The Students of Sherman Indian School: Education and Native Identity since 1892 by Diana Meyers Bahr (review)

DIANA MEYERS BAHR’S RECENT BOOK, The Students of Sherman Indian School: Education and Native Identity since 1892, examines the history and experiences of students who attended the federal boarding school. Opened in 1892, the school was one of the many federal boarding schools throughout the United States. Bahr points out that this was a time of assimilation into mainstream society, and the school’s goal was to assimilate Native people into the now-dominant white Euro-American culture. The notion of “civilizing” as a deliberate process is a central theme throughout the work.

Bahr provides some analysis of the objective of the Office of Indian Education Programs. For example, the government’s policy of assaulting identity by forcing students to learn English very quickly is a major theme that permeates this work. However, Bahr’s work also provides strong accounts of Hopi children’s resistance to losing their Native language and identity. While some learned English quickly, they also were determined to maintain their own language and become bilingual. This speaks to the ways in which the children adapted to the situation in which they found themselves and made it work.

One important part of Bahr’s work is her reminder that the “education” of Indigenous peoples did not begin with colonial schools. Rather, she reminds readers that Indigenous education and the teaching of Indigenous world-views started within families and clans. Native peoples, no matter where they are, have their own knowledge systems, which operate both formally and informally. Bahr’s work reinforces this very critical point.

Bahr discusses what is referred to as a “middle course,” which means that the students of Sherman Indian School were not passive pushovers, but that they made decisions and took actions that allowed them to cope with the confrontation or tensions between white and Native cultures. Students negotiated these issues based on the situation and tried their best to self-determine and redefine themselves from their own perspectives.

This work goes beyond the historical experiences and imposed government policies of the boarding school to look at the broader context of Native education and the role of various governments and actors in education reform for Native peoples nationally. For example, the Native American Languages Act of 1990 was implemented with the goal of the preservation of Native languages. This reinforced the notion of cultural continuity and self-determination, which was a stark contrast to the civilizing mission of boarding schools throughout the United States, which Bahr addresses. However, I would have liked to see more discussion on the role of Indigenous peoples in the implementation of this policy on language preservation. This would further strengthen Bahr’s already important work. Bahr’s book also addresses the inequities, disparities, and realities that continue to exist for Native people and their education today.

While the Sherman Indian School still exists, its mission has changed from forcing government policies of civilization to cultural continuity. Strong themes of disparity remain salient, however, and employees of the school have lost their jobs as a result of funding cuts. Nonetheless, the stories and accounts this work provides demonstrate the spirit of the students and their families who were faced with adversity, their narratives past and present, their remarkable determination as original people on their lands, and their zest for learning and self-determination.

Bahr provides an excellent historical account of white–Euro domination and assimilation policies that were forced on Indigenous people. This was done using education, Christianity, language, and the push toward the dominant European philosophies and outlook on life, and its purpose was to eradicate Native cultures and peoples. Some of the most engaging aspects of Bahr’s work include the voices, experiences, words, and accounts from students themselves.

This book is an important addition to the stories of boarding/residential schools in North America. It provides an excellent historical examination of government-imposed boarding schools and of the policies that...