In a message dated 7/29/04 7:23:04 AM Eastern Daylight Time, Jimbeard37@aol.com writes: > I spoke with an indian young lady in Oklahoma City in the 1960's who spoke > of her brothers and other children on the reservation being taken away to > schools and only alowed to come home at Christmas and summer vacation. I > had > trouble believing it, but that was at a time when indians in OK were not > allowed > to purchase hard liquors. > > She spoke the truth, it was the policy of all the government and church schools for Indian children---as well as the ones in Canada--- Firstly, they were forcibly removed from their families and homes. 2nd. Once they arrive where they were going, they were stripped of their clothing, given govt/school issue, clothing, then they were forcibly shorn of their hair, forbidden to speak their own langauge. this is all documentable-- Interjecting here; to western, SW Indians, the tradition is, the longer the hair, the closer to the earth and a full circle, with our Creator/Maker, ones' soul and spirit-- are. It is an outward sign of an inward connection / dedication, to the Spiritual Path, and a totality with God/Creator. It only gets cut--nicely, as a sign of mourning--kept short one year----or, if one acts in a bad, shameful, way, and will not accept counsel--then, it is hacked off---no neat and pretty about it, by the family and tribe. Can you imagine what these young children felt, when, without explanation they had their hair CUT OFF? Under the Indian Freedom of Religion Act, (IFRA 1976) it is now illegal to force a traditonal Indian to cut his/her hair. (growing it out to look cute at a pow wow, attract girls, doesn't count) My sons are 21---they have not cut their hair since they were 11--- Add in, strangers,non family, non tribal members do not touch our hair--it is a sign of close intimacy--- As to the cutting, etc-- eastern Woodlands by and large, do not have this tradtion---many of us honor it. The children were not allowed to go home except for rare holdiays, and, if you saw the original newsletters, articles you should/would be appalled at the commentary, overt/ subliminal . as early as William and Mary, Thomas Jefferson, and as late as the 1950s and early 60s---govt education of Indian children was not working. did you know that sterilzation of Idnian women ws still gong on in this country the 1980s??? Some of the schools perfomrmed such operations on unknowing girls--under the guise of helping with their menses. Because these children were considered sub human, but, teachable, good for servitutde, if taken young---a great deal of abuse occurred---the law suits abound--due to the sexual abuse, murder, and inhumane treatment. You can find all that in the Congressional Archives, national Archives, on line, and in buried Masters and Phd theses--- so forth. As to hard liquor. Ind ians did not have alcohol, or fermentation, per se. for the 40 thousand years we were here, on this plantet, this continent. that was introduced by the Europeans. Became, still is, a huge problem. Many treaties were signed, land stolen, trade goods taken---fur trade comes to mind in an instant---beginning in the 1600s, after the Indians were drunk I'll not get into that can of worms. It was AFTER the govt's removal/ reservation system came into play it became illegal in many places to sell alcohol to Indians. Guess it no longer suited a purpose. Unless one was a treaty or reservation Indian, we were not even considered citizens of the US--had no voting rights, no constitutional rights, ad infiniitum. Emancipation freed Blacks, it did NOT free Indians. June 1924 saw all Indians made citizens, altho it was not until 1948 and 1952 the last couple states were forced to capiitualte. Is it any wonder, to be designated white, black, Hispanic (out west)---- colored, whatever---was accepted without comment? 60 percent of the US Indains are me. Non reservation, no rolls---those came about with the removal and rez pogram----, who passed, went on, did o.k. most of the time---now live with, no records, "you can't prove it"-- and families split, over color, who is and who isn't Indian? and this is the tip of the iceberg. What is in the original records,papers, etc has no resemblance to what is taught in school, or put out by the US govt. And, it continues. check me out--I speak the truth. and, it sure makes a mess of genealogy. Firehair Shining Spirit Eastern Delaware/Minisink band and yes, I proved it enuf to be enrolled and have a card. and no, I don't make a lot of People happy with me. aka Sheila