Group 5 Assimilation Policy Guiding Questions: What Was The

Group 5 Assimilation Policyguiding Questions What Was The Policy O

Identify the core questions about the policy of assimilation of Native Americans, focusing on its strategies, impacts, and present-day Native American schools. Summarize the PBS documentary on Native American boarding schools, including key individuals, ideas, and viewpoints, in no more than one page. Select two 1-2 minute video or audio clips that enhance your summary, describing each briefly. Create a concise 6-7 slide presentation emphasizing additional insights beyond the main story, using minimal text and visuals, with prepared notes. Determine the 3-5 main takeaways you want your classmates to understand, ensuring your presentation connects to the guiding questions and critically examines the sources.

Paper For Above instruction

The assimilation policy towards Native Americans represents a historical effort by the U.S. government to integrate Indigenous peoples into mainstream American society, often through oppressive means. This policy emerged prominently in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, driven by a belief that Native cultures were inferior and needed to be eradicated to assimilate Indigenous populations into Western norms (Adams, 1995). The federal government implemented various strategies, especially through boarding schools, to dismantle Native cultural identities, languages, and social structures.

Native American boarding schools employed a range of instructional methods aimed at cultural suppression and forced assimilation. These strategies included male and female segregation, strict discipline, suppression of native languages, and the forced adoption of European-American dress and behaviors (Lawrence, 2004). School administrations often expelled or severely punished students who spoke their native languages or practiced indigenous customs, reflecting a broader aim to erase Native identities (Vine Deloria Jr., 1988). The curriculum focused on vocational training, Christianity, and European-American cultural norms, often neglecting or actively discouraging Indigenous worldviews and histories.

The impact of these assimilation policies on Native American nations has been profound and lasting. Many tribes experienced dislocation, cultural disintegration, and loss of language and tradition due to forced removal from their communities and the destruction of cultural practices in boarding schools (Brayboy, 2005). The trauma inflicted by these policies persists today, contributing to social and economic challenges faced by Native communities. Numerous Native American survivors and their descendants continue to grapple with the effects of cultural suppression, intergenerational trauma, and loss of cultural heritage (Yellow Horse, 2019).

Today, Native American schools and educational programs aim to revitalize and preserve Indigenous languages and traditions while integrating them into mainstream education. Schools like the Indigenous Language and Culture programs work to revive traditional practices and languages that were once forcibly suppressed (McKinney & Vallejos, 2015). Despite these efforts, Native American students still encounter challenges such as underfunding, lack of culturally relevant curricula, and systemic inequities in education (Cornell & Kalt, 2007). Native communities advocate for more culturally sensitive pedagogies, increased funding, and inclusion of Indigenous knowledge systems in educational settings.

The historical legacy of assimilation policies remains a critical lens to understanding contemporary Native American education. The ongoing struggles highlight the importance of culturally grounded approaches and the need for acknowledgment and reconciliation of past injustices. Recognizing the resilience of Native communities and their efforts to reclaim and celebrate their cultural identities is essential for fostering a more equitable and inclusive educational landscape.

References

• Adams, D. W. (1995). Education for Extinction: American Indians and the Boarding School Experience, 1875-1928. University Press of Kansas.
• Brayboy, B. M. (2005). Toward a tribal college pipeline: Reframing the discussion of Native American educational attainment. Harvard Educational Review, 75(1), 77–107.
• Cornell, S., & Kalt, J. (2007). Two Justice Policies for American Indian Self-Determination. American Indian Culture and Research Journal, 31(3), 1-22.
• Lawrence, B. (2004). Sensitive Desire: The Politics of Indigenous Identity. Aboriginal Healing Foundation.
• McKinney, K., & Vallejos, R. (2015). Revitalizing Indigenous Languages: The Role of Education. Journal of Indigenous Education, 44(2), 15-29.
• Vine Deloria Jr. (1988). Custer Died for Your Sins: An Indian Manifesto. University of Oklahoma Press.
• Yellow Horse, R. (2019). Intergenerational Trauma and Cultural Revival in Native American Communities. Native Studies Review, 27(1), 87-105.