An exploration of how Anishinaabe students at Carlisle Indian School used the school’s own publications to resist cultural genocide and assert their identities.
The Carlisle Indian School, notorious for its mission to “Kill the Indian and save the man,” was a place where Native American children were forcibly assimilated into Euro-American culture. However, within the confines of the school’s official publications, some students found a platform to push back against this cultural genocide. In her research, Julie Morrow delves into the writings of Anishinaabe students from the Great Lakes and Plains regions between 1904 and 1918. Despite the school’s intentions, these young writers used their voices to preserve their cultures, challenge stereotypes, and assert their identities.
A Changing Perspective on Native American Cultures
Following the “closing of the frontier,” white Americans developed a nostalgia for Native American cultures, leading to a fad for Indian arts and crafts. In response, Carlisle’s publications aimed to cater to this interest by encouraging more writing about Native American legends, customs, and history. Moses Friedman, the superintendent from 1908 onwards, saw these stories as a means of “preserving” cultures that were believed to be on the brink of extinction. However, Morrow reveals that the Anishinaabe students subverted this intention, using the platform to showcase their ongoing cultural evolution.
Challenging Stereotypes Through Work
The Carlisle School’s curriculum focused on preparing students for “civilized” work, dismissing traditional Native American ways of working as lazy. Essays published in the school’s periodicals highlighted students’ training in trades such as blacksmithing and wheat farming. However, within the safe haven of the Indian culture pages, Anishinaabe students detailed their tribes’ traditional methods of work. For example, Estelle Bradley’s retelling of an Anishinaabe trickster myth includes a description of women making rope from the inner bark of a basswood tree, challenging the school’s disparagement of native women’s work.
Reclaiming Stolen Histories
Margaret Blackwood, a nineteen-year-old student, recounted the origin story of her family’s hometown, Ontonagon, Michigan. Rather than setting the story in a mythic past, she placed it within living memory, around 1842, and built it around the true story of her tribe’s land being stolen. Blackwood’s narrative served as a powerful reminder of the injustices inflicted upon Native American communities, challenging the dominant narratives perpetuated by the school.
Celebrating Indigenous Joy and Traditions
Edward Bracklin used an essay about Christmas to contrast the materialistic focus of white children with the joy experienced by an “Indian boy” spending the holiday in the plains and forests that had been his source of enjoyment throughout his life. Bracklin’s essay highlighted the importance of nature and cultural traditions, emphasizing the value of Indigenous experiences that were often overlooked or dismissed by the school.
Conclusion:
Through their writings, Anishinaabe students at Carlisle Indian School defied the institution’s mission of cultural erasure. They used the school’s own publications as a platform to assert their identities, challenge stereotypes, and reclaim their histories. These young writers demonstrated resilience, adaptability, and pride in their cultural heritage. Their stories serve as a testament to the power of resistance and the enduring spirit of Indigenous peoples.
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