History Of American Indian Education By Karen G. Swisher...

I recently read chapter 1 of the book Next Steps: Research and practice to advance Indian education, edited by: Karen G. Swisher and John W. Tippeconnic III. This chapter is titled: The unnatural history of American Indian Education. The chapter was about the colonial education and stereotypical beliefs about the culture and capability of Native Americans. I noticed the words natural and true showed up quite often, natural to me means not human made and true meaning the truth with facts. It was stated that there are four tenets of colonial education (the reculturing and reeducation of American Indians by the secular and religious institutions of colonizing nations). 1. Native Americans were savages and had to be civilized. 2. Civilization†¦show more content†¦The Catholics brought it upon by stating that there are two roads to take in life the road to heaven and the road to hell, it was stated that the road to heaven was lined up with all whites and the road to hell was a li ne of Indians, which was stated to scare or belief that Native Americans were all evil unless they followed the Christian ways. The third tenet was known as the relocation process which included reservations, boarding schools, colonies, and homesteads this process was to control American Indian communities. It was about imposing military, political, economic, and social power of the Native American Indians. Stereotype all American Indians as nomadic wanderers, thinly scattered across the landscape not land owners. Conquest of a continent and power over Native nations. Catholic churches were built on the foundations of ceremonial building grounds. Farming communities where natives had to do hard labor. Spanish control of goals these goals were achieved by gathering Native people under the control of Spanish priests, backed by the military power of the presidios. At first Natives were allowed to live in traditional dwellings within the mission but eventually replaced these structures with â€Å"permanent adobe housing units . . .† that offered a greater degree of control over converts. The housing was ov ercrowded, unsanitary barracks that separated men from woman, parents from children, and â€Å"wild† from