What happened at Carlisle Carlisle is a borough in and the county seat of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States. Carlisle is located within the Cumberland Valley, a highly productive agricultural region. As of the 2010 census, the borough population was 18,682; the estimated population as of 2014 was 18,916…Carlisle
What happened to the Carlisle Indian Industrial School?
Beginning in the early 1900s, the Carlisle Indian Industrial School began to diminish in relevance. With growth of more localized private and government reservation schools in the West, children no longer needed to travel to a distant Eastern school in Pennsylvania. [132]
How many Native Americans went to Carlisle Indian School?
From 1879 until 1918, over 10,000 Native American children from 140 tribes attended Carlisle. [4] The United States Indian Industrial School in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, generally known as Carlisle Indian Industrial School, was the flagship Indian boarding school in the United States from 1879 through 1918.
What happened to Carlisle students in WW1?
When the United States entered World War I on April 6, 1917, there was an additional reduction of enrollment. Many Carlisle I.I.S. alumni and students served in the U.S. military during World War I. On the morning of September 1, 1918, a transfer ceremony took place.
How many Indian children attended Carlisle School?
Of the 10,000+ Indian children who attended the Carlisle school over its 39 year life span, most returned to the reservation. Some of the returned students, much to Pratt’s dismay, joined Buffalo Bill Cody’s Wild West Show.
Who was the founder of Carlisle Indian Industrial School?
The story of the Carlisle Indian Industrial School begins with a brief introduction to its founder. Richard Henry Pratt spent eight years (1867-1875) in Indian Territory as an officer of the 10th Cavalry, commanding a unit of African American “Buffalo Soldiers” and Indian Scouts.
What tribes did Pratt contact?
Pratt came into contact with Kiowa, Cheyenne and Arapaho who had been placed on reservations in the area of the Red River near what is now the Texas and Oklahoma borders. He, his scouts and freed slave soldiers, participated in the many campaigns to keep the Indians on the reservations and away from the encroaching settlers. But Cheyenne and Arapaho warriors continued with their raiding parties in search of game and buffalo. Scant provisions and lack of supplies on the reservations made it impossible for the Indian people to thrive, forcing such raids.
What did Pratt do after the Indians arrived?
Shortly after their arrival, Pratt removed the prisoners’ shackles, cut their hair and issued them military uniforms. The Indians were expected to polish their buttons and shoes and clean and press their trousers. After a time, they were organized into companies and given instruction in military drill. Eventually, their military guards were dismissed and several of the most trusted Indian prisoners were chosen to serve as guards.
What was the cause of the distrust and loathing of the Bureau of Indian Affairs?
After filing numerous reports describing rancid beef, inferior and diseased livestock, poor grains and lack of provisions, Pratt developed a distrust and loathing of the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) which endured throughout his military service. This deep hostility began while he was administering supplies on the reservations and eventually led to his resignation as the superintendent of the Carlisle Indian School in 1904.
How many children did American Horse send to Carlisle?
American Horse sent three children. All in all, 82 children from both agencies were sent to Carlisle after medical examinations determined their fitness. While Pratt was securing the children from Dakota, two of his former prisoners were recruiting potential students from their nations.
Where did Pratt go to school?
Augustine, headed to Dakota Territory to recruit the students he had been instructed to enroll in his new Carlisle school . These were to be children from Spotted Tail’s Rosebud reservation and Red Cloud’s Pine Ridge Agency.
How many children died at Carlisle Indian School?
Exposure to "white men's diseases", especially tuberculosis, was a major health problem on the reservation as well as the East. During the years of operation, hundreds of children died at Carlisle. Most died from infectious diseases common in the early 20th century that killed many children. More than 180 students were buried in the Carlisle Indian School Cemetery. The bodies of most who died were sent to their families. Children who died of tuberculosis were buried at the school, as people were worried about contagion.
Who founded the Carlisle Indian Industrial School?
Pratt founds Carlisle Indian Industrial School. By October 1879, Captain Richard Henry Pratt had recruited the first students for the Carlisle Indian Industrial School; eighty-two boys and girls arrived one night at midnight at the railroad station.
How long did the collaboration between Dickinson College and Carlisle Indian School last?
The collaborative effort between Dickinson College and Carlisle Indian School lasted almost four decades, from the opening day to the closing of the school. Old West, Dickinson College, 1810
What tribes attended Carlisle Indian School?
Tribes with the largest number of students included the Lakota, Ojibwe, Cherokee, Apache, Cheyenne, Alaska Native, and Iroquois Seneca and Oneida. The Carlisle Indian School exemplified Progressive Era values.
How many degrees did Carlisle give?
