U.S. Boarding Schools for Native American Children

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We have a guest at the junction today! Let’s give a big welcome to our guest, Kiersti Giron!

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When I began researching the story that would become my historical novel Beneath a Turquoise Sky, I decided to set it at a mission school on the Navajo reservation in the early 1900s, since I’d spent five years in that area of northwest New Mexico during my teens. However, I soon realized I had much to learn—including that to be historically accurate, my mission school needed to be a boarding school for Native children. But why?

Only a few generations ago, the United States grappled with what was known as the “Indian problem.” European settlement—and even railroads—had spanned from coast to coast by the late 1800s, yet many First Nations tribes, the original inhabitants of the land, remained. And conflict abounded, especially since the United States government broke nearly every treaty it made with tribes as sovereign nations.

Some Americans subscribed to the “annihilation” solution. Shocking as it may seem to us today, the author of The Wizard of Oz, L. Frank Baum, wrote this in a South Dakota newspaper in the 1890s:

“The Whites, by law of conquest, by justice of civilization, are masters of the American continent, and the best safety of the frontier settlements will be secured by the total annihilation of the few remaining Indians.”

But other more “progressive” voices spoke also. Captain Richard Henry Pratt promoted the “assimilation” solution instead, advocating in a famous speech that white people should “Kill the Indian in him, and save the man.” Pratt founded the Carlisle Indian School in Pennsylvania, which took Native children from tribes all over the country and attempted to, indeed, “kill” all about them from their own cultures, including language, dress, and family ties, molding them into the image of Euro-American culture as much as possible.

 

Students at Carlisle Native Industrial School in Pennsylvania, c. 1900 (public domain)
Students at Carlisle Native Industrial School in Pennsylvania, c. 1900 (public domain)

 

This school became a model for other government and mission boarding schools all over the United States. Between 1869 and the 1960s, tens of thousands of Native American children were taken from their families, sometimes by force, and placed in boarding schools. It is estimated that by 1926, over 80% of school-age Native children attended these military-style residential schools, numbering over 60,000 students just in 1925. Many children endured horrible abuse at these schools, and many never returned home, often buried in unmarked graves and still unaccounted for by the U.S. government. Even well-intentioned teachers and missionaries did grave damage in removing children from their families and stripping them of their Native identity and culture, tragically cloaking Christianity in Euro-American, “white” garb. Generations of children lacked parenting and endured punishment and trauma merely for speaking their own languages, trauma that still wracks Native communities today.

 

Three Rosebud Sioux children the day after they entered boarding school, 1883
Three Rosebud Sioux children the day after they entered boarding school, 1883. By John N. Choate, Carlisle, PA – https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47e1-1b90-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99, Public Domain.

 

The same boys several years later, after their forced cultural assimilation
The same boys several years later, after their forced cultural assimilation. By John N. Choate, Carlisle, PA – https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47e1-1b90-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99, Public Domain.

As I continued to research my story and learned from Navajo friends and mentors, the history I hadn’t known before broke my heart. Yet I also saw hope for healing and relationship, though so much work remains to be done. My Navajo mentor and his Dutch-American wife met and married at a mission boarding school in Gallup, New Mexico, back in the 1960s, and their true story—and how they welcomed me into their hearts and lives—did much to shape the story I was writing, changing my own life and perspective on history and Native peoples for good.

If you’d like to learn more about the history of U.S. boarding schools for Native children, I recommend The National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition at https://boardingschoolhealing.org/. You can also look up the powerful short film “The Cutting of the Tsiiyéél,” by Susie Silversmith, a Navajo boarding school survivor.

 

Giveaway:

I am giving away one copy of Beneath a Turquoise Sky! Here’s a little about the book:

Cover of Beneath a Turquoise Sky by Kiersti Giron. Western background with mountains, a Native American on horse, and a woman in pioneer clothing.

A young teacher at a Navajo boarding school begins to wonder whether the mission is doing more harm than good.

After her life takes an unexpected turn in 1911, Caroline Haynes pursues a long-buried dream westward to teach at a Navajo mission boarding school. However, walls of hurt and cultural misunderstanding threaten to keep her from reaching the children she longs to touch. The handsome Rev. Willis Abernathy seems sure he knows what is best for the Navajo people—and for Caroline—but she finds herself drawn instead to Tse, the young Navajo man in charge of the mission’s livestock, who claims to still follow Christ despite returning to the ways of his people.

