Friday, July 11, 2008

Haskell

I find the evolution of the Indian boarding schools very interesting. Haskell started as a typical Indian boarding school that taught traditional, American, gender roles and had the equivalent of grades 1-5. Increased enrollment led to new curriculum and according to the Haskell website the first typing class taught in Kansas occurred at Haskell in the late 1890's. Haskell evolved into a state accredited high school, then a junior college followed by the University in 1994. Haskell offers free tuition to registered Native American tribes with the payment of required student fees, which are about $315. 
Haskell began with the intention of destroying Native culture and assimilating Native children. Children were treated poorly and disease spread easily within the student population. Children were not allowed to speak Native languages or practice any rituals, but the school eventually became the institution it is now, that respects Native culture. Does anybody know at what point did the curriculum at Haskell began to respect Native culture instead of suppressing it? I'm assuming it occurred during the Civil Rights movement, which coincides with the end of the high school and the beginning of the junior college.

1 comment:

Stephanie Bray said...

That is an excellent question and I would also be curious to know the answer. I went on a tour of the Haskell museum and it was interesting to see the amount of disdain the school initially had for Native American culture. Then, to see the amount of pride that is evident in the school today is really nice to see and it makes you wonder what happened to initiate this complete turn-around for the school. New leadership, perhaps? Are most of the individuals in management positions at Haskell today Native American? Just curious.