Between 1899 and 1904, Carlisle issued thirty to forty-five degrees a year. "Educating the Indian Race. Graduating Class of Carlisle, PA." ca. 1890s
What did Pratt do at Carlisle?
At Carlisle, Pratt attempted to "Kill the Indian: Save the Man". He established a highly structured, quasi-military regime. He was known to use corporal punishment (which was not uncommon in society at the time) on students who exhibited Native behavior, so that they would rely only on themselves.
What was the Kennedy Report on Carlisle?
The 1969 Kennedy Report, findings a Senate Committee, found widespread failures in Indian education by the Federal government.
How many children died in the Carlisle Indian School?
Out of the 10,000 that went into Carlisle, 186 children from nearly fifty different tribes died, most dying of illnesses such as tuberculosis, influenza, and trachoma, an infectious eye disease. Tuberculosis, however, was the deadliest of the three. Families of the deceased children could not claim the bodies of the children, so the children’s bodies were never returned to the tribe. The children instead were given Christian burials and were buried in the Carlisle cemetery. It wasn’t until the year 2000 that the children were given proper Native burial rites, but unfortunately, the correct identification of each body had been lost due to time, loss of accurate documentation, and several relocation projects on the Carlisle Cemetery. The school is now an active military base with the cemetery located right behind the army barracks known as the Carlisle Barracks. 15
What were the effects of the Carlisle experience?
Children experienced cultural isolation, which led to homesickness, and in extreme cases, to alienation and depression when they returned to reservations . Families that were reluctant to send their children to federal schools faced threats from the government that included removing federal funding and welfare from the family. Hence, even if the child or the family didn’t want to attend Carlisle or other schools, they had no choice. 12 Gertrude Bonnin, also known as Zitkala-sa, was a former student from Carlisle and went on to become a teacher at the school. She, like many students, had been scouted out by missionaries prior to attending Carlisle Indian Industrial School. In her case, she was recruited by the Manual Labor Institute, a Quaker mission school in Indiana. She was recruited at the age of eight, and she recalled the traumatic experiences she and others faced when going through the assimilation process. In her essay, School Days, she recalls how she hid from teachers when they told her they were going to cut her long, traditional braids. They ended up dragging her out from under a bed, tying her to a chair, and then cutting her braids with a pair of scissors. She describes this moment as the moment she lost her spirit. After Carlisle, she found herself alienated from her traditional mother and struggled to reconnect with her family for the rest of her life. She became a teacher at Carlisle for two years before going on to found the National Council of American Indians in 1926, where she served until her death in 1938. She was a prominent Native-American rights activist. 13
What was the purpose of Carlisle School?
Carlisle seemed like any ordinary school. It had classrooms, teachers, libraries, things that any school would have. Only this school had a unique purpose. This school was not for everyone; in fact, it was only for one group of people: Native American children. The purpose of this school was to strip these Native American children of every native tradition and custom they ever had. Their traditional clothing made of soft leather and Mulberry and redwood bark were replaced with uniforms. 1 These childrens’ names were officially changed to Christian names, and they were forbidden to speak their native languages while on school premises; all teaching instruction was in English. 2 Additionally, both boys and girls had to have their hair cut to an appropriate length, which was based on Anglo-Saxon cultural norms. After the students had their hair cut and their Native garb removed, they would have to choose a Christian denomination. 3 The one connection the students had to their culture was one ritual dance that was performed by the students for the comic entertainment for visitors. Any other traditional dances or rituals were prohibited. 4 How did this school come about?
What were the extracurricular activities at Carlisle?
Carlisle also sponsored extracurricular activities, which included a music program, a student-run newspaper, and a library. Most of these programs were unintended by the federal government and were created mostly by donors, teachers, and the students themselves. For instance, the library was created through the efforts of O.H. Bakeless and Pratt, who wanted Native children to have access to encyclopedias, medieval stories, and Greek and Roman history. Along with that, they added classics such as Little Women, Black Beauty and religious texts. Teachers and sponsors also played a key roles in growing the school and encouraging pupils to grow outside of the low level jobs the federal government intended for them, by providing additional funds and resources. 11
How many students are buried at Carlisle Indian Industrial School?
At least 189 students were buried at the Carlisle Indian Industrial School's cemetery, according to the Carlisle Indian School Digital Resource Center at nearby Dickinson College. The children and young adults were already known to be buried at the school, their deaths marked on their student information cards, ...
Who was the founder of Carlisle Indian Industrial School?
The founder of the Carlisle Indian Industrial School, Capt. Richard Pratt, believed that Native children should be stripped of their Indigenous culture and assimilated into White American culture. Pratt's most famous speech included his notorious urging to "kill the Indian" to "save the man.". Boarding schools for Native American children were ...
