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7. Chemawa
- University of Washington Press
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7 / Chemawa W e arrived at Chemawa Indian School sometime in the early morning, when it was still dark. A person came out of a building and separated us according to sex. I could see the fear and uncertainty in Luana’s eyes. I did not know how to help or comfort her. We were led to di¤erent buildings. Once inside, we were assigned to rooms that had four cots each. We were told to get some sleep. Luana and I had not eaten since noon of the day before, and I was more hungry than sleepy. The buildings and campus were foreign to me, and I was apprehensive about being there. I did not know anyone I could confide in, so I got into bed without undressing and went to sleep. When we woke later that morning, without having breakfast, we were taken to another building, where ten older girls waited. They had prepared a solution of vinegar, water, and other ingredients to wash our hair. This mixture would rid us of lice if we had them. The girls were e‹cient, and I thought they must have done this often. I was surprised to see so many Indians. They were of di¤erent ages. They were everywhere. They smiled as they saw us being shampooed by the older girls. We were embarrassed at being handled in this manner. I had never had my hair washed by a stranger, and I was apprehensive 96 about being touched by someone outside my family. Only my mother had done this, and always in a caring and gentle manner. After the girls washed our hair, we were taken back to the dormitories and told to undress and take showers. I had never showered before, and I enjoyed the water as it washed over my body. Next, we were taken to another building and given very short haircuts. Then, we returned to our dorms and received our new clothes. The pants, shirts, and jackets were of blue denim. The school also provided us with underwear—white shorts and undershirts—black high-top shoes, and black socks. We were told to change into our new clothes. We were all dressed alike, and we seemed to all look alike. I was happy with the new clothes and shoes, but hunger was uppermost in my mind. Before we left for our rooms, we each received a comb, a toothbrush, and a paper sack of tooth powder . It was close to noon before we were finally taken to the mess hall for something to eat. Within the next five to six days, other Indian students arrived from other tribes. Some wore moccasins and a number wore braids. I could not distinguish the di¤erent tribes, but I learned later that the students camefromAlaska,California,Idaho,Montana,Oregon,andWashington. I learned that some arrived at Chemawa without shoes. My shoes were old and worn, and I was close to growing out of them, but at least I had shoes. I felt fortunate. I didn’t have very much, but I realized now that others had less. The clothing of most of the students was old and worn. Manyhadholesintheirclothes.Somehadpatchesontheirpantsandshirts. I became aware that most of the students came to Chemawa because of problems at home. Some came from homes broken by divorce, like Luana and me. Others were forced to leave because of deaths in their families, when their guardians could no longer a¤ord to keep them. Lack of money was always the root of the many problems. All of us were poor, and our families were unable to support us. chemawa 97 I was impressed with the number of Indians who were assembling at Chemawa. By the time everyone was assigned to a dorm and classes were abouttobegin,thenumberof studentshadgrowntomorethan800.The studentswereof variousagesandrepresentedgradesonethroughtwelve. At first, the students of each tribe stayed close together. Some conversed only in their own language. There were sullen looks all around. Most of us had never met people from other tribes. We were strangers to one another. As days turned into weeks, tribal barriers began to break down, and we began to communicate. We were curious about the places everyone had left behind and made e¤orts to get to know one another. We came to understand that we all had something in common, regardless of our tribal backgrounds. Friendships formed. It was as if a new tribe was developing. After a few weeks had gone by, I had met...