While the idea behind the Carlisle Indian School was not new, the approach adopted by founder Richard Pratt certainly was. Possessing the same pioneer spirit that fueled the expansionist post-war period, Pratt sought to recruit a student body from among the scattered tribes of the western United States. Travelling throughout Dakota Territory, he urged tribal leaders to send the flower of their youth to his school as a means of preserving native culture. Advocating a policy of total assimilation, Pratt justified his philosophy by publicly lamenting the eventual death of tribal society. This passionate appeal, complete with crocodile tears, convinced many tribal leaders to send their own children to Carlisle. The insidious truth about this approach was that the inherent goal of assimilation was to kill native culture.
Taking Names
Upon arrival, many Carlisle initiates were forced to shave their heads and burn their traditional clothing. They were then were told that their traditional names were not acceptable and that they would be given new names. While the advent of child psychology was many decades away, it was well known that forcing a child to abandon his given name was inherently destructive. This alone was enough to damage many in just their first weeks. By forcing pupils to abandon their given name and adopt Christianized designations, the faculty and staff of Carlisle sent a clear message—native culture was inferior. There is no other explanation for such an aberration. For many of these children, their new names held no more meaning than a collection of random syllables. On a cultural level, these names did not possess a deeper meaning.
Rampant Illness
Another factor that hindered the development of native children was the presence of disease. Like its contemporaries, Carlisle endured epidemics that spread through the population with devastating results. Death rates among the Indian schools were higher than those of white schools due to the decreased resistance among the populations. Home sickness, separation anxiety, attempts to escape, depression, and culture shock were among other contributing factors. These facts conspired to make life at Carlisle and similar native boarding schools harsh emotionally and physically.
Abuse
While Pratt extolled the virtues of his unique curriculum, the flower of Native America endured further degradation at the hands of their warders. Failure to adhere to the strict standards established by Pratt’s curriculum often resulted in harsh punishments. Beatings, starvations, and far worse were recorded in the personal histories of surviving Carlisle students. As other Indian schools incorporated the Carlisle methodology, they too developed their own means of punishing recalcitrance. A national standard emerged.
Americanization and Indoctrination
Within their first year, many of the youngest native children were sent to live among white families. The inherent goal in this practice was to further undermine and eventually eradicate traditional native beliefs. Children were forced to attend church services with their white host families and were subjected to daily reminders that they were from an inferior culture. Family structure, language, dress, customs, and personal identity were all subject to attack. These practices would continue for nearly a century until exposed by a combination of government investigation and native activism. It would be a long road, but Carlisle and her contemporaries would ultimately fail in their mission. Native culture endures.
Mark C. Carnes, Ed., U.S. History. (New York: Macmillan Library Reference, 1996).
John Ehle. Trail of Tears: The Rise and Fall of the Cherokee Nation. (New York: Anchor Books, 1989).
Jorge Rivas. (October 27, 2001) South Dakota Profits When Kids Get Thrown Into Foster Care. Color Lines: News for Action. Retrieved from http://colorlines.com/archives/2011/10/disproportionality_rates_of_native_american_children_in_foster_care.html
Lisa Sullivan and Amy Walters. (October 15, 2011) Incentive and Cultural Bias Fuel Foster System. NPR.org. Retrieved from http://www.npr.org/2011/10/25/141672992/native-foster-care-lost-children-shattered-families
Carl Waldman, The North American Indian. (New York: Checkmark Books, 2000.)
Carl Waldman, Encyclopedia of Native American Tribes. (New York: Checkmark Books, 2006).
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