Tse Tsosie longs to introduce Jesus to his people in a way they can understand, but now that family need has brought him back to the mission, he battles past wounds and the disapproval of the missionaries. Meanwhile, Caroline’s arrival brings surprises and more turmoil to the school…and to Tse’s heart.

When crisis forces Tse and Caroline to make a choice, will they find a path together…or will the chasm between their peoples be too great to span?

Purchase Beneath a Turquoise Sky here!

“Beautifully written, Beneath a Turquoise Sky is as colorfully woven as a Navajo blanket with well-drawn characters, a fresh setting, and heartrending history. Kiersti Giron tells a tender, soul-stirring story unlike any other in this moving journey of change, forgiveness, new beginnings, and ultimately, love.”

~ Laura Frantz, Christy Award-winning author of Courting Morrow Little 

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One reader who leaves a comment on this post will win a copy of Beneath a Turquoise Sky! The winner will be randomly selected from the comments and announced on Sunday, June 8th!

Had you heard of the “Indian boarding schools” before? What is a little-known side of history that has surprised or sobered you?

Kiersti Giron writes stories to lift hearts toward hope and healing in our divided world. Her debut novel, Beneath a Turquoise Sky, came inspired by her years living in New Mexico near the Navajo Nation. Kiersti also collaborates on series of historical fiction series with bestselling author Lauraine Snelling. When she’s not writing, Kiersti enjoys spending time with her husband, little boy, and two kitties, as well as teaching writing and literature to teenagers. Learn more at http://www.kierstigiron.com or follow her on Instagram @kierstigiron or Facebook.

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91 thoughts on “U.S. Boarding Schools for Native American Children”

  1. I have read some articles on these boarding schools and am saddened that native children and their families were treated so. Your book sounds like it will spread some light on the subject and be a good story.

  2. I have read other books that touched on the subject. My grandmother was Native American and she was put in foster care.

  3. Yes, I have heard of the boarding schools. It iwas horrible what was done to them.

  4. I knew from watching Dr. Quinn that they forced them to wear our clothes and learn our schooling, but I don’t think I remember boarding schools. It really doesn’t surprise me though.

    • I’ve really appreciated the respectful way the Dr. Quinn show honors the Cheyenne people! I think at that time the boarding schools hadn’t really gotten going yet, though they portray other important historical events, like the Sand Creek Massacre. Thanks so much for stopping by, Joannie!

  5. Yes, I know a little about the boarding schools for Native Americans. I have always had a thirst of knowledge and since a young age, have always been interested in them. Books and television have helped. As an elementary teacher, I always had my students do a project on Native Americans. So fun after reading Little House on the Prairie and watching Dr. Quinn on television. I would love to read this book!

    • I love your heart for history, Susan, and how you’ve shared that with your students! I grew up on Little House and love Dr. Quinn too. 🙂 Thanks so much for stopping by!

  6. Welcome Kiersti! I have heard of it, but not to that extent. The book you wrote, Beneath the Turquoise Sky, I learned more. Also, more today on your research. So, very sad that we would try and “beat” their culture out of them. It’s wrong on so many levels. I loved how Caroline was breaking through the barriers her way in your story. Yes, I read it recently and enjoyed it. Thank you for stopping by!

    Best wishes on this new book!

    • Also, my great, great grandmother was full blooded Cherokee. I wish my grandmother knew more about her grandmother, but sadly she had passed before my grandmother was born. My grandmother was an Lanier. Lanier is French. Most Frenchmen married native Americans in those days.

      I have a question. Is this your first book you have written alone? How was writing dual books with another writer? How did that start?

      • Wow, thank you so much for sharing this special side of your family history with us! What a heritage. My husband’s great-grandmother was from the Tiwa Pueblo people, and we wish we knew more also.

        This is my first published solo novel, though I have others still unpublished. Writing with Lauraine Snelling has been a wonderful experience–I grew up loving her books, and she was my mentor when I was a new writer. Then when she began needing a writer partner in recent years, our agent put us together, and the collaboration has been a real blessing to both of us! I continue to learn so much from Lauraine’s wisdom and mastery of storytelling.

  7. I’m a history buff, majored in it and English in college, and taught them both. I have heard of the Indian boarding schools and read books on them.

  8. My maternal grandfather worked on a Reservation in New Mexico 1920’s to mid 1940’s. Never would talk about what he did but he was half native. Looking forward to reading your book. Sad what the government did to the families.

    • Thank you for sharing, Bridgette! They were news to me not that many years ago too. Grateful for the opportunity to always keep learning. Thank you for stopping by!

