Nokemos lecture on boarding schools

Native American boarding schools


In the beginning of the semester, we watched the film about Chief Illini and how this mascot was affecting the Native American culture. During the film, Native American boarding schools were brought up, and a few minutes were dedicated to talking about the affect they had on the culture. I had never learned about these boarding schools or the awful treatment of Native Americans who attended them. Since then, I have attended one of the lectures at Nokemos that focused on the schools. One of the speakers, a Native American woman, told the story of her mother's experience in the boarding schools. Her mother was forced to attend the school when she was only eight years old. Her brother, who was three at the time, was not allowed to have any contact with her once they were there. Not only was she split up from her family, she was not allowed to speak her own language or wear her own clothing. The boarding school forced her to leave her culture behind. The woman went on to tell of the mistreatment and abuse that her mother, and all of the other Native American children at her school, faced daily. If they were not silent and obedient at all times, they were punished. Punishments typically involved being locked in a closet, and according to her mother, the one time she refused to do what she was told, she was locked in a crate outside for three nights with no food. Overall, her mother learned to be silent, learned to follow the rules, and learned to not be affectionate.

Now, years later, the woman who spoke is dedicating her life to making a documentary about the affects of the boarding schools. What I found most interesting, is that many of the interviews that she told us about did not involve people who actually attended the schools. Instead, they focused on their children and grandchildren, and the effects that are still present today. Many times, when I think about events like the boarding schools, I only think of the impact that they had at the time. What I learned was that the abuse that the people in the schools faced as a child greatly impacted the way they raised their own children. One of the men interviewed for the documentary said that his mother also grew up in a boarding school. Similar to the speaker's mother, she learned that being affectionate led to punishment. As a result, she never hugged or touched her own children. She never told them that she loved them. Now, her son has a daughter of his own and told our speaker that he "never actually played with his daughter". He never hugged or cuddled her, and never took the time to play with her. He is very afraid that she will feel the way that he felt when he was growing up, but does not know any other way.
I learned a lot from this lecture, but I think what I got out of it most was the understanding that someone's suffering does not end when the pain stops. The terrible effects of the boarding schools last through the generations, and are affecting the lives of Native Americans today.