Author Topic: Were "Indian schools" the original straight?  (Read 2358 times)

0 Members and 2 Guests are viewing this topic.

Offline seamus

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 824
  • Karma: +0/-0
    • View Profile
Were "Indian schools" the original straight?
« on: December 11, 2010, 04:28:06 AM »
Life throws us a little wisdom once in a great while,pity we dont recognize it at the time. Back inthe 80s,I was a poor student going to emt school,and working at a plasma donation center. I lived in the most fucked-up apartment building ever. mostly drug addicts around me,and it was mostly a matter of self preservation to carry a pistol just to go to the grocery,or take out the garbage.   The one bright spot in my world was this old Indian,Len, that lived across the hall. Now Len ,he was retired Marine Corp, and a Korean war vet.He drank a good clip,so did I,and we both fish. He was from one of the 7 fires people.( Souix) damn if I can remember which one.
 He tried to get some things thru my thick Irish head about staying true to what I believed,which at the time I took as " Blah,blah,blah". I remeber he told me once,about HIS fucked up childhood. He was in some indian school in Anadarko,okla.I geuss in the 40s....He went on to compare his being stripped of his clothing,his language,and his culture to something akin to "north korean brainwashing" or at least his understanding of it? At the time I remember being SO taken aback by his pain that I,me with MY big mouth ,was speechless. I mean this ol geezer was as tough a fucker as I ever came across. I watched him beat the living fuck out of some asshole who had tried to rob him,beat this fuck so bad,that when the cops came they wanted to lock HIM up.
The last couple of days I watched a documentary on the Carlile Indian School,in Pa. Holy fuck.Its kinda dawned on me why I saw Len thru the eyes I did. and how half closed they were. I should have asked Len how in the fuck he healed himself,or if he ever REALLY did. I shoulda had the balls to at least try and talk to him about straight.I never did. He woulda got it.
he usta tell me about being whacked around over speaking his own language,then when he refused to speak at all he got beaten for that, and he was just a fucking little boy,like 7 or 8. He said the few time he went "home" it was never home, he didnt even really speak in any revelant way to his own people anymore,felt like he had one foot in the school world and one foot in the real one. He went on to explain at different times about being taught by the school that all things Indian,were bad
including him.  Starts sounding familliar huh?
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »
It\'d be sad if it wernt so funny,It\'d be funny if it wernt so sad

Offline webdiva

  • Administrator
  • Newbie
  • *****
  • Posts: 872
  • Karma: +0/-0
    • View Profile
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »
RIP Steve Matthews and all those we have lost along the way!

Offline shaggys

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 346
  • Karma: +0/-0
    • View Profile
Re: Were "Indian schools" the original straight?
« Reply #2 on: December 11, 2010, 12:19:13 PM »
The movie "The Education of Little Tree" shows him locked up in one of those fucked up Indian schools. In this case it was the Cherokee they were trying to destroy. Watch that movie if you get a chance. The book by the same title is excellent. Written by Forrest Carter. Highly Reccomended!
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »

Offline Froderik

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 7547
  • Karma: +10/-0
    • View Profile
Re: Were "Indian schools" the original straight?
« Reply #3 on: March 11, 2011, 01:45:06 PM »
:bump:
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »

dragonfly

  • Guest
Re: Were "Indian schools" the original straight?
« Reply #4 on: March 11, 2011, 03:33:20 PM »
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »

Offline kpickle39

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 481
  • Karma: +0/-0
    • View Profile
Re: Were "Indian schools" the original straight?
« Reply #5 on: March 22, 2011, 02:33:49 PM »
Just got back from a weekend visiting friends on the Cherokee res in NC.  Not sure if the schools were "original straight", but they were terrible places.  They robbed cherokee of their language, culture, religion, etc.  What ever you wanna call the schools it was a crime what was done against our native american brothers/sisters.
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »

dragonfly

  • Guest
Re: Were "Indian schools" the original straight?
« Reply #6 on: March 23, 2011, 08:39:19 AM »
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »