We welcome you to the Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre.

The records on our site emerge from the cultural and physical genocide that the Canadian government and churches conducted through the Indian Residential School System, including the ongoing impacts.

Bearing witness to these records may become overwhelming. If you are a Survivor or an Intergenerational Survivor and would like support, you can call the 24-hour National Indian Residential School Crisis Line at:

1-866-925-4419

Please click the button below for other cultural and mental health resources.

Wellness Resources
Home > Find > Education for extinction : American Indians and the board...
Education for extinction : American Indians and the boarding school experience, 1875-1928
Image courtesy of University Press of Kansas

Education for extinction : American Indians and the boarding school experience, 1875-1928
Walter C. Koerner Library, University of British Columbia

1995
Book > History
Creators
Adams, David Wallace
Description
"This book examines how government boarding schools were used for acculturating American Indian youth to 'American' ways of thinking and living from 1875 to 1928. Based on government archives, student and teacher autobiographies, and school newspapers, this book proposes that the last 'Indian War' was fought against Native American children in the dormitories and classrooms of government boarding schools. The government advocated the removal of Indian children from their homes for extended periods of time in order that white 'civilization' could take root while extinguishing Indian culture and any childhood memories of 'savagism.' Specifically, the book focuses on policy formulation and how reformers and government officials came to look upon education as a central feature of the new Indian policy. A detailed analysis explains how educational policy was translated into institutional practice, describing the entire process whereby Indian agents, school superintendents, teachers, and staff went about the business of 'civilizing' Indian youth. Finally, the book describes the educational experiences of Indian students, how Indian students responded to acculturation efforts, and what happened when they returned to their reservation homes. In the end, reformers clearly failed to achieve their objective of assimilation because congressional parsimony never allowed the educational assault to be waged with the intensity that reformers envisioned, and because Indian students were not passive recipients of the curriculum of civilization. The book contains references in chapter notes, photographs, and an index."
Language
English

More Information

Holding Library
Walter C. Koerner Library, University of British Columbia
ISBN
0700607358; 0700608389
Statement of Responsibility
David Wallace Adams.
Publication Information
Lawrence, Kan. : University Press of Kansas
Physical Description
xi, 396 p. : ill. ; 24 cm
Notes
Includes bibliographical references (p. 339-390) and index.
Contents
Pt. 1. Civilization -- 1. Reform -- 2. Models -- 3. System --  Pt. 2. Education -- 4. Institution --  5. Classroom -- 6. Rituals -- Pt. 3. Response -- 7. Resistance -- 8. Accommodation -- Pt. 4.  Causatum -- 9. Home -- 10. Policy.
Electronic Location and Access
Also available online (authentication may be required)
Permalink

Discussion

Do you have a story to contribute related to these records or a comment about this item?

Related

People/Organizations

Records

TOP