“Voices of Our Elders” Boarding School and Historical Trauma March 2008, Anchorage, AK Supported by Grant No: 90AM2752­US Dept. of Health & Human Services­Administration on Aging This project is housed at the Univ. of Alaska Anchorage at the College of Health & Human Services
Alaska Native Contact Experience with the Other • Who Alaska Natives are: • Columbus bumps into the New World • Nation to Nation Relationship • Russian contact: 1741­1867­bilingual • USA contact: English only policy. –.
Alaska Natives • Krauss 1982, UAF
Aleut/Unangan
UAF Unity in the Arts Fall 2001 Athabascan: Na Dene
UAF Unity in the Arts Fall 2001 Tlingit/Haida/Tshimshian
UAF Unity in the Arts Fall 2001 Inupiat
UAF Unity in the Arts Fall 2001 Y/Cupiaq/Sugpiaq
Columbus bumps into the New World • Etymology of the word “Indian” & “Eskimo” • International law : concept of natural law • Line of demarcation • Power of Catholic Pope = Papal Bull • Spanish King & Francisco de Vitoria – Right of discovery – Right of conquest
Nation to Nation to Relationship • Treaties between Continental Congress and Indian Tribes: Indian country – Treaties = legal contractual agreements • Marshall Trilogy: Congress has plenary powers – Johnson vs. McIntosh: Indian tribes enjoyed a right of "occupancy" only. – Cherokee Nation v. Georgia: Domestic & dependent Nations – Worcester v. Georgia: Indian tribes, as separate nations • 1924 Native American become US citizens = dual citizenship.
Russian Contact with Alaska • 1741. The discovery of Alaska • Russian American Company – Trade agenda : fur seal and sea otter­Aleuts taken from homeland to hunt fur seal & sea otter. • An Aleutian dispora later WWII dispora – Missionary activity: bilingual activity • Sale of the Russian American Company • Disruptive factors of contact – – – – Introduction of diseases, cultural disruption Loss of sovereignty Establishment of bi­lingual programs Aleuts sent to Moscow­3 became sea captains that circumnavigated the globe. – Conflicting Visions of Alaskan Native Education by Richard Dauenhauer.
USA contact with Alaska • Acquisition of Alaska – 1867(Treaty of Cession & Seward’s Folly) • 1 st of many congressional decisions • Postponed bothersome prior questions of Natives unextinguished aboriginal title • Alaska Natives not consulted in sale • Term: “uncivilized native tribes” emerges in relation to Alaska Natives • Dept of War­dealing with “Indian Problem” • Later Dept of Interior to oversee dealing with the Native Americans. • Established policy of English only in schools • Sheldon Jackson and Northwest Council on Churchs • ­schools and orphanages • Mission Act: Land acquit ion by churches in Alaska
A Short History of Indigenous Schools in Alaska • Early l800s Russian/Aleut schools and language program • Early l860s Episcopal church introduction of “Mission” schools in Interior Alaska – Athabascan contact • 1876 Northwest Council of Churches meets in Seattle to establish missionary enclaves in Alaska. • Mid 1880s Sheldon Jackson reports to congress on the need for financial support to educate the “savages” in Alaska; satisfied that many Tlinget/Haida communities are well into indoctrination to Western education, christianity. • Late 1890s – early 1900s “The Great Deaths” occurred, creating the need for orphanages, the precursor of boarding schools in Alaska. A well known orphanage was the Jessee Lee Home. • The federal government, the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) operated many boarding schools in and out of Alaska. It also sanctioned the operation and internment of Alaska Native children into their system.
Some Familiar Schools (A working list) • Tyonek, later Eklutna • • • • • • • • • • • • Wrangell Institute Mt. Edgecumbe High School St. Marys Holy Cross Akuluraq (Bethel) Baptist Industrial School – Kodiak Haines House Covenant High School – Unalakleet Beltz Regional High School – Nome Bethel Regional High School – Bethal Kodiak Regional High School – Kodiak St. Marks Mission – Nenana
Some Familiar Schools (A working Continuation list) • • • • • • • • • • • • McGrath Boarding Home Program Copper Center High School Jessee Lee Home – Unalaska, Seward and Anchorage Chemawa Oregon Chollocco – Oklahoma Sheldon Jackson Pius X Moravian Children’s Home – Bethel Carlisle Indian School – Pennsylvania Haskell Institute – Lawrence, Kansas Numerous segregated community schools The Boarding Home Program (rural Native children living with urban families, attending public schools) • TB sanitarium/schools in and out of Alaska
Current Boarding Schools • Galena • Nenana • Mt. Edgecumbe • Kenai Peninsula School District Boarding Home Program ­
Molly Hootch and the Tobeluk Decision • Molly Hootch Case 1972­75 • Tobeluk Decision – 1976 – Creating community schools in every village; 126 villages to have a school.
Traumas of Having Attended Boarding School • Family disruptions – – – – – Children as young as 5 years old taken away from parents Abandonment and loss Separation from parents/grandparents/family 9 – 10 months a year. Some children in boarding schools 12+ years. Contributed loss of cultural identity Punishments for speaking ones language, practicing culture and traditions Loss of traditional parental role models Intergenerational grief and loss – At The School – multiple abuses; by staff, by other students – • • • • Psychological Emotional Physical Sexual Shame, Anger, Fear, Guilt, PTSD, Denial
Societal Ramifications of Boarding School Era • • • • Extremely high rates for Alcoholism/Drug Abuse Extremely high rates for Suicide (epidemic proportions) Extremely high Death rates related to accidents Health Affects for heart disease and diabetes 19% of Alaska’s population is Alaska Native: • 62% of Children in Foster care are Alaska Native • 38% Native Incarceration Rate – Sexual and other related Assaults – Murder – Probation violations
Awareness for care Givers • Any voluntary or involuntary commitment of an Alaska Native Elder may have, because of our history, been subjected to multiple sets of grief and loss as a child • Many elders may have been in an orphanage, TB sanitarium, Mission or government­run Boarding School • Many elders may have suffered from, and still may be affected by those traumatic events while in these schools
Recommendations • Facilities and/or institutions should consider, as a process of their intake practices, developing a “Cultural assessment” tool that will look for those past experiences. • Facilities need to honor those elders by providing for an environment that includes Native staff, Native foods, an opportunity for them to freely speak their language and practice their cultural beliefs, ceremonies and traditions.
Contact: (Aqpayuq) Jim La Belle, MA (in progress) [email protected] 907­786­4303 Fax: 907­786­4440 www.elders.uaa.alaska.edu