Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Sports And The Politics Of Identity And Memory: The Case Of Federal Indian Boarding Schools During The 1930s, John Bloom

Ethnic Studies Review

The federal government of the United States developed a complex System of boarding schools for Native Americans in the 19(th) century. This effort was generally insensitive and often brutal. In spite of such brutality many students managed to negotiate and create new understandings of traditions and cultural autonomy while in such schools. Now, however, some former students remember their lives as students with mixed emotions. Drawing on oral history interviews and public official documents, the author examines the recreational and athletic life at the boarding schools and finds that students were, nevertheless, able to experience pleasure and pride in creating …