78H5jdcfHpCduNHJt-07.1.1_Lomawaima Domesticity

Introduction

  • Context: This study focuses on the coercion and recruitment of American Indian children into federal off-reservation boarding schools, beginning in 1879.

  • Objective: Analyze federal educational policy, practice, and student resistance, particularly among female students.

Coercion into Boarding Schools

  • Federal policies aimed to civilize and Christianize young Indian people.

  • Separate families and forbid native language use and religious practices in the schools.

Dynamics of Power

  • Foucault's theory of power relations emphasizes reciprocal interactions between students and staff.

  • Boarding schools are viewed as arenas for power dynamics rather than just places of oppression.

Domesticity Training

  • Focus on Girls: Strict sex segregation created different experiences for boys and girls.

  • Training for girls targeted domestic skills, reinforcing cultural and gender roles of the time.

  • Practices involved regimented training and specific clothing enforced by authorities.

Strategies of Resistance

  • Student Agency: Indian girls devised methods to undermine federal directives, particularly regarding dress.

  • Example: "Bloomer story" illustrates female student resistance to enforced uniformity and highlights group identity.

Structure of the Schools

  • Military Regimentation: The school schedules were tightly controlled, from bodily posture to daily activities.

  • Racially defined expectations affected the educational practices.

Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) Policies

  • Broad surveillance of Indian students documented personal lives meticulously.

  • Graduation Requirements: Emphasis on personal conduct over academic achievement.

Educational Content

  • Dominated by the ideology of domestic economy, particularly for girls.

  • The trend of prioritizing domestic servitude roles over vocational training.

Gender and Education

  • Schools reproduced the ideals of the Victorian "cult of domesticity."

  • Indian girls trained to become subservient to authority while facing rigid discipline.

Alumni Perspectives

  • Alumni narratives reveal how federal practices failed to control students entirely.

  • The bloomer story represents both individual ingenuity and collective resistance.

Conclusion

  • Federal Indian schools attempted to eliminate tribal identities by imposing strict norms of conduct and appearance.

  • Despite oppressive environments, students found ways to assert their identities and resist currents of control.