What happened to the children who died at boarding school?
(CNN) The remains of 10 children and young adults who died at a Pennsylvania boarding school for Native Americans more than a century ago are expected to be exhumed and returned to their families, according to the Office of Army Cemeteries.
When did the Carlisle Barracks disinterment take place?
The exhumation is the US Army's fourth disinterment project at Carlisle Barracks, after the Army moved human remains to the post's cemetery from the school's in 1927. The deceased are among more than 10,000 students, spanning about 50 tribes, who were brought from across the United States to the school until it closed in 1918.
Who are the students from Rosebud Sioux Tribe?
The names of the students from the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, according to the OAC, are: Dennis Strikes First (Blue Tomahawk); Rose Long Face (Little Hawk); Lucy Take The Tail (Pretty Eagle); Warren Painter (Bear Paints Dirt); Ernest Knocks Off (White Thunder); Maud Little Girl (Swift Bear); Alvan, aka Roaster, Kills Seven Horses, One That Kills Seven Horses; Friend Hollow Horn Bear; and Dora Her Pipe (Brave Bull).
Who was the assistant secretary of Indian Affairs in 2000?
In 2000, Kevin Govir, the assistant secretary for Indian Affairs apologized for the "ethnic cleansing and cultural annihilation" conducted by the agency. Gover specifically cited government boarding schools as part of a "cultural assault on American Indians and Alaska Natives.".
Is Carlisle Indian School a non profit?
This approach was ultimately used by hundreds of other Native American boarding schools," according to the Carlisle Indian School Project, a non-profit that aims to commemorate the site with a museum. "The Army's commitment remains steadfast to these nine Native American families and one Alaskan Native family.
How many children are buried in Carlisle?
The nine children and young adults are part of the more than 180 students buried on the Carlisle Barracks Post Cemetery in named and unnamed burials, according to the Office of Army Cemeteries. Four boys posing for a photo on the grounds of the Carlisle Indian Industrial School in 1879. Alvan Kills Seven Horses (One That Kills Seven Horses), ...
Why is it unclear which tribes the rest of the children came from?
It's unclear which tribes the rest of the children came from "due to poor record- keeping by the Indian Bureau during the operation of the Carlisle Indian Industrial School ," the OAC said in a statement.
How old were the students at Rosebud Sioux?
The students were between the ages of 12 and 18 when they arrived at the school, said Russell Eagle Bear, a council member in the Rosebud Sioux Tribe.
Who will review the boarding school program?
The Department of Interior will review its past oversight of the school program, assess how it has impacted generations of families and identify boarding school facilities and burial sites across the country, Haaland said.
How many children were buried in Rosebud Sioux?
It was part of a campaign to assimilate Native children into White American culture. For six years, the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, also known as Sicangu Lakota, negotiated the return of the remains of 11 children and young adults who have been buried there for generations. Next week, the remains of nine of those children will arrive in South Dakota, ...
Who founded Carlisle Indian School?
It was founded by Lt. Col. Richard Henry Pratt, whose common refrain from an 1892 speech he delivered was “kill the indian, save the man.”. Carlisle was one of 357 Indigenous boarding schools that operated throughout the country. [ RELATED STORY: Rosebud Sioux Youth Council Returns to Carlisle Indian School to Bring Their Relatives Home]
When was Carlisle Indian Industrial School established?
The Carlisle Indian Industrial School was established from former U.S. army barracks by the Bureau of Indian Affairs in 1879, and served as the United States’ first boarding school for Indigenous children. Over the next 39 years, 7,800 Native children, forcibly removed from their homes across the United States, ...
How did Sophia's sister die?
Sophia’s sister died of sickness brought by gold rush settlers in 1990, and Sophia alone was sent 4,000 miles by boat and train to the Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Pennsylvania the following year. “The Army is paying for the reinterment and travel costs for my son and I this summer,” Peters wrote in an op-ed for Native News Online.
Why were the children's remains not returned to their home communities?
Records show that several of the deaths were due to tuberculosis or pneumonia, and that children’s remains weren’t returned to their home communities due to financial constraints, Gerencser said. “But after 1905, more of the students that had died while at the school were transported back to their home communities for burial.”.
How many children were exhumed in Arapaho?
Through the Northern Arapaho Tribe’s leadership, 11 children were exhumed between 2017 and 2019. In addition to the Northern Arapaho, those children belonged to the Piegan/Blackfeet Tribe, the Oglala Sioux Tribe, Oneida Nation, the Iowa Nation and the Modo Nation.
What causes of death were announced in the local newspaper at the time?
