January 19, 2024

/ lacrossehistoryclub

This January we are looking at St. Mary’s Indian Boarding School, which was located on the Bad River Indian Reservation in northern Wisconsin, but run by the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration headquartered here in La Crosse. In Activity #1, we looked at articles written by Mary Annette Pember who is a descendant of survivors of St. Mary’s. As we read these articles, we found ourselves asking questions like:

  • How did the FSPA become responsible for a school like this?
  • Why was the Catholic Church so heavily invested in Native American boarding schools?
  • Why was the U.S. government so heavily invested in Native American boarding schools?
  • What is the legacy of the historical trauma from schools like St. Mary’s? Where can we see evidence of that trauma?
  • How did we get here?

These questions led to us wanting to understand the bigger picture—the historical context. So for Activity #2, let’s dig into the historical context of Native American boarding schools.

To help us picture some of the various government policies that created boarding schools, Jenny created a timeline depicting various Federal Indian Policies that shape the history of Native American boarding schools and assimilation practices. Below the timeline, we offer two options for how you can proceed with Activity #2:

Click here to open larger image in a new tab.
Each act or law is outlined in dark green. Other large contextual events are in blue. Events related specifically to St. Mary’s are in light red. Please note that this timeline is a working document and should not be considered a complete history of Federal Indian policies.

OPTION 1

Read through this broad timeline and pick a few items to research further. You could look at the specific act(s) you are curious about, an opinion piece on the policy, or anything in between. As much as you can, look for Indigenous perspectives about these policies and discussion of how the consequences of these historic laws are still felt in today’s society. We’ve included some questions below to help you evaluate what you’re reading.

Guiding Questions
  • Who is the author of the source(s) you looked at?
  • What does the author’s motivation or goal seem to be for writing what they are writing? How might their intentions shape the information they focus on (what we might refer to as their perspective or bias)?
  • What is the most critical information to know about the policy you are researching? Why?
  • How easy is it to see how St. Mary’s is connected to this federal policy? What connections seem apparent between the federal policy, the boarding school in northern Wisconsin, and the FSPA? Are there any parts of what you’ve learned that seem more difficult to relate to each other?  
  • As you’re looking into things, also pay attention to what you can’t figure out. Are there any gaps in the existing information it’s important to acknowledge?

OPTION 2

If reading about and researching policies is not your cup of tea, we wanted to offer a second option. Below are an additional set of readings from survivors of St. Mary’s or their descendants (including more Mary Annette Pember). These readings are a little different from last week: this time around, the authors mention some of the Federal Indian Policies listed in the timeline above. If you prefer, read any of the following pieces and take special notice of the policies mentioned. We’ve included some questions below to help you evaluate what you’re reading.

Guiding Questions
  • What policy/policies were mentioned in the piece(s) that you read? What kind of information about those policies is shared?
  • Think about the timeframe and context for the policy/policies discussed:
    • when was this policy enacted by the government?
    • what might the motivations have been for creating that policy when it was created? 
  • From the prism of 2024:
    • in what ways is this policy outdated? 
    • in what ways is this policy still necessary in today’s world?
    • could it look different, or no?
  • How is St. Mary’s connected to the policy mentioned by the author?
  • To what extent does what you’ve read help you envision how La Crosse is connected to the wider, and longer-term, history of the Native American boarding school movement?

January 2024’s History Club meeting will be held on January 31, 2024 at 5:30pm. RSVP here.

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