Schooling Experiences of Central California Indian People Across Generations (original) (raw)
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Daedalus, 2018
American Indian/Alaska Native education – the training for life of children, adolescents, and adults – has been locked in battle for centuries with colonial schooling, which continues to the present day. Settler societies have used schools to “civilize” Indigenous peoples and to train Native peoples in subservience while dispossessing them of land. Schools are the battlegrounds of American Indian education in which epistemologies, ontologies, axiologies, pedagogies, and curricula clash. In the last century, Native nations, communities, parents, and students have fought tenaciously to maintain heritage languages and cultures – their ways of being in the world – through Indigenous education and have demanded radical changes in schools. Contemporary models of how educators are braiding together Indigenous education and Indigenous schooling to better serve Native peoples provide dynamic, productive possibilities for the future.
The Unnatural History of American Indian Education
1999
A critical examination of the colonial education of American Indians unearths the roots of many stereotypical beliefs about the culture and capabilities of Native Americans. Deep-seated ideas and practices that were accepted as natural by past colonizers continue to undergird contemporary stereotypes about American Indians. The tenets of colonial education were not based on natural truths but were culturally constructed to serve specific agendas of the colonizing nations. These tenets were that Native Americans were savages and had to be civilized; that civilization required Christian conversion; that civilization required subordination of Native communities, frequently through resettlement; and that Native peoples had mental, moral, physical, or cultural deficiencies that made certain pedagogical methods necessary for their education. Each of these tenets is analyzed along with its legacies in today's classrooms and communities. Particular attention is given to the repeated relocations of Native communities, children, workers, and families under the political control and legal jurisdiction of the colonizing nations, and to the special pedagogical methods used to overcome Native peoples' "deficits." Contains 94 references and notes. (SV)
1999
This chapter discusses the history and nature of Indian control of Indian education since the 1960s and its implications for the future. Local or tribal control of education is a basic principle inherent in the sovereignty status of American Indian tribes, and is also essential to reclaim and strengthen Native languages and cultures that were long targeted for destruction by assimilative educational policies. Major steps in the development of contemporary Indian control included Great Society programs of the 1960s that focused on community development and action; establishment of Rough Rock Demonstration School and Navajo Community College-the first tribally controlled college; federal legislation of the 1970s-80s that supported tribal sovereignty and tribal control of education; and the growth and success of tribal schools and colleges in the 1990s. Several observations explain the meaning and significance of tribal control, differences between tribal control and Indian community control, the link between tribal control and self-determination, the recent nature of true tribal control, and developments across tribes. It is also important to understand that most Indian students attend public schools, and the federal government has major financial responsibility for Indian education, but Indian education is often not a priority at any level of the school system. Indian-controlled schools are successful, but challenges remain in the areas of funding, student performance, Indian cultures and languages in the curriculum, parental and tribal involvement, school facilities, Indian leadership and staffing, and accreditation. Contains 33 references and notes. (SV)
History Compass, 2006
This article examines history writing on American Indian education to show its movement from a focus on federal policy to studies that incorporate Native people’s perspectives. The article discusses the benefits and challenges of using oral histories, interviews, and autobiographies for historical analysis and points to the value of a multi‐voiced, interdisciplinary approach.
2018
This thesis focuses on the interests and attitudes shown by learners and educators towards the inclusion of the Yurok Language and Culture program in schools’ curricula across Humboldt County-Californian, USA. The program aims at revitalizing the Yurok culture and improving the academic standards of Yurok and other native American Indian students. The main theoretical frameworks used in this research are Bronfenbrenner’s (1979) and (1994) “Ecology of Human Development” and “Ecological Models of Human Development respectively. Additionally, I used Epstein’s (2011) Model of Overlapping Spheres and Charleston’s (1994) True Native Education theories to further expand on the ideals that underpin Bronfenbrenner’s theories that were applied in this research. The significance these theories used in this case study is conceptualized in the notion that the school, family and community nexus can be effectively harnessed to boost the learning experiences of native American Indian students. This...
The Education of American Indians: Policy, Practice and Future Direction
1991
The nature and problems of American Indian education are quite complex. Factors defining the context of this complexity include differences between schools and standard teaching methods and traditional Indian education; the special federal-Indian relationship; and the small numbers but great cultural diversity of American Indians. A historical analysis focuses on acculturation as the aim of Indian education, the changing role of the federal government, national studies evaluating Indian education, the growing number of Indians in educational leadership positions, and the apparent loss of national interest in Indian education in the face of global problems. An overview of Indian education today highlights enrollment, dropout rates, graduation rates, and educational attainment of Native Americans, as well as data on population, unemployment, and quality of life. Questions about government role revolve around the relative responsibilities of state and ff,deral governments in Indian education, and attempts to transfer Bureau of Indian Affairs schools to public school districts. Other issues in Indian education include the need for cultural relevance, differences between reservation and off-reservation schools, high Indian failure rates in higher education, and the shortage of Indian teachers. National trends that provide opportunities for change are increased attention on at-risk or disadvantaged students, early childhood education, and integrated programs and educational partnerships.
