Making Apples?

The assimilation movements of the late 19th and early 20th century were deeply rooted in the Protestant work ethic. Indian Industrial Schools in the US and Canada tore children from their parents and educated them for jobs in the dominant society; in the US the Dawes Act of 1887 divided reservations into individual allotments where Native Americans were expected to replace hunting and gathering with farming; and both countries banned Aboriginal dances and rituals, such as the Potlatch of the Haida.

These policies failed for many reasons, not the least of which is that both governments often failed to provide necessary funding to see the projects through. However, just as important was the innate assumption that Aboriginal cultures and languages were more primitive and of less value than the Euro-American culture. While many Native leaders saw the value and indeed demanded as treaty rights, education in the white man's language and literacy, they did not envision their children turning their backs on the world of their elders.

With few exceptions these policies turned out children and adults who did not belong squarely in one world or the other. Forced to farm, Native Americans received the poorest leavings when white farmers got first choice. The tools provided were inadequate, leaving them with useless farms and severely diminished game for hunting. Students taught in schools to disdain the "savage" cultures of their ancestors, were still not considered quite equal to their white counterparts. Unable to make their way in the larger world, due to prejudices, they often returned to the reservation where they turned to lives of alcoholism, violence, and in later years drug use.

Today, many tribal governments are seeing the value of educating students in their own language and culture as a way of providing emotional stability. While this is taking hold in Canada, the No Child Left Behind Act in the US has made Native language and culture harder to fit into the public school curriculum.

"Making apples" produces bitter fruit.