THE GOVERNMENT KNOWS BEST
It is common for a person to think that someone is doing something wrong when that person does something differently. Different doesn't always mean wrong.
THE GOVERNMENT KNOWS BEST
In the late 1800s, government leaders in the U.S. began noticing that Native American families and communities were not teaching their children the same way that others were. These government leaders thought that Native American children should be in school to learn English, read classic novels, and train how to be farmers. Instead, they were being taught the history of their people, their Native language, and how to contribute to their own communities.
Rather than understanding that the Native American families were just teaching their children differently, the government thought they were not doing a good job at taking care of their children. The government leaders tried to fix this by passing a law to create special schools for Native American students. These schools were called Indian boarding schools. They were very different from the day schools children attend today.
Children were taken away from their parents and sent to live at the school for the entire year. The schools had large locked gates around the buildings so the students couldn't run away. The children could only come home for the summer when school was not in session. Sometimes the boarding schools were very far away, and children would have to travel many days on a train to get there.
A FORCEFUL FORGETTING
Irving T. Gates (1914–1998) was the son of Frank Gates and Josephine Alice Hastings Gates. Irving was made to attend the Genoa Indian School in the 1930s and 40s. When he arrived, the teachers took away all of his clothes. Irving could no longer wear the traditional garments that reminded him of his Umónhon (Omaha) culture. Irving's hair was cut very short; he could no longer wear it in braids. This was sad because, in Umónhon culture, hair gives a person strength and connects them to Mother Earth. Cutting hair is very special and is reserved for people who are mourning the loss of a loved one.
Irving didn't speak English but spoke the Umónhon language. At Genoa, the teachers told him he would only be able to speak English. If students were caught speaking their Native languages, they were punished. This was especially hard because not many of the students spoke English, so no one could talk to each other.
The students would go to school in the morning and go to their jobs in the afternoons. The female students would learn how to sew and cook meals, and the male students would farm the fields and fix machinery. It was hard work.
AN AMAZING ATHLETE
At Genoa Indian School, Irving was able to participate in the track program. And in 1933, Irving and three other students competed in the 880-yard relay for the Class C State track meet. Irving and his teammates not only won, they broke the state record!
As soon as the boys finished the race, they were put on a bus and taken back to the school. The teachers were afraid they would run away since they were off-campus, as many other students had tried to escape in the past. Because they couldn't stay for the awards ceremony, sadly, they never got their medals. After many years, these medals were given to the Nebraska Historical Society.
Years later, when the Historical Society presented Irving with his gold medal from the track meet, he was so happy, he cried. However, the Historical Society wouldn't let him keep the medal.
THE STRUGGLE CONTINUES
Most Indian boarding schools closed in the 1960s, but some remained open until 1996. Only a handful are still operating today, but these boarding schools do not follow the same rules as they did years before. Native American children no longer have to attend boarding schools. But the years of being forced to go have had a lasting effect on Native communities. Many still struggle, trying to heal from the trauma they experienced. Sadly, some students died while away at boarding school; they never got to return home to see their homes and families.
We hope to never forget those children who had to live through this sad time.
About the writers of
this story:
Meredith Schramm and Brooktynn Blood are members of the Umónhon Nation. They are both educators who hope to keep alive the memories of their ancestors who went through boarding school by talking about them and teaching what really happened. Irving T. Gates, Umónhon way, was their Great Grandfather. Irving, along with other family members, we remember.