Native Americans have faced challenges of cultural adaptation since their arrival through immigration. This continued while they were in reservation programmes and to date, they still struggle to create an identity for themselves. Assimilation has been a necessary move for their children because the traditional setup that had been preserved by the reservation programmes was lost. This occurred during the painful transition that was a part of the forceful assimilation of 1887. The government enforced this transition by abolishing the native land system of governance. Individuals were then allowed to purchase tracts of land for private ownership. When the tribal lands were gone, the Native Americans had to give up some of their tribal systems of governance and adopt some American ways of life (Reyhner & Eder, 2017).
The education system was the most effective way to initiate the assimilation process in the children. Henry Pratt conceptualized the standardized school system through which he expressed his desire to "kill the Indian and save the man." This program was aimed at making the children forget their culture and become Americanized. Pratt began rolling out his program in Pennsylvania by enrolling Native American children into boarding schools. The children were registered into these institutions sometimes without the consent of their parents. Most were coerced into this program and children as young as six years were enrolled. In the boarding schools, the children were placed in classes where they were mixed. Those of the same tribes were separated to discourage them from speaking their native languages. They were then taught English and punished whenever they spoke their language. Eventually, most of them forgot their language and began to speak English only. They were also given English names and English haircuts (Banks, 2015).
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The children were also denied their traditional regalia, and they were forcefully dressed in American attire. This made them lose their tribal inclinations further. The boarding schools ensured that holidays were very short. Interactions with their families were limited so that the school could maximize its influence on them. The schools were strict, and they run with military precision. This included a strict program whereby the students learned two different sets of activities. The first involved all the necessary academic units such as English language, arithmetic, geography, and history. These lessons took place during the mornings of most days. The afternoon sessions were characterized by the theoretical and practical teaching of agricultural skills. The children were taught American farming techniques that were different from theirs. This practice ensured that the skills they had inherited were forgotten. Other vocational skills such as nursing and secretarial work as well as cooking techniques such as baking, occupied the afternoon session.
Banks (2015) further argues that these exclusive Native American boarding schools had poor standards of living. The students had to endure various humanitarian crises such as poor hygiene and frequent disease outbreaks. Although the assimilation through boarding schools experienced some measure of success, the government and the Native Americans soon began to be dissatisfied with the system. As the quality of education dropped due to overcrowding, the Native Americans began to send their children to public schools. By this time, mainstream education had started to be acceptable to the Native tribes and they no longer needed coercion before enrolling their children into centres of learning.
The public school setting was both similar and different from the boarding schools. First, enrolment in the public schools was mostly voluntary unlike the mandatory or forced terms in the boarding houses. By this time, most of the boarding schools were closed as the government began to faze them out. They had proved to be financially draining to the public coffers, and thus they were unsustainable. Second, as the government abolished the boarding schools, they placed the residential children into neighbouring public schools. This act reunited the children with their families, and the younger ones were able to regain some of their cultures. The public schools were improved when the government hired hundreds of trained teachers to take over the public schools curriculum. Third, boarding schools were prohibited by law to admit young children. This regulation forced them to adjust their curriculum, and they shifted to quality vocational courses (Meza, 2015).
Assimilation in the public schools was more productive because the Native Americans felt that they had a say in the transition. Reyhner and Eder (2017) further point out that the initial changes were observed in the acceptance of farming techniques. The natives accepted the new methods because their terrain was different from this new terrain. The second sign of assimilation was in the language. Though the dominant language became English, language was only partly assimilated. This is because many families taught their children their language while at home. The children became bilingual as the natives attempted to hold on to a part of their heritage. This partial assimilation was the most resilient form of assimilation because it allowed the individual to embrace a part of their culture. Many Native Americans in public schools also became even more receptive to Christianity than to their traditional forms of worship. Eating habits that were earlier taught in the boarding schools began to find their way into the reserves. Soon food choices and meal plans were also greatly influenced by the American culture.
As the democratic space in the country grew more prominent, the Native Americans, on the other hand, began to gain some dominance in the society. This came through regime change when the government of the day gave the Natives authority to be represented in some arms of government. The representatives then began to discuss how to put in place mechanisms that would boost their culture and make them feel more recognized in society. The formation of a school system that promoted both the ideals of religion and conventional academic learning gave birth to the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE). The BIE installed schools around and away from the reserves. These schools were run by the different tribes, and they were overseen by the tribal school boards. They contributed in policy making, implementation and review of the school system. They were part of the education system, and they were supervised by the US Department of the Interior. Their mandate runs to date (Melanie & Cedars (2018),
The purpose of the Bureau is to prevent the loss of cultural ideals by incorporating them into the way of life. Each of the institutions of learning under the Bureau has the mandate to promote culture while providing education. The Bureau's mandate does not only apply to elementary schools. Some secondary schools, as well as some universities and tribal colleges all, fall under this arrangement. The BIE was envisioned as a democratic way to initiate the assimilation process through peaceful coexistence. It was to bridge the gap between conventional mainstream educational systems and cultural forms of educating the child (Meza, 2015).
The Native Americans continue to be oppressed through education. Because their schools are closer to the regions where they live, it becomes harder to remove the blanket prejudice on the institutions. These schools whose dominant enrolment is to kids of one culture may get less help from the government. These schools which are funded by the federal government do not receive enough funds. They often access less financial support than other public schools despite the fact they are often cantered around Native American culture. Schools which are under the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) are most likely to suffer this fate. Native American children who attend regular public schools are more likely to have better outcomes than those who attend BIE schools (Reyhner & Eder, 2017).
According to Melanie and Cedars (2018), BIE schools record lower SAT and ACT scores for their students. Native students in these schools reported a lower possibility of graduating from high school. These schools do not avail high-level high school courses for their students. The yearly decline in the results has been attributed to a state of disillusionment between the home front and the school setting. Though these schools are designed to be exclusive schools for special interest groups, very little funding is given to boost cultural events. The significance of the cultural preservation is lost because there are no systems in place to support them. As the Native Americans go through a lacklustre education system, they seem to be reliving the days of boarding schools without the violation of human rights. Instead, the current education system favours assimilation through disadvantaging the minority in the society. The poor learning conditions push the Native Americans into integrated public schools so that they can get a better educational outcome.
This is a modern way of enforcing assimilation through education. The Native Americans are being pushed into forgetting the little that is left of their culture. When forced to choose between a better future through education or a culturally rich experience, the ambitious young person will determine their future. However, even the few who decide their culture do not get what they signed up for. They get half-baked exposure to both cultures and to the pursuit of education. Education is, therefore, an efficient way to guarantee assimilation both now and in the past.
References
Banks, J. A. (2015). Cultural diversity and education. Pearson Press.
Melanie R & Cedars, S.R., (2018). Flight a Brief History of “Assimilation through Education” for Native American children. Grade Save Press.
Meza, N. (2015). Indian education: Maintaining tribal sovereignty through Native American culture and language preservation. BYU Educ. “LJ, 353.
Reyhner, J., & Eder, J. (2017). American Indian education: A history. University of Oklahoma Press.