    • They were news to me not that many years ago too. Grateful it’s never too late to keep learning! Thank you so much for stopping by and sharing, Bridgette. 🙂

    • They were news to me not that many years ago too! Grateful for the chance to always keep learning. 🙂 Thank you so much for stopping by and sharing, Bridgette!

    • They were news to me too not that many years ago! Grateful for the chance to always keep learning. Thank you so much for stopping by and sharing, Bridgette!

  11. I am familiar with the schools – I have several friends who went to the Phoenix Indian School. They opened a Visitor’s Center in 2017, which tells/shows the history. It is housed in what was the band building. As with anything, there are two sides to every story and it is fascinating to learn about the history. My great-great aunt was Cynthia Ann Parker, Quanah Parker’s mother, so I have always been interested in both sides of the history of the settling of America.

    • Wow, sounds like this topic has very personal connection for you, Karin! Thank you so much for sharing. That is great to know about the Phoenix Indian School Visitor Center–I’d love to see that. I so appreciate your heart for understanding the different sides of history! Blessings.

    • Wow, sounds like this topic has a very personal connection for you, Karin! The Phoenix Indian School Visitor’s Center sounds amazing…I’d be interested to see that someday. I love your heart for seeing both sides of American history–thanks so much for stopping by and sharing!

  12. I have heard about the Native American boarding schools. I don’t know much about them though. I think one of the things from history that has always sobered me was all the people who fought against their neighbors or family or who stood there and watched their neighbors get taken away for no reason. I imagine that there where white Americans who had good relationships with the Native Americans and just watched as the kids were rounded up and taken away.

    • That is sobering indeed, isn’t it? So many times we can see that throughout history…and then have to look at ourselves too. Thank you so much for stopping by and sharing, Kerah!

  13. Yes, I have read a great deal about the Indian boarding schools. These existed in Canada too and were extremely detrimental and dreadful.

    • Thank you so much for sharing, Anne! It sounds like you have really dug into this heavy history. I have heard some about the Canadian residential schools…very sobering, though I know the government has been taking steps to try to face and heal from that history. Blessings to you!

  14. I have heard of them. Apparently we cannot allow differences. How sad! I also learned that Canada had a similar program.

    • Hi Debra! Yes, you’re right, residential schools are a huge historical wound in Canada too. History is so hard to learn sometimes, yet hopefully we can learn and grow from it. Thank you so much for stopping by!

  16. My youngest sister taught at an Indian school in New Mexico back in the 80’s. This article broke my heart. I had heard a lot of this and it crushes my heart to realize that the Indians were treated this way.
    Thank you so much for sharing this.

    • Wow, what a personal connection to this story (and history) for you, Barbara! Learning this history is indeed heartbreaking and crushing…yet I’m thankful paths to healing still exist, by God’s grace. Thank YOU so much for stopping by and sharing!

  17. Yes, I have heard of these boarding schools in books I have read and in movies I have seen. It doesn’t surprise me that “white Christians” treated the native Americans this way and is a sad chapter in our history. I have had a personal taste of this when one of my best friends married a man who was 3/4 Sioux. While he became a Christian and did well for a while, his heritage was so ingrained, that he reverted back to his previous lifestyle and left his wife and 3 children. It is hard for most people to understand a different culture and not try to force them into our mold of Christianity.

  18. These schools left an indelible mark on too many places and families. So damaging and extremely bad.

  19. I have not heard about boarding schools. Thanks for sharing. The book sounds very interesting.

  20. I live in Arizona and know a lot about the Navajos.
    In early Phoenix there was a high school where all of the Indians went to for an education. They had wonderful basketball teams because their boys were fast and agile. It is no longer there but the street where it was located is still called Indian School Road.

  21. Yes I have heard of boarding schools where I grew up in Arizona. I also remember some native students in my grade school. They were good kids.

  22. Good morning, yes I have heard some of this, which is so very sad what was done to Native Americans. I would think that they were scarred forever, horrible separating them from their families . My husband and I lived in Gallup for about 2 years , my husband worked in the mines there. He worked with 2 Native American twins and actually one of them was killed in an accident in the mine. We moved after 2 years because my husband was starting to spit black which is no good. We had a daughter at the time and our son was actually born in Gallup. I loved going to the lake there in the forest, I can’t recall the name of it. We also cut our Christmas tree in the forest where they were selling them , it was a nice big tree. Thank you for sharing this info. Your book sounds like a Great read, I will be adding it to my TBR for sure. Have a great day and a great weekend.

