Declaration in mandated reports under human rights treaties;

5.NFAs urge their governments to report on the actions taken on the recommendation of the special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous People at the end of his/her visit; and 6.NFAs work with national human rights institutions to assist in the implementation of the Declaration.

FEDERAL POLICIES TOWARD INDIAN EDUCATION Through the Civil War: Removal Last quarter 19 th and first quarter 20 th : Assimilation through education of children: the boarding school experience 1928: The Meriam Report 1930’s: Experiments with bicultural education WWII

The Boarding School Experience: For tribal elders who had witnessed the catastrophic developments of the nineteenth century—the bloody warfare, the near extinction of the bison, the scourge of disease and starvation, the shrinking of the tribal land base, the indignities of reservation life, the invasion of missionaries and white settlers—there seemed to be no end to the cruelties perpetrated by whites. And after all this, the schools. After all this, the white man had concluded that the only way to save Indians was to destroy them, that the last great Indian war should be waged against children. They were coming for the children. David Wallace Adams, “Education for Extinction”

Post World War II 1.Rising Indian Activism s: Termination Movement 3.Evolving move toward self-determination 4.Primary goal Enrollment: increased access to public schools 5.Growth of Indian-operated schools 6.The self-determination consensus ?

“The tragic flaw in the Indian self-determination consensus is that there is so little actual Indian self-determination in Indian country because the consensus rides on the destiny of national political and economic trends rather than on the will or needs of Indian people” --Roger Buffalohead (Ponca)

Secretary of the Interior, Order No. 3334, June 12, 2014 Subject: Restructuring the Bureau of Indian Education Sec. 1 Purpose. Under the Federal Trust responsibility, the United States has charged itself with significant moral obligations to American Indian tribes. We cannot ignore a history of mistreatment and destructive Federal policies that have hurt tribal communities, including repudiated policies regarding the education of Indian children... We must do better. The future of Indian country rests on ensuring American Indian children receive a high-quality education that honors their cultures, their languages, and their identities as Indian people... --Sally Jewell, Secretary of the Interior.

What kinds of information are we looking for? Information available will vary greatly because of the complexity of the Indian educational system, but here are some of the things you can be looking for: 1.What kinds of schools are available to the tribe? - BIE operated schools - Tribal schools - Local public schools - Church/missionary schools - Boarding vs. day schools How are they funded?

2. What is the experience of children in secondary education schools? - Graduation rates - Dropout rates - Numbers going on to post-secondary education - Factors impeding school attendance - Support and input from parents and tribal leaders

3. Any specific problems you become aware of with regard to this particular tribe - Funding - Adequacy of physical plant, especially BIE/tribal schools - Isolation from schools; is on-line education available? - Relationship to state and local governments 4.Is there any area where you think WG-USA might be helpful? NOTE: In any contacts with tribal representatives, there should be no suggestion that we have resources to offer them.