“A Tale of Three Schools”: Native American Educational Institutes and Their Products
In the late nineteenth century the U.S. government increased its efforts to place Native American children in educational institutes that were designed to assimilate them. These efforts and the transformations they produced in Native American children have been studied. However, teasing out the nature of specific types of education and the slightly different forms of transformation they respectively create is uncharted territory. In this paper I venture into this territory by inspecting three distinct educational environments. By examining each school as well as the post-graduation activities of sample graduates I intend to provide a better idea of the relationship between educational environment and product. Moreover, I place this relationship within the context of larger Native American assimilation efforts. In order to measure influence at each institution, I examine the relationship of graduates with their tribe, their occupation, and post-graduation activities. After doing so, I contend that, to some extent, the post-graduation behavior of Native American graduates can be traced to the type of educational institute they attended. To support my argument I rely on trends in graduates from the schools. Although these results are unlikely to be conclusive, they may shed some light upon a largely unexplored question.
Seven More Mountains and a Map: Overcoming Obstacles to Reform in Native American Schools
Although they face many obstacles in common with other at-risk communities, Na- tive Americans encounter other obstacles specific to their sociohistorical context. North American national policies imposed on Indian communities have resulted in political, social, and economic subjugation of a wholesegment of the national popula- tion. The historical context of this relationship continues to influence contemporary classrooms through institutionalized social relations, educational practices, and goals, all of which may be at odds with those of Native American communities and their perceived educationalneeds. Thegeographicaland socialisolationof many Na- tive American reservation communities hinders recruitment and retention of competent teachers and administrators.Communication is impeded by both subtle and pro- found cultural differences between school personnel and the families they purport to serve. Native American leaders work to make teaching methods and cumcula respon- sive to local tribal situations. Often, tribal efforts, expectations, and needs are at cross-purposesto national professional organizations,educationalstandards,and ac- creditation agencies that strive to achieve and maintain national uniformity in educa- tion practice. These obstacles are mountainous, but some guidelines for success are discernible; we have a map of the territory, and although there are no smooth roads across it as yet, we know how the land lies. For the obstacles, and for means of over- coming them, specific examples are drawn from our work in the Pueblo of Zuni in New Mexico.
The Development of a Curriculum Toolkit with American Indian and Alaska Native Communities
Early Childhood Education Journal, 2007
This article explains the creation of the Growing and Learning with Young Native Children curriculum toolkit. The curriculum toolkit was designed to give American Indian and Alaska Native early childhood educators who work in a variety of settings the framework for developing a research-based, developmentally appropriate, tribally specific curriculum to use with Native children aged 0-3. The curriculum toolkit should assist Native people in preserving and maintaining their unique culture and language. Challenges specific to the implementation of an early childhood program in Indian Country have been explained. A brief historical overview of Indian education has been included. Keywords American Indian and Alaska Native Á Early childhood education Á Language preservation Á Culture Á Curriculum development The relationship between American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) people and the government has long been problematic as noted by constantly changing policies concerning status and education (Urban and Wagoner 2004). While the Dawes Act in the 1880s and the movement to restore tribal rights to self-determination in the mid-1900s are good illustrations of these changes, the changing policies are more easily seen in the education of AI/AN children. For many children, education has been seen as opportunity; for Native children, education has been repression through acculturation (Altenbaugh 2003). Many AI/AN children and families were forced to accept an education that would civilize and Christianize children rather than one which would foster their development in a kind and nurturing environment (Adams 1995). Formalized schooling practices often forced AI/AN children to leave their homes and families. During this time, AI/AN people were not official United States citizens; they did not have any power over their destiny. AI/ AN families were forced to submit their lives and the education of their children to United States government officials (Eder and Reyhner 1988). Federal involvement in Indian education officially began in 1776 when the Continental Congress provided a minister, a blacksmith, and two teachers to become part of the New York Indian community. They were to provide instruction in agriculture, mechanical concepts, and if possible, some academic subjects (Utter 2001). The education AI/AN children received often required them to ''dress, speak, and act like white people'' (Reyhner 1989, para. 2). Anything native (i.e., language, prayers, stories, songs, clothes, jewelry, hairstyle, etc.) was not permitted in church operated or federally funded schools (Adams 1995). Harsh and cruel punishments often accompanied any display of traditional AI/AN culture. Captain Richard Pratt, founder of Carlisle Indian School, noted formal schools were to ''kill the Indian ... and save the man'' (as cited in Adams 1995, p. 52). Approximately 400 treaties between 1778 and 1871 solidified the exchange of land for promises between The contents of this article were developed under Grant #P116Z05-0056 from the US Department of Education. However, the contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the US Department of Education and the reader should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.