1. Native Americans and Education
CHAPTER SEVEN
Native Americans and Education

2. The Pow Wow

3. Overview
562 Native American Tribes recognized by the federal government
Represent just under 1% of total population
By 1890s population had been reduced from 1.5 million to 250,000.
Have been mischaracterized and understudied in education
The dropout rate and achievement gap is the highest among Native Americans

4. A World Before Europeans
Native american culture was very diverse:
Were hunter/gatherers from 4500 b.c a.d.
Developed agricultural practices around 1200 a.d.
Spoke different languages
Adapted to very different geographical conditions
Had developed distinct cultural practices

5. Manifest Destiny...
“These men flocked to the plains, and were rather stimulated than [slowed] by the danger of an Indian war. This was another potent agency in producing the result we enjoy today, in having in so short a time replaced the wild buffaloes by more numerous herds of tame cattle, and by substituting for the useless Indians the intelligent owners of productive farms and cattle-ranches.”
― William T. Sherman, Memoirs of General W.T. Sherman

6. The World After Europeans
The continent had been “settled” by mid 19th century
Pockets of resistance still remained but were contained
European relations with Natives had moved from:
Trade → War → Management
Undergirding European conquest was particular understanding of progress

7. The “Indian” Problem

8. Dawes Allotment Act (1886)
Apportioned 160 acres for heads of households; 80 for unmarried adults.
Established reservations:
Aimed to teach farming skills
Boarding schools were established and sped up the rate of assimilation
Contributed to the breakup of tribal unity--weakened Native cultures

10. Educating Native Americans
A pair of concerns motivated the education of Native Americans
To assimilate Native Americans into the Western notion of progress
To attend to their “spiritual needs.”
“American Indian societies were viewed as savage, for they sought not to master but to coexist with the natural environment. Indeed, they defined civilization quite differently than did European Americans. The earth, they reasoned, could not be mastered, and such effort tempted fate. Thus, to be civilized was to live in harmony with, not to subdue, the environment. In contrast, Euro-dominance, with humans second only to God in a hierarchy of creation. For Native American, when God was conceptualized at all, God and nature were seen as one.” (p. 200)

11. Pluralism versus Assimilation
“...valuing and maintaining cultural and linguistic differences within a society.”
Assumes that mutual respect for cultural difference is an asset (not detriment) to society
Positive outcome: Cultural traditions, language, and practices preserved
Negative outcome: May result in “outcast” status

12. Pluralism versus Assimilation
“...the process by which diverse cultures--immigrant, racial, ethnic, and linguistic minorities--alter their customs, habits, and languages to allow absorption into a dominant culture”
Positive outcome: Minorities are given a set of tools by which to prosper
Negative outcome: This generally comes at the cost of cultural heritage

13. For Native Americans: A bit of both
Native Americans have--through historic treaties--managed to retain varying degrees of traditional customs (pluralism)
Some languages have been actively preserved
Some traditional dress, dance, and religion has been preserved
Yet, overtime, the desire to maintain cultural identity has been influenced by white protestant culture (assimilation).
The result: Partial assimilation with a few traditional practices in place

14. Educating Native Americans
Curriculum aimed to remove “indian-ness” from Native Americans. Mission schools and boarding schools were established and focused on:
Literacy
Christianity
Agriculture
“Dignity of Labor”
Personal wealth
Hygiene and Manners