    • Thank you so much for sharing, Alicia! Yes, definitely deep scars still affect Native communities thanks to the boarding schools. I appreciate hearing your personal connections here! Blessings to you!

  23. I went to college in Northern Arizona and my first library job was at the San Xavier Indian Reservation, so I have heard about these “schools”.

  24. Kiersti, I hope you’re enjoying your visit. Taking Native American children from their homes and families was a horrible experiment by our government. It was so harmful and had such lasting effects. I pray this never happens again. Love the cover of your book! Wishing you much success.

  25. My mother-in-law’s maternal grandfather grew up in an Indian school in Oklahoma. It’s still there. In fact, on their history page is a photo my mother-in-law’s cousin submitted of a group of kids in classroom. The photo has an arrow pointing to “Dad.”
    We also have a photo of three of his sisters grouped together outside the school, but that one is not posted at the website.

    I wish I had had the opportunity to spend more time with mother-in-law’s mom. She knew all the stories. Mother-in-law didn’t learn them, nor the names that go to the photos.

    • Wow, what an amazing connection with your own family’s history, MaryEllen! I definitely relate to wishing you could know more…my husband’s great-grandmother was Native, but not many of the stories/songs/cultural tidbits got passed down. Thank you so much for stopping by and sharing!

  26. I have heard of the schools where the children were treated very badly and the administrators tried to eradicate the children history and way of life. How anyone going through those experiences ended up being decent people, I’ll never understand. As a senior in college, I did a research paper on the Navajos’s education both past and present (1990s). It was an eye opener. Your book sounds like something l’m going to love to read. I remember reading the children were forced to deny their culture, how devastating for them.

    • Wow, what an amazing project you researched, Karijean! I love your heart, though this history is indeed stunning and heartbreaking. Thank you so much for stopping by and sharing!

  27. I had not heard of these, but I do know about some schools now, as my Mom used to give money to St Labre Indian School. I have an author friend who knows of another school in a different state run by missionaries, too.

  28. Yes I had heard about the schools. 1923 (Yellowstone) had one for female teens on the show. I didn’t really realize the horrors they went through until I saw the show. I’m sure things were worse than what was shown. What surprises me about your blog is the numbers that were “stolen” from their homes and made to be English or die trying. Very humbling.
    I live in Toledo Ohio area and we do have Native Americans still in the area and practicing some of the old ways. They share with the public at festivals.

    • I have heard that the 1923 version of Yellowstone shows some of the horrors of the boarding schools for Native children. 🙁 I’m grateful this history is becoming better known, awful as it is. I love that you have Native peoples still present in your community and contributing their culture and ways! Thank you so much for sharing, Carrie. Blessings!

  29. I was surprised to learn by way of a friend of my sister-in-law that Indian children were still being placed in boarding schools until the early 1970’s. This woman had been one of those children. Also I watched a presentation on PBS several years ago about the schools. Former students talked about their experiences. Although most told of the pain of being away from family and the language and culture they had known, one woman said she wouldn’t have had the wonderful experiences she did if she had been left with her family. All of the women interviewed now live in Native American communities. Like so many things there were good and bad. What I find worst of all is the number of children in the US and Canada who were buried at these schools and their families never notified. Again, PBS has had a program following a family trying to find one of their family members now that it is known many of these children were buried on school property. A sad part of North American history.

    • Yes, I was a bit stunned to realize how recently these schools operated too! That sounds like an amazing PBS presentation…I’ll have to look it up. Thank you so much for sharing, Alice!

    • Yes, I was a bit stunned to realize how recently these schools operated too! That sounds like an amazing PBS presentation…I’ll have to look it up. I’ve also heard both positive and negative experiences from boarding school survivors, though it does seem that overall the harm outweighs the good. Life is never uncomplicaated, though, is it? Thank you so much for stopping by and sharing, Alice!

  31. I have not heard of Indian boarding schools before. This is a horrendous lesson to all who would hear about it. I agree that the Indians need to learn about Christianity, but to force them into becoming more “white” is wrong. It is horrible to try to erase a heritage of a people. Thank you so much for sharing. God bless you.

    • Yes, trying to erase the God-given uniqueness of His image-bearers is heartbreaking to think of, isn’t it? So wrong. Thank you for stopping by and sharing, Debra–may the Lord bless you too!

  32. I’m not familiar with the Children’s Native American Boarding School. I think it’s sad that they were forced to speak English and other cultural customs that weren’t their own. And, to be pulled from their parent’s arms at such a young age is terrible and scary.