Many of their deaths were announced in the local newspaper at the time, noting causes of death as “consummation,” or tuberculosis, or detailing circumstances of unknown sickness. In some cases, the student information card included their name and tribal affiliation. The cards also noted the dates of their arrival and, in swirly cursive, departure: “Cause of discharge: dead.”
Where were the children of the Rosebud Sioux?
Nine of the children were from the Rosebud Sioux Tribe in South Dakota, and one was from Saint Paul Island in Alaska’s Bering Sea. “At the request of the closest living relative for each decedent, (The Office of Army Cemeteries) will disinter and facilitate the transport and reinterment of the remains in private cemeteries chosen by ...
What happened at Carlisle?
He and others interviewed compared what happened at Carlisle to the current immigrant policy of separating children from families along the southern border.
What was the purpose of Carlisle Indian Industrial School?
In many ways, subtle and profound, the students of the Carlisle Indian Industrial School were being transformed by the mission to assimilate native youths to the white man’s world and to teach each child a marketable trade.
What did Robins compare the Indian problem in Westward Expansion to the symptoms of poison ivy?
Robins compared the Indian problem in westward expansion to the symptoms of poison ivy. Native Americans were an itch the white man could not satisfy , she said. Forced assimilation was one way to address the issue.
Why do Lakota children have their hair cut?
To Lakota children, having their hair cut was a form of mourning, Landis said. “The symbolism of that was fairly profound. It was a sign that someone had died. Something did die. Their culture was being eradicated.”
What did the teacher say about the strange markings on the blackboard?
The teacher said the strange markings on the blackboard were the key to a new identity.
When did the Carlisle school open?
By 1879, the year the Carlisle school opened, remnants of tribes that endured for generations were confined to reservations and often mingled with traditional enemies in a bid by the federal government to erode the ties that bound native people to ancestral territory, Landis said.
Who were the students in the 1884 photograph?
The students are John Chaves, Mary Perry and Bennie Thomas.
Where are the remains of the Carlisle Indian Industrial School?
This cemetery on the grounds of Carlisle Barracks holds the remains of students from the former Carlisle Indian Industrial School.
How many students are buried in Carlisle?
Over four decades, roughly 8,000 students attended the school, and nearly 200 were buried here. Now, the number of graves at Carlisle is incrementally dropping, since efforts began several years ago to return the remains of students to their tribes and families.
How many bodies were found in boarding schools in Canada?
Native Boarding Schools: Behind The Fight To Repatriate Indigenous Remains : Code Switch After discoveries of more than 1,300 bodies at Canada's residential schools, the U.S. is now facing a crucial moment of reckoning with its own history of Native American boarding schools.
Why did the government create Indian schools?
The government created these schools to assimilate American Indians into the dominant culture of the day - white American culture - says Matthew Sakiestewa Gilbert, professor and head of the Department of American Indian Studies at the University of Arizona, and an enrolled member of the Hopi tribe from Northeast Arizona. "The government had created these schools to teach Indian students, some as young as four or five years old, industrial trades so that they could be 'useful members of American society' and take that training back to back to their communities, or take that training into predominantly white communities that surrounded the Indian school."
How many prisoners did Pratt convert to Christianity?
Pratt was influenced by Puritan beliefs, and in the POW camp converted 12 prisoners to Christianity. He was able to get those 12 prisoners to help him recruit children for the Carlisle Indian School, which became the first class at Carlisle.
Pratt, Ft. Marion Prisoners and Hampton
Recruiting The First Students
School Life
Adjustment and Response
The Outing System
“Something Nobler and Higher”
The Carlisle Indian School Cemetery
- At the Carlisle school, as on the reservations, the health of many Indian people was in peril particularly after European contact. Some students were stricken with tuberculosis or smallpox. Others could not cope with the severe stress of separation from family and tribe. Most of the children who became ill were sent back home to their families, but...
Overview
Founding
At Fort Marion, Florida in the 1870s, Pratt was assigned to supervise former warriors, several dozen Native American prisoners selected from among those who had surrendered in the Indian Territory at the end of the Red River War. He gradually introduced them to classes in the English language, art, guard duty, and craftsmanship.
The program became well-known. Distinguished visitors began to visit from all over the country, …
At Fort Marion, Florida in the 1870s, Pratt was assigned to supervise former warriors, several dozen Native American prisoners selected from among those who had surrendered in the Indian Territory at the end of the Red River War. He gradually introduced them to classes in the English language, art, guard duty, and craftsmanship.
The program became well-known. Distinguished visitors began to visit from all over the country, …
Community
Curricula and extracurricular programs
Political context
Native Americans in mainstream culture at the time
Closing and legacy
Contemporary institutions