For Public Review: Federal Indian Boarding Schools Nationwide Context Study

In support of the National Historic Landmarks (NHL) program and Tribal leaders, this context study offers a framework through which to consider the national significance of the history of Federal Indian boarding schools, provides a baseline comparative analysis and a tool for evaluating associated cultural resources, and seeks to support the nomination of Indian boarding schools for designation as NHLs or for listing in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). Central to this effort are the goals of incorporating Native voices as primary sources and conducting an overview of current secondary literature.

The focus of this context is on federally supported Indian education, primarily boarding schools, both on and off reservation. Early schools in the Colonial era laid a foundation for the federal system to take hold after passage of the Civilization Fund Act of 1819. Following the definition set out by the Department of the Interior (DOI) in the Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative, the institution must have provided education and boarding, received federal support, and opened before 1969.

Part I - Historic Context includes an Introduction, Methodology, and a detailed Historic Timeline of US-Tribal Interactions, divided into the following time periods: Colonial Era (1500-1776); US Federal Era (1776-1830); Removal Era (1830-1871); Assimilation Era (1871-1934); Reorganization Era (1934-1953); Termination Era (1953-1968); and Self-Determination Era (1969-present). Analysis of each period includes key policy and legislation, and general discussion and specific examples of Federal Indian boarding schools.

Part II - Federal Designation of Historic Indian Boarding Schools includes case studies for the seven historic Indian boarding school properties currently designated as NHLs, advice on identifying Federal Indian boarding school historic resources for NHL or National Register nominations, a conclusion, and an extensive bibliography. The seven NHLs are Wheelock Academy (1832 and 1884); Shawnee Mission (1839); Sheldon Jackson School (1878); Hampton Institute (1868); Carlisle Indian School (1879); Haskell Institute (1884) and Fort Apache and Theodore Roosevelt School (1923).

Unlike the public policy aims of the DOI Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative and earlier government reports, this NHL context study takes a more academic approach to support the preparation of nomination materials for National Historic Landmark or National Register of Historic Places recognition. The necessarily broad approach of a nationwide historic context may appear oversimplified and is not intended to replace the need to record the vast and changing array of student experiences throughout the tenure of individual Indian boarding schools. All survivors and descendants of the Federal Indian Boarding School system have unique stories that are difficult to incorporate into a single historic context. Many of these stories are being gathered through the efforts of the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition (NABS), created in 2012 to pursue understanding and address the ongoing trauma created by the US Indian boarding school policy.

Further, the recent DOI investigative reports contain an abundance of information that adds to our understanding of the system, including extensive lists of schools organized by state. Rather than duplicate those efforts, this context strives to provide a foundation for the evaluation of historic properties associated with the Federal Indian boarding school system, focusing on Native experiences and the continuing resilience and survival of Native communities. This historic context study does not provide an exhaustive or complete history of Native peoples in the US, but rather an overview to aid in considering the historic genesis and operation of the Federal Indian boarding school system and associated extant historic places.

Document Content:

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