    I’m taking a Cultural Geography class and one thing we learned about was “How the Brutal Trail of Tears Got Its Name.” In 1829, Andrew Jackson felt Native Americans didn’t have rights to their land because they were savages. In 1830 he signed the Indian Removal Act. Thus began the most brutal times for the Cherokee. About 15,000 Native Americans were forced to walk (some shackled or at gunpoint). On their journey to Oklahoma one-third of the Cherokee were too weak and died. Thus the name “Trail of Tears.”

    I just thought I’d share that devastating and cruel piece of Cherokee history. I know it’s way before the time of your book. I hope you don’t mind.

    • Thank you so much for sharing what you’ve been learning about the Trail of Tears, Jaclyn! Sounds like you are taking an amazing class. I want to learn more about this important and devastating part of our history too…I actually have a couple of writer friends who are about to release or currently working on historical novels that deal with the Trail of Tears–one is Gold in Fire by Misty Woods, available later this July. I’m so grateful various authors are digging into this important history and sharing it with us!

      Thank you again for stopping by and sharing your heart! So appreciate you.

  33. I have never heard of Indian boarding schools before. My grandparents raised my dad and his siblings on the Navajo reservation where they were missionaries. They even adopted a Navajo infant, my Uncle Mike. I am definitely interested in reading your book.

  34. There was a mission school not far from where we live. My daughter did a school project on it.

  36. I am quite familiar with the history of the schools and the damage they did over the years they operated. Not all who worked at them were bad people but there were enough that were or just did not understand the damage they were doing. Taking children from a culture built on family and tribal connections and completely severing their connections and foundation left them little to hold on to. Mixing children from different tribes with different beliefs, languages, and some who were enemies added to the problem. Replacing their foundations with a cold, unfamiliar, strict, sometimes cruel situation bent on destroying everything they knew and believed was devastating. Some thought they were doing something good for these children, that assimilating them into the white culture would help them. Unfortunately, even with the new clothing, haircuts, language, and training, there was no place for them in that culture. Many returned to their tribes and found they no longer belonged their either. They ended up in a limbo that resulted in the alcohol and drug use, despair, and suicides that plagued the reservations and streets of cities. Trying to eliminate the First Nations culture and family was a failure on both anational and personal level. Efforts are still being made today to repair that damage.

    • You have such insight into this tragic part of our history, Patricia, and its continuing impact today…thank you so much for sharing! I agree that not everyone who worked at these schools were evil people, and some were genuinely trying to do good…unfortunately, good intentions don’t always keep us from causing harm. I tried to show that complexity a bit in my young reverend character, and he was interesting to explore! Thank you again for stopping by. Blessings!

  37. I have heard about these schools, but I don’t know very much about them. Historical fiction that is true to historical events is such a powerful way to learn. I am putting your book on me “to read” list. This is something that is important to learn about.

    • Thank you so much for sharing, Joy! And I agree–one of my favorite ways to learn history is through historical fiction. 🙂 Thanks for your interest in Beneath a Turquoise Sky!

  38. I had heard about the children being put in these schools to remove their cultural influences and so that they could live the so called (right way). It was a sad historical situation. Your book sounds great! Thanks for visiting.

  39. I lived for several years in Farmington, NM and had friends among the Navajo–yet I was unaware of this sad history. I think your book sounds excellent and I look forward to reading it.

    • Oh, wow! Near Farmington was where my family used to live too! What a neat connection. I, also, didn’t know about the boarding schools until later, after moving away and digging deeper with Navajo friends and mentors. Thank you so much for your interest, Colleen, and for stopping by and sharing!

  40. Isn’t it amazing what you discover when you start to dig? It’s important to know the good and the bad in history so we don’t repeat it. Thanks for sharing your research. I did not know about this so I’ll be sure to do some reading about it. Your cover is beautiful. Thanks for the chance to win a copy.

    • I so agree with you, Vickie! History is full of important lessons for us, if we’re willing to listen, isn’t it? Thank you so much for your heart and for stopping by and sharing!

  41. Frankly, I was shocked and appalled to learn the schools were still in existence into the 1960s! I am sure there were many dedicated teachers who truly believed they were helping, but the casual cruelties and deliberate abuse that occurred remains a disgusting chapter in our annals–an internal holocaust of our own. Thank you for sharing your research!

    • I so agree with you, Elissa–on all counts! I hope we can learn from this chapter in our history. Thank you so much for stopping by and sharing–